What I Learned Talking with Two Disney Dreamers

What I Learned Talking with Two Disney Dreamers

It’s not everyday you get to sit down with a Disney Dreamer to talk to them about their projects within the company.  Well at least the projects they could talk to us about.  During my Tomorrowland Bloggers trip I had the opportunity to do just that.  We had the opportunity to talk to Mike Goslin (VP of Production & Content at Disney Consumer Products) and Charita Carter (Producer at Disney Imagineering).  Both of them shared great information with us and I’m sharing some of it with you.  One of the bloggers in my small group had the opportunity to hear Charita Carter speak at D23 Expo so she wanted her to share that story with us.

About Charita Carter:

Charita Carter holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California State University Northridge.  She has worked for Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) for 17 years.  She began her career at WDI as a Senior Accountant and was quickly promoted to Finance Manager and Strategic Business Partner of the Creative Development Division.  From there, she transitioned to Development Manager of Blue Sky Strategic Initiatives and was brought into the Creative Division as a Show Producer.

She currently serves as Senior Creative Producer and Development Manager of the Scenic Illusion team.

Carter’s journey in the company had some twists and turns.  Who would think an accountant would leave that job and jump into the creative side of any company.  Charter said that accounting was structured and she loved the chaotic side of the creative department.  Her whole career at Disney was a series of her taking chances and that’s something she’s always done.  While in college she was recruited to be a professional hand model.  An agent saw her hands holding a light pole and they offered to help her find work.  She said she had nothing to lose by checking it out and it ended up being a paid job for her during college.

Even getting her foot in the door at Disney was a chance encounter.  She was working across the street from a company Disney recently acquired.  Her current job was ending so she walked across the street and applied based on the advise of friends.  That same casual attitude is what lead her to start learning about creative and eventually moving to that side of the company.  If you attended D23 Expo you’ve seen her work, she lead the team to create the Parks and Resorts display.  Another project she worked on was Indiana Jones.  Carter says she loves going to the park with people who have never been before so she can enjoy their reactions to her projects.  You can sometimes find her at Indiana Jones in Disneyland people watching riders.

I asked her which ride she would recommend to a first timer to Disneyland and she quickly responded Indiana Jones and Materhorn.

Mike Goslin talked to us about his newly released project Playmation.  This new game system brings together tchnology and old school play.  The Avengers Playmation set gives kids the ability to feel like super heroes.  The system connects to Wi-fi and is a stand alone game.  It does not require a gaming system to use.  Goslin shared that his tam worked with Marvel to go deeper into the Avengers characters and they even introduced some that were not in the movies.  The whole game is about active play.  Playmation is geared towards kids ages 6-12 and it has a gender neutral theme.

The game started with the Avengers set that hit stores in October, followed by Star Wars in November/December just in time for the movie release and there are also plans for a Frozen themed set.  Starter packs are priced at $119, and you can purchase gear pieces to unlock additional levels.  The best part of Playmation is that it doesn’t require a scree at all.  This means that kids have to use there imagination.  Visit the Playmation website to learn more about the game.

Both Disney Dreamers embodied Young Frank from Tomorrowland.  They both have amazing visions and dreams to create entertaining experiences for people.  It was very informative sitting with them both and learning about their jobs.  I know they’ll be dreaming and creating for years to come.