So, in order to get credit for this internship, I had to write a 15 page paper - that I, quite frankly, didn’t really know about until last minute. So, sorry if it’s not exactly super-college-kid material, but I did my best with the time I had, and sorry it’s so long. Hopefully, you get something out of it.
It all began with one man, and a dream. Walt Disney envisioned a place where children and parents alike could have fun in a clean, safe, and welcoming environment. This land was called Disneyland, and this is where I was employed for the past 7 months. Though it did not all start with the construction on Disneyland, it’s from this pivotal creation that the Walt Disney Company has become a leader in technology, innovation, and globalization which makes it one of the most powerful brands of our time. Next to the cross sign, in relation to religion, the mouse ears that represent all that is Disney is the second most recognized symbol across all nations. Because of this fact, The Disneyland Resort, and Walt Disney World are in the top list of tourist destinations in America and the world.
When tourists travel, they have needs, and with needs there come a necessity for people that help to fulfill those needs. I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in a program that made it possible for me to be one of those people, often referred to as, Cast Members. I wasn’t involved in making sure the guests were fed, or that their linens were clean, but instead, I was in charge of making sure that their memories were made available to them when they forgot to remember and capture them themselves. In a more particular sense, I was the guests’ photographer, along with about 20 other interns in the spring 2011 term of Disney College Program.
As photopass photographers, we were hired on to take photos of the guests inside of both parks in the Disneyland Resort. We were one of the highest paid intern departments in the college program, which we weren’t supposed to divulge to other students, but inevitably, our pay got out, and everyone knew. We trained for 5 days, developing our skills with the newly purchased Nikon D90 Cameras. In those 5 days we learned the way of Disney Photography – what the best ways to approach a guest with a camera, which light setting we needed, which ISO was appropriate for which locations, and basically how to not completely ruin a guests’ photo.
In the Disney Housing we were randomly paired to room with people, and with the training we received, we were able to get to know those that held our job titles as well in a more intimate situation than when we were actually working. Because of this, a lot of the people that trained together stayed together as friends. Though, training was slightly misleading, as our jobs – even though we were surrounded by guests – could become quite lonely. It turns out that it takes only one person to push a big silver button on a camera, and no more.
It is true that our job was very solitary at times, but we were never completely alone. We worked alongside character, entertainment cast members in trying to create magical memories for the guests that decided to line up for an hour or more to take photos with the princesses, Mickey, Minnie, etc. This was the second round of college program kids to have been introduced to the concept of characters and photographers being meshed into one singular department. Previously, photographers and characters were separated in agenda, and in location. With the new system, it became easier to collaborate between the two departments to figure out what needs needed to be met. So, with that in mind, we were basically another set of guinea pigs in the new system imposed by both departments.
Unfortunately, we all came to find that a creeping stigma follows the college program cast members. In our class, it seemed most apparent because of all the financial hardship that prompted older people to resent us, and the only people that had any sympathy for us were the former college program kids, though they were slightly peeved that their hours had dropped significantly due to our presence. Because we instantly acquired 3 year seniority, we ended up taking all the hours from people who had actually worked for many years more than us. So after a while, we learned to either impress those that quietly despised us and make them our friends, or to just lay low and be courteous to everyone – even if they talked toward us resentful tones.
It took some time and practice during our first weeks to figure out how to work with the characters and character hosts- the people who make sure that the characters are taken care of during inclement weather and abusive guests. Luckily, many of the characters were patient with us because they knew we were students in the college program. On the other hand, there were characters which turned their noses up at us and quickly expressed their frustrations with our ‘incompetence’ and lack of efficiency until we finally got our jobs done the ‘right’ way. As it was, even the old veterans of photopass had their own style of work even though it was all supposed to be fairly stream-lined. I believe the grudge between character and photographer lies in the different job functionalities, and different abilities of older, younger, and more active cast members. Trying to readjust at every shift kept us on our toes, and after a while it seemed like everyone began to chill out their nerves and just go with the flow which let us all work peacefully together.
There are two types of photos that we took in order for the guests to have more options to decide from when they went to purchase the photos – character, which has already been discussed, and icon. My personal favorite was the icon photography where we were allowed to interact with guests on a more personal level when it wasn’t terribly busy, and people weren’t lining up down Main Street to take a photo in front of the castle. This interaction, as opposed to the ‘love and shove’ that happens when guests line up to see characters is what I preferred most, and what kept me sane through particularly monotonous days on the job, because even though we were in the most magical place on earth – boredom can creep in.
Which location we were sent to throughout the parks was at scheduler discretion, and could only be influenced by our Preference sheets that took up to three weeks to become active, and from there, maybe the scheduler would give us the shifts we preferred. Fortunately, for me and icon photography, it was much in the minority to prefer icons to working with characters, so if ever I needed to trade out a character shift, or pick up a few hours there were shifts at the icons to take. Something about standing out in the sun for 8 hours, battling the immense amounts of crowds at the entrance and the castle, taking AP headshots, and being part-time guest relations during the hot summer didn’t sit well with many of the seasoned photographers.
Aside from actually taking photos, we also had to learn how to edit, manipulate, and sell the photos that were taken throughout the park. Often referred to as the View Station, our photo supply center was where we took a step back away from the eye piece and put on our cute little neck-tie and skirts. This part of our training was surprisingly short for the amount of information that we needed to learn to be effective in helping the guests choose which photos they wanted. Surprisingly, in the last month of our employment, Disney implemented a new system of photo-viewing in which we were trained for 4 hours and sent out to battle the crowds of people with a supposedly faster system. Unfortunately, the new system was neither fast nor efficient. It had many bugs that needed to be worked out, and for the older photopass cast members who weren’t technologically savvy, it was a nightmare. Either our guests ended up with very simplistic photos, or they ended up being with us for a long time in the View Station. Hopefully, they got all the kinks worked out by now.
As a department, our pay scale was $10.70 an hour and we were guaranteed 3 year seniority, and at least enough hours every week to pay for the Disney Housing, if we were living in it. We worked at least 28-32 hours, unless requested otherwise, and during peak season, we were required to be available 7 days a week, at any discretion and could get up to 40 hours and overtime, which is paid at time and a half. It was possible to pick up shifts as long as it didn’t take us past 40 hours, or give us a 6th day of work in one work week, which would’ve required Disney to pay us overtime. Before I went to Disney, I had worked for Hickory Farms, which was a seasonal job, where I basically just stood around for 4-8 hours a couple days a week. Fortunately, I was able to find this job to make real money, to save for college, and to gain job experience.
This whole adventure began when I saw an ad for the Walt Disney College Program when I was a junior in high school, from there I researched the whole shindig and figured out I would have to wait until I was actually in College to apply. Then upon my arrival at SFSU I received an email regarding the College Program. I was sort of skeptical when I received it, but when I looked at the email again, about half way through the semester, I was intrigued. I took it upon myself to learn more about the whole internship, and after I had gotten my fill of information, I was set on participating.
Due to my research, and the formality of class descriptions, initially I thought that the program was going to be more educationally strenuous than it was. It was by no means easy, but I’m glad it wasn’t completely mind melting. It turned out that there were two class terms within the 7 months that we were in the program. In my first term, I took a corporate analysis class that took us through the five business segments of Disney and taught us how they all intermingled with each other to create a successful company. We first learned the history of the WDC, and how it affected the development at each stage of its 56 years. Here we focused on singular events, discussing what may or may not have happened if certain situations would have occurred differently, and overall it gave us a better grasp on the creation, and development of Disney’s corporate culture.
When learning about Disney’s corporate culture, which pretty much covered the whole class, we learned all the neat little nuances of Disney, and some of the fundamental concepts that separated the WDC from any other competing company. Items ranging from the way that Disney property is constructed down to the very bobby pins that cast members wear in their hair, are all part of Disney’s bigger picture of creating one of the most professional, welcoming businesses of our time.
Toward the end of our education in this class, we were assigned projects where we were to demonstrate how technology, creativity, and global expansion have helped the WDC become a single noticeable entity against competing companies. We had to work together as young professionals, pool our thoughts and devise a presentation that was compiled of the group effort. My particular group focused on technological advances that helped globalization, technology, and innovation. While everyone in my group had their own topic, mine was Google3D Earth and Walt Disney World.
At first I was quite perplexed by this topic, as I had never even heard of Google Earth 3D, let alone, its combination with Walt Disney World. I learned that Walt Disney World was the first theme park to launch a 3D tour on Google Earth. This put the WDC ahead of its competition such as the Six Flags company, the Knotts Company, and many other amusement parks because it allowed people from all over the world to tour the Resort before making their considerably costly decision to visit the parks. So, with the expectations that the Google Earth tour allowed, guests would be considerably more pleased with their visit based on the dollar value they believe they should have gotten, and the dollar value that they did receive. Though our group had a few mistrials with getting together, and putting together the presentation in a more time efficient manner, due to illness, work emergencies, and car-thefts, we ended up getting a good grade for our cooperation and creativity, as we presented our segment of the class in a talk show format, which earned us a few brownie points.
Now, the second class that I took during my term in the program was definitely not one for the partnerships. I was very pleased with this course, in fact, and when I had to miss a class, I was particularly put off because in every class was a lesson to be learned about your individuality, and your professionalism. It did exactly what I wanted it to do, and thus validated my whole college program experience. The class was called Marketing You and was highly praised by many of the former college program participants that still worked with Disney because it mostly focused on the individual. It was the goal of the class to prepare us for the professional world in aspects of appearance, attitude, and preparation. I was quite pleased with the content of the course, as it gave us a range of assessments that were meant to steer us in the right directions as far as career choices, social choices, networking choices, and thought processes were concerned.
In the beginning we were asked to fill out a survey in which we numbered our values on a number scale to see which ones meant most to us. Being honest with myself, I was able to find that my highest values are achievement, family relationships, health, independence, and personal development. With these values in mind, I was able to look at myself from an objective point of view, and start thinking about what my future would hold. As I worked on my familial relationships I realized that it wasn’t enough for me to be successful, but for my family to be successful as well. This class helped me realize, that in my independence, I want to open a practice in which I will employ those who surround me with similar goals while furthering my education and entrepreneurial aspirations.
Also, the career lift-off inventory that we took surprised me as it described my strongest fields as ones such as psychology and teaching where I thought military or entrepreneurialism would win out. I had a lot of variance in my inventory, which I assume accounts for my adventurous mind set. This career lift-off made me think about what I’m good at, what I’m really willing to do as a working professional and how easy or hard it would be for me to accomplish any goals relating to the fields of my interest. After talking to my parents who are both going to be professionals in the teaching and psychological worlds, I figured it was best to follow their footsteps to build an empire upon family ties and social networking while doing something that would truly fulfill me. I figure in psychology it is totally possible to see results from one’s own work in a form more important than results on a piece of paper, but results straight from someone’s soul.
The most important aspect of my education was the discovery of my seeker archetype. I never pinpointed it before, but the seeker is what I am, as well as a warrior. Reading the downfalls, such as loneliness for seeker and emotional boundaries for warrior, were very eye opening, once I realized my archetypes. This in itself will help me to assess who I am, who I want to be, and the qualities that must be changed or that I need to come to terms with before they become a surprise at a later age, possibly when it’s too late to change my life direction. Knowing that I could be a stronger person in life helped me become more confident in my duties as a cast member, and from there I learned a lot of simple skills that made more of an effective employee.
In the work environment, it is crucial for a cast member to be versatile and have strong character as it is possible to come upon impossible situations which requires a courageous soul to react in the right ways. Working on stage, in front of literally thousands of people every day teaches cast members a few tricks, and forces them to be very adaptable, and stable. For example, toward the end of the program I had a shift at Disney California Adventure in the view station. Any normal day, this would’ve been like any other shift. However, on this particular day my Lead wasn’t coming into work, and my reinforcements weren’t coming in until 3:30. Now, on a normal day, the View Station is manned by one person until noon because it’s considerably dead until then, but after that such time, a line can form, and the guests can become impatient. It turned out that this one day in the View Station was one of the few, if not the only day that it was busy before noon, and I still had 3 hours of holding down the fort myself.
I had multiple families with lost photos, confused photos, missing number codes to photos they’d already searched for, and photos that were just plain non-existent. And of course, with the great fortune I had that day, others chose to come and view their photos at the same time as these families who would surely take up at least 10 minutes of time just searching for photos, let alone creating and buying them. Instead of completely freaking out, I took the proactive approach of letting the guests know the situation, and making sure that none of those waiting in line were actually searching for the annual pass station. After 15 minutes of searching for codes, photos, and families, the guests finally took my advice and went to look for their extended family, and their photopass cards, leaving me with the guests that had been in the line for that time.
The first woman I had had previously waited in line for her photos during her last trip, and it had taken a little longer than the time it had taken this time, but I could clearly see that she was upset, and I felt that it was my job to cheer her up. So, with her two vouchers for free photos, I let her choose a photo that wasn’t from the meet and greet that the voucher was assigned to. After this, she was so pleased, she bought the gallery CD – valued at 59.95 and continued to take photos. And even after I’d asked the whole line – the next two families were searching for the annual pass station. I guess we can’t win them all, but I tried, even in my haze of frustrations and smiles.
I believe that my patience, and tactful spieling and guest solutions during these 30 minutes of crisis were the key to keeping the guests and myself from going insane with frustrations, and helped keep tensions low. When one person is on edge, it can create a negative atmosphere for all. I also think that my knowledge of the software, and my ability to effectively use it, and let the guests know what I was doing, instead of going through silently could’ve helped keep the calm during the storm.
Unfortunately, the traits and skills that I’m learning are not for my actual career path, but any new experience will contribute to my overall outlook. While my major is kinesiology, my job description was photopass photographer. As far as my academic use for this job went, I knew how to manage my time well when I had multiple tasks at hand, and I could help organize people into becoming more effective as a unit as a result of my communications class in the previous semester, but I quickly found that Photopass in no way coincided with my ultimate goals of working to obtain the ability to train people in their fitness. Though, being in the entertainment department did cross paths with a potential career path that I could come back to as a kinesiology major. Because our job as photographers was so physically demanding, we were required to stretch before our shift as a unified group in the conditioning room. Here could be found Disney’s physical trainers. They happened to be recruited from the hospital that the Disneyland Resort is in cahoots with, St. Judes Children’s Hospital – which is located in Santa Ana.
Though the program and its contents didn’t directly transfer over into my major, I learned a few things that will help in my overall success as a professional in whatever field I choose to pursue here on out. I used to think of myself as a personable person, which I was, but Disney brings out a new type of personable on the work front. When I started working for the Mouse, it was an interesting revelation to realize how much people don’t smile when it’s not done regularly, how much people lean, and turn away from customers, or guests in our case. While I’ve always strived to put on the best show I can in all situations, this made me realize that it is so important to maintain the image of professionalism. At Disney, a guest will call a cast member on their bad attitude, walk through and point out their frown, and wait impatiently if the 10 second window passes and they haven’t been helped.
On top of the way that we act, it is very important to uphold a persona of professionalism from the way we dress to the way we style our hair and put on our makeup. Disney was going for a very wholesome look when the costumes were created, and guidelines were set forth for facial hair, nail color and length, hair style, hygiene regimens, and so forth. While it may seem a plain work environment, and stifling of creative license and individuality, it really does help a business because guests are more likely to approach someone of a wholesome nature with clear skin and kempt hair as opposed to someone with tattoos and piercings all over their body, and bright red hair. And with this, I will remember that in my profession I will need to be welcoming as possible with my attitude, and my appearance, along with making sure that any employees around me and inside my company will uphold the same image so that we have a clear cut message and status.
As far as education goes, I believe that the main focus of this whole program is to give us life experiences that will help our academic choices in the future. I learned a lot of non-academic lessons in the program as well as purely academic information, though not as much as I expected. I am much more energized and pumped about my education goals now that I first-hand experienced the difference between what can happen to me from lack of a good education, and the presence of one. This laborious internship of 8 hours of manual labor per working day made me realize that I need to go to school to avoid having to work on an hourly pay scale that is immensely stressful and physically draining. To me, now, it seems that this pay scale is a scary one to live by. Where my survival would depend on each and every single day, going to work whether it be rain or shine, healthy or sick, kid’s graduation or not.
If anything, this program has strengthened my resolve to return to school, do the best I can, move forward and work towards a future that I can be proud of, not just one I’ve settled for – which unfortunately is the case of some of the cast members and will become the fate of many more. I’ve talked to a few kids who decided to drop out of school and continue working for Disney, and while I don’t want to bash on their dreams, the chance that all of them are going to make it to their prized positions is very small, and the chance that they will be disappointed is very large. Hopefully, some of them come to their senses and seek out a more stable life in the future.
In saying this, I would like to point out that working as a salaried member of the WDC would be a great source of personal success for someone. I was sort of bummed when I learned that there was no possible work for a person of my educational background in Disney aside from dance, but when I found the physical trainer it was a little ray of hope, in case I ever decided to come back and work for the company after schooling. I learned all too well what they were used for when I dislocated my knee cap during a shift at Mickey’s House. Through the journey of healing and being off of work I realized my new career goal – which is one that hasn’t exactly been created yet.
While I love the study of kinesiology, as far as I know by now, I didn’t think it would be enough to be just a physical therapist, or just a PE teacher. Going through a rehabilitating stage in my life after an injury, and being such an athletic person before was especially trying on my mental health. I started to think about my job prospects during my physical therapy appointments, as it was I was supposed to do once my education was concluded. I decided that I didn’t like the profession itself and did a little soul searching, and after that career liftoff inventory we took in marketing you, I decided that it might be best for me to be a teacher or psychologist.
Here I got the great idea of combining psychology and physical fitness. To combine the mind and body into one session will be a feat that I will have to master and study to see if it works, but if it does I have managed to eliminate the middle man of having two people, such as a psychologist and a physical trainer help someone. Instead it will be one professional, me at first, and hopefully more to expand the practice that will hopefully be successful someday. I’m so glad that I did this program because of these realizations which may not have occurred had I not been injured at work.
This program was so amazing, and I would recommend it to any student of any major. There is just so much life experience to gain from entering a program such as this. Even if a student didn’t take anything away from the classes, there is no way that they didn’t take anything away from the life lessons that are learned along the journey. As far as having a good time in the program goes, there are a few things that an applying student should keep in mind. This list is based on my personal experiences, and the many grievances I witnessed and heard about collectively throughout the program.
First, Disney housing is an amazing idea. But it is not a good idea for participants to go traipsing in thinking they’re going to rule the complex, throw major parties, and blast loud music all they want. While this is a dorm-esque experience, there are strict, and I emphasize strict guidelines participants have to follow. Just ask the 60+ students who were kicked out of the housing portion, or even the whole of the program because they violated one or multiple of the highly stressed, but basically simple rules.
Rule number one, no overnight guests are allowed. This was the biggest mood killer for everyone in the program. With the already expensive plane tickets and travel expenses, the program kids were a little put off by the fact that they weren’t able to accommodate family members or close friends with their living spaces, even if all roommates approved. Fortunately for some it was quite easy to harbor a fugitive and hide them from the security guards, though not completely fool-proof. The not so fortunate groups were either caught, or questioned – which in itself is a horrifying process. Students have to sign their souls away when housing meetings are called because the investigators like to play mind games to more accurately assess whether or not they were being lied to, and if anyone was caught lying, it was adios time because of the signed contract of confidence that they violated. My recommendation – DON’T have overnight guests. It doesn’t end well.
Rule number two, there is no underage drinking. It may seem a little redundant to have to remind underage students that they aren’t allowed to drink, but low and behold, it does always become a problem in college settings. Just as there is sneaky activity in dorms, there is sneaky activity among the alcohol-driven in the program. Disney just simply doesn’t stand for it, and they have no leeway when it comes to finding out that a minor has consumed alcohol on their property, as well as in general whilst in the program.
One girl in the program confessed to having been at a party where alcohol was present, hoping that it would get her out of the bind, but even for her honesty she was booted out of housing with one day to find where to live. My recommendation, if a student is under 21 they should just not drink and party with people older than they are unless it is clear that there is no alcohol or any other illegal item. If a student is over 21, they need to make sure that they boot the minors out of their room, because security does walk around, listening, smelling, and seeing, just to make sure nothing wrong is going on behind closed doors.
Other recommendations I have are to have the students remember that this is just an internship, and their return to school should be implied and expected. Leaving school to work an hourly job at Disney is no way to start a life. It could very well be a point that they want to return to after their schooling if they choose, but it should never be their go-to choice. While there is magic in Disney, there isn’t enough to forfeit the bundle of life experience they will have to sacrifice to work in the company they way they need to in order survive.
Things I’d wished I’d prepared for were the drastically different personalities that were coming from all over the nation and from other countries. Though there are opportunities to meet people of different cultural and ethnical background in the college campus, it is assumed that most people in the college program in Anaheim aren’t from California, and aside from a small group, it’s true. Being in the program meant a lot of people had to make culture adjustments as everyone from the people we associated with personally to the people we were forced to know had drastically different backgrounds, mental capacities, speaking capabilities, and life styles. I should have known to be upfront about what bothered me in a roommate, and tried to handle it. So be careful, or the next batch of students will end up with a roommate who likes below zero temperatures and thinks flatulence is the most hilarious concept since Will Ferrell. I think I could’ve benefitted more from this experience had I had a different friend circle than the one I had. The people I hung out with originally were only interested in drinking and partying and going to the beach, and finding someone to make out with. Though I didn’t realize it in the beginning, they weren’t very motivated, and if I’d changed my friend group earlier, I might’ve gotten to experience so much more.
I completely, irrevocably believe that this program is a great opportunity for all students, of all majors. Though it may not be completely on track with a lot of majors, it is a great source to draw experience from and find self realization with. Though it may be a struggle sometimes, and some will want to go home after month three, it is a testament to true will power, and perseverance that a student finishes the program unscathed - and there is no unit of measurement that can account for everything that they will learn.
