Changes at WDI

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » May Fri 25, 2007 11:26 am

This was reported at the web site Re-Imagineering:

Starry Eyed Optimism

With the recent news from Glendale last Tuesday, May 15th, Re-Imagineering may have the most compelling reason to shut its doors to date.

â€¢ Former Research and Development Vice President Bruce Vaughn just grabbed the reigns from previous Chief Creative Executive Tom Fitzgerald.

â€¢ Former Vice President of Environmental Design and Show Engineering Craig Russell is now Chief Design and Delivery Executive at WDI.

â€¢ Former WDI President Don Goodman moves out of WDI and into his new role as executive Vice President for resort development. As Bruce and Craig collectively fill his shoes, there will be no President title moving forward.

Creative executives at WDI (Joe Rohde, Joe Lanzisero and Tony Baxter among others) now report directly to Bruce Vaughn, signaling for many the best news at WDI in years, as fledgling projects will now get pitched directly to upper brass without excess or superfluous management filters.

Since the shake-up feelings over at Imagineering have ranged from cautiously optimistic to ecstatic. Regardless, the announcement is a substantial one and could signal the beginning of the end of WDIâ€™s paranoiac, toxic and grade school culture as well as set the stage for the renaissance of WDI into the creative powerhouse and industry leader it once was.

As the days progress look for more restructuring at Imagineering. As Bruce has made clear his feeling that many in creative have been miscast, you can bet that more internal re-org memos will be hitting the inboxes at WDI for a while. And with them a much needed boost to morale at 1401 Flower.

Perhaps it is a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow after all!

Sounds like great news! May be the bean counters won't be making creative decisions any more.

Moviemaker137 · Post by **Moviemaker137** » May Fri 25, 2007 11:41 am

That's interesting

Wonder how it will affect things with park constructions remodelings etc. Look foward to seeing more on this

Post by **Dr. Ravenscroft** » May Fri 25, 2007 11:43 am

Sounds like maybe after a couple of decades of bad managing WDI is starting back on its original path.

JWG · Post by **JWG** » May Fri 25, 2007 12:56 pm

One can only hope...
Maybe fewer 3D movie attractions now...

Esmeralda · Post by **Esmeralda** » May Fri 25, 2007 1:05 pm

Intriguing. So when do they expand and open up shop in Minnesota so I can get a job there and still live here?

JWG · Post by **JWG** » May Fri 25, 2007 2:05 pm

Esmeralda wrote:Intriguing. So when do they expand and open up shop in Minnesota so I can get a job there and still live here?

A fellow Minnesotan! And, I agree.

Post by **subsonic** » May Tue 29, 2007 10:27 am

JWG wrote:One can only hope...
Maybe fewer 3D movie attractions now...

Unless it's like Spider-Man. Wowowowowow! Disney should just bite the bullet and build something exactly like Spider-man but Disney themed (not Pixar)

casrin · Post by **casrin** » May Wed 30, 2007 12:27 pm

Sounds interesting - glad to read that Tony Baxter and Joe Rohde would still be there!