FROM CAST MEMBER TO IMAGINEER
LEARNING FROM THE GROUND UP
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ON IMAGINEER PODCAST www . imagineerpodcast . com
BY MATTHEW KRUL
There ’ s a line from Monsters University that is quietly filled with practical insight : “ If you really want to work for a scaring company , they ' re always hiring in the mail room .”
It ’ s meant as an insult in context , but Mike and Sulley end up taking the advice and learning there ’ s nothing wrong with starting in an entry-level position . Through hard work , they manage to work their way up the ranks , learning from the ground up what it takes to succeed on the Scare Floor at Monsters Incorporated . The idea sounds like a cliche , but I have actually spoken with numerous Imagineers and executives who successfully followed a similar journey at Disney , including Brian Collins , Tony Baxter , and Dan Cockerell . All of them gained advantages over colleagues who passed on similar work .
A CONTEMPORARY CLIMB Before Imagineer Brian Collins was writing new jokes for Jungle Cruise , he was working at the front desk at Disney ’ s Contemporary Resort . Brian had applied to Disney hoping to employ his degree and his show-writing experience , but there wasn ’ t a relevant position available at the time , so Disney assigned him to a resort role . Although working at the front desk at first felt like a step back , Brian admits it actually turned out to be a fantastic opportunity .
“ Not only was it a bunch of fun ,” he explained to me , “ but that ’ s really where I kind of cut my teeth on Disney culture and learned about Disney guest service , and that ’ s where I got my training in delivering wonderful guest experiences and really kind of by osmosis ... learned about how Disney creates themed environments and experiences .”
Looking back , Brian admits “ working at the front desk ended up being one of the best things for me .” The role gave him a foot in the door , which led him to a production assistant role , then internal communications and marketing . The networking opportunities and experience , along with great persistence , eventually helped him land a show-writing role at Walt Disney Imagineering .
BACKGROUND : Disney ' s Contemporary Resort , where Imagineer Brian Collins got his start working at the front desk . PHOTO BY JUDD HELMS