Life at Disney

The Disney College Program Podcast has a new home! Join us over on our new channel for more stories, advice and behind-the-scenes magic from participants past and present. Don’t miss an episode - follow the new feed of The Disney College Program Podcast wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet Tasia and Tyreah, two alumnae of the Disney College Program HBCU Cohort Powered by Disney on the Yard who are currently continuing their Disney careers as Guest Experience Managers at Walt Disney World Resort. Welcome to season five of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. Tyreah is a two-time DCP alumna currently supporting attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Tasia, who you may remember from season three of our podcast, currently supports merchandise at EPCOT. Both hail from Alabama A&M University! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet Kylea and Andre, two Disney College Program participants with creative backgrounds and big dreams of continuing their careers with Disney after their programs. Welcome to season five of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. Andre works as a seater at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Kylea extended her program and works in VIP Tour Support. They discuss why they decided to apply for the Disney College Program, their career goals, soft skills they have learned on their programs and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris, a Disney College Program participant studying marketing, joins Kayla, a Disney College Program alumna working in marketing, to talk about how their programs have helped them on their career journeys. Welcome to season five of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. Chris started in merchandise at the Creations Shop in EPCOT, but due to his desire to learn, passion for his work and persistence, he landed a new role as a logistics specialist since recording this episode! Kayla is started as a character attendant in Magic Kingdom and now works as a manager within the Talent Acquisition Marketing team. Though they completed their programs over ten years a part, both Kayla and Chris agree that their Disney College Programs made a big impact both personally and professionally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s it like moving from Puerto Rico to Florida for the Disney College Program? Hear from current participants Roschelle and Mei to find out! Welcome to season five of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. Roschelle works in merchandise at the World Showcase in EPCOT. But she also loves picking up shifts, so you may see her at any shop around Walt Disney World Resort! Mei works attractions in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. You’ll find her at Mickey’s PhilharMagic or at Princess Fairytale Hall. Both are proudly from Puerto Rico and are sharing stories about moving away from home for the first time, finding culture and community and Florida and why they are thrilled to be working for Disney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meet Gabbie and Abby, two current Disney College Program participants! Hear about what inspired them to apply for their programs, what arrival week is like and how they feel the program is positively impacting their professional development. Welcome to season four of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. Gabbie works in merchandise around the World Showcase in EPCOT but loves picking up shifts all around Walt Disney World Resort. Abby works in custodial at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort and loves the freedom and guest interaction her role brings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Disney College Program participants get access to exclusive learning offerings designed for professional and personal development. We’re talking to Zac and John, two participants on the road to 100 learning hours, to discover what makes these unique offerings special. Welcome to season four of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. John works at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn as a concierge host, where he helps guests in the Innkeeper’s Club Lounge. Zac is often the first cast member guests encounter when they go to Magic Kingdom. He works in parking and can often be found telling jokes on the back of the trams. Both John and Zac have taken advantage of the many learning offerings and are breaking down the types of offerings, certificates and how learning has made a positive impact on their future Disney careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you make friends on the Disney College Program? What about professional connections? We’re sitting down with Carson and Brandon, two current participants, to find out! Welcome to season three of our miniseries, where we’ll discuss all things about life on the Disney College Program! For more than 40 years, this unique internship experience has brought magic makers to Walt Disney World® Resort from across the country and many participants go on to have lasting careers with The Walt Disney Company. Carson works in attractions and can be found driving boats and telling jokes on the world-famous Jungle Cruise. Brandon works in custodial and helps keep EPCOT clean while helping guests all over the park. In this episode, they’re telling stories about the friends they’ve made, the professional connections who have helped them and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From shipboard to shoreside, in this episode of the Life at Disney podcast, we’re taking you on an in-depth look behind the scenes of our Disney Cruise Line operations.   In this special bonus episode of the Life at Disney podcast, our host Natalie sits down with Caroline, Manager of Guest Services and Dave, Manager of Nautical Operations, Shoreside. In her role aboard the Disney Wish, Caroline ensures a seamless guest and crew experience, handling tasks from facilitating port clearances to creating magical moments worldwide. In Dave’s role shoreside in Celebration, FL, he oversees the daily operations of our fleet of ships as a shore contact for the teams onboard, triple-checking ship routes and itineraries, answering any questions or concerns from crew and ensuring each ship is set up for success.

Did you know at The Walt Disney Company we have an educational investment program called Disney Aspire that provides hourly cast members and employees with resources they need to achieve their educational goals? Disney Aspire breaks down barriers to higher education, inspires career mobility and helps the company’s workforce prosper by offering 100% upfront tuition coverage for a network of schools and universities, along with added benefits, like reimbursement for books and fees.   In this week’s episode, our hosts LaJoy and Steven sit down with four graduates of the program: Carey, Food & Beverage, Disneyland Resort; Karen, Vacation Advisor I, Walt Disney World Resort; Dylan, Front Desk Manager & 2024-2025 Aulani Ambassador; and Eric, Cast Operations Program Manager, Disney Cruise Line to learn how Disney Aspire enabled them to put their dreams within reach.

Our host Natalie sits down with Deborah, Senior Vice President, General Manager Media Networks and Advertising EMEA and UK and Ireland Country Manager and Hans, Senior Vice President, General Manager Media, and Country Manager of the Nordics & Baltics to learn more about what they do in their roles as Country Managers for The Walt Disney Company.   In her role, Deborah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the networks and directly oversees advertising sales and partnerships, marketing, communications and research for the media networks business across the UK and Ireland. In his role, Hans has direct responsibility for the local media business, serving as a driving force behind new, groundbreaking partnerships in the Nordics and Baltics region, as well as leading the rollout of projects such as FOX+ and National Geographic+.

From educating guests in our theme parks and resorts to evolving The Walt Disney Company’s nature strategy, our guests for this episode of the Life at Disney podcast inspire action to protect the planet through conservation.    Join Stephen as he sits down with Leslie, Program Manager with Nature Strategy & Integration and Dario, Education Manager with Guest Animal Experiences to learn more about conservation at Disney. In her role, Leslie helps manage the various Disney Conservation Fund philanthropic programs that help nonprofit organizations and communities save wildlife and more. For Dario, he partners with several education, operations, and animal care teams to provide an exceptional guest experience in our theme parks and resorts.

Join our host Cassie in this week's episode as she chats with Brian and Kelsey from Disney Consumer Products to learn more about how our teams make our stories immersive experiences in the gaming world.   Brian is an Associate Product Development Manager for Marvel Games and has spearheaded efforts to collaborate with developers to make the gaming experience more accessible for players. Kelsey, a Producer III at Disney/Pixar Games, has worked on games such as Disney Illusion Island and Disney Dreamlight Valley, ensuring a smooth process from start to finish.

In this episode, join Cassie for a conversation with Tiffany, Human Resources Business Partner, and Pauline, VP, Creative - Asia Pacific, and learn more about their roles, career journeys and Disney in the Asia-Pacific region.   As a Human Resources Business Partner, Tiffany regularly acts as an employee advocate while partnering with leaders across the company to provide Human Resources support, achieving business and organizational goals. Pauline’s VP, Creative role allows her to lead the charge of creative development for various global Disney brands, ranging from Marvel to National Geographic. She is also responsible for developing creative needs across licensing owned and operated businesses.

Discover how Amy, a Disney Photo Imaging (DPI) Product Design Specialist, and Grace, Manager, Product Management work behind the screens to innovate with next generation technology.   In her role, Amy supports Disney Experiences across Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney Cruise Line using graphic design to create immersive enhancements to guest photos such as magic shots with Disney PhotoPass and AR lenses for Genie+. Grace leads a talented team in her role, one that is redefining programmatic advertising and cementing Disney’s pivotal role in this dynamic space. Join LaJoy as she discovers a little bit more about the tech behind our magic.

Have you ever wondered how The Walt Disney Company brings once-in-a-lifetime experiences to life for our guests and cast members around the world? Meet our guests for this episode, Alex, VP, International Live Entertainment and Wai Quen, VP, Human Resources, who help make it all happen at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort!   As VP, International Live Entertainment, Alex is responsible for bringing to life stage shows, character greetings, and many other performances across our parks in Asia and Europe. For Wai Quen, her position in Human Resources entails managing and supporting the many operations that ensure employee success. Tune in to learn more about their roles, career journeys, and all things Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

Join our host Stephen for a conversation with Saroya, Casting Director; Ray, Manager, Talent Casting Operations; and Jason, Producer to talk about how we bring entertainment to life at our Parks & Resorts!    With over 20 years of casting experience, Saroya works cross-functionally with performers, show directors and other parties to bring a project from the initial audition to the debut performance. Having a 30+ year career with Disney, Ray’s current role as Manager of Talent Casting Operations allows him to build and lead a team of dedicated casting professionals for Disney Cruise Line. Together, Ray and Saroya pull the curtain back for an inside look at Disney Auditions. Our last guest, Jason, works as a Producer of Production Management Events and puts objectives, schedules, and budgets together to bring numerous events to life at Walt Disney World Resort.

This season on the Life at Disney Podcast, we've gone global. We're speaking to cast members and employees in our offices around the world. In this week’s episode, we’re headed to Latin America to meet with Eliana and Jacque on the Business Intelligence & Analytics team!   Eliana, Senior Manager, Data Science, leads efforts to improve day-to-day productivity for Disney’s multiple lines of business within the Latin American market (streaming, theatrical, consumer products and more) by analyzing and reporting data. Jacque, Manager, Partner Analytics, contributes strategic insights and recommendations for key stakeholders such as offering add-on products for Disney+. Join Steven as he speaks with Eliana and Jacque to learn more about how they turn data into business solutions for The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

Kate and Laura from The Walt Disney Studios are here on the Life at Disney Podcast to share their stories and experiences on bringing to life the music and movies we know and love today.    Kate is a Character Technical Director with Walt Disney Animation Studios who started her career with Disney in 2013 and has worked on films such as "Big Hero 6," "Zootopia," "Moana" and more. Laura is the Director of Marketing for Disney Music Group and has been with the company for 15 years. Laura works closely with our businesses to develop music strategies and marketing plans for soundtracks. Join LaJoy as she talks with Kate and Laura to learn more about their roles and career journeys!

We’re officially back with Season 2 of the Life at Disney Podcast! We’re kicking off this season with a special episode where you’ll meet our hosts, Cassie, Steven, LaJoy, Stephen, and Natalie.   Join us as Ally, a Life at Disney Podcast producer, sits down for a roundtable conversation with Cassie, LaJoy, Steven, Natalie, and Stephen. Hear from your hosts for the season as they talk all things Life at Disney, their favorite Disney memories, and their current roles with the company.