Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Working with Walt

Working with Walt


At the 2013 D23 Expo there were five panel discussions with Walt Disney Imagineers. The very first one was led by Marty Sklar and had Bob Gurr, Alice Davis and X Atencio talking about what it was like to work for Walt Disney.

It is fun to hear how each of this legendary Imagineers met Walt Disney. They shared their favorite memories of working with Walt and talked about his management style and how it affected their lives.

One thing that kept coming up in all the discussions, starting with this one is Walt was the best “Casting Director” they ever knew. He would talk to someone for a few moments and then ask them to do something they thought they could never do. Yet, they would do it and do it well!

They also share how nobody wanted to fail around Walt, but he never placed blame. If something went wrong he would ask how “we” could make it work. His style encouraged people to work harder and do things they did not know they could.

The discussion ended with a short Q&A.

Both my husband and I were at this panel and it was a life changing event. What we walked out of there was the desire to encourage others as Walt did. We also walked out of there with in intolerance of people and circumstances that stifled creativity and collaboration.

Below is video of the complete panel discussion and Q&A:


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