Cast Member Confidential

[Near Philly]

It kept me entertained on a flight from Vegas back to Philly, so it was worth the few bucks it cost.
I think some of those stories were "enhanced". I'll call it Reality Based Fiction.

[julieannboo]

will have to check this out. are there any good books about disney what really goes on behind the scenes that you could recommend, pls?

thanks.

[Zazu]

will have to check this out. are there any good books about disney what really goes on behind the scenes that you could recommend, pls?

That's perhaps a broader question than you intended. Let me explain.

There are books about Imagineering and design, many of them written by Imagineers, and these tend to be very good, but stop short of information that would be useful to the competition. They are silent on the working conditions of the CMs involved.

There are books about how Disney does business, and while excellent study guides, they are appropriate to any service business, and don't tell about real working conditions.

There are "tell all" books, such as those by David Koenig. Nice guy, and he has the interviews to back up his stories, I just have reasons to believe that some are untrue, and that casts doubt on the rest of them. It would appear that some CMs he talked to were having him on.

Finally, there's here. Unvarnished, rude, occasionally exaggerated, but essentially True. We're working on a book version, but it's going slowly for lack of help in selecting stories. Know that we will loudly trumpet the news if we get it into print.

Probably the best source are a couple of long out-of-print books by former Disneylander Ray Haller. Definitely worth grabbing if you get the chance.

[julieannboo]

That's perhaps a broader question than you intended. Let me explain.

There are books about Imagineering and design, many of them written by Imagineers, and these tend to be very good, but stop short of information that would be useful to the competition. They are silent on the working conditions of the CMs involved.

There are books about how Disney does business, and while excellent study guides, they are appropriate to any service business, and don't tell about real working conditions.

There are "tell all" books, such as those by David Koenig. Nice guy, and he has the interviews to back up his stories, I just have reasons to believe that some are untrue, and that casts doubt on the rest of them. It would appear that some CMs he talked to were having him on.

Finally, there's here. Unvarnished, rude, occasionally exaggerated, but essentially True. We're working on a book version, but it's going slowly for lack of help in selecting stories. Know that we will loudly trumpet the news if we get it into print.

Probably the best source are a couple of long out-of-print books by former Disneylander Ray Haller. Definitely worth grabbing if you get the chance.

thanks for your help.

[kurtisnelson]

Reminded by this thread, I started writing my series I had been meaning to. I'm hoping to come up with a counter to the union's whinyness.

[5th Dimension]

Every CM should attempt to keep a journal of the things they've seen while working. I have, and I've collected quite a few stories, probably a bunch that shouldn't go on a website ;)

[WarriorPoets1]

Every CM should attempt to keep a journal of the things they've seen while working. I have, and I've collected quite a few stories, probably a bunch that shouldn't go on a website ;)

Well, that's why this board exists - to share the wild, the wacky and the touching.

Speaking as a former CM myself, my tell-all would stink since, aside from pay, I got nothing negative to say about the Mouse. I still say the three years I was there was the time of my life and I can tell anyone who asks "You say 'Oh, I wish I had that job!', I did for three years." How many people ever get to say that?

[Amphigorey]

Reminded by this thread, I started writing my series I had been meaning to. I'm hoping to come up with a counter to the union's whinyness.

Yes, the union is SO WHINY for wanting more than a 3% raise over several years.


Christ on a sidecar. Disney pays its workers shit, and they fight tooth and nail for every nickel raise. It's disgusting.

[Amphigorey]

A young guest once asked how Huey, Dewey, and Louie were related to Donald. I told him they were his nephews, Donald's sister Della was their mother. The young guest then asked how Huey, Dewey, and Louie came into being. I told him that Della Duck and her husband-Duck wanted ducklings, and they got HD&L. The guest then asked how that happened, and I told him about Dumbo's Mr. Stork. The guest pulled a Joe Wilson ("you lie!"), and I continued on about how that's what happened. About 10 minutes later, after more 'but really, how,' and more storks and eggs, I thought about it, and figured the best way to preserve the magic after such a long time (parents?) would be to be scientific. So, staying away from sex, I said that the ducks reproduced asexually, like a plant. Oops. At least it ended that line of questioning!

Only in DCA would I ever have enough time for this...

Clever dodge!

...but most plants do reproduce sexually. That's what pollen is: plant sperm. The next time you have hay fever, just remember that it's the trees trying to have sex in your nose.

[DisneyMom]

Clever dodge!

...but most plants do reproduce sexually. That's what pollen is: plant sperm. The next time you have hay fever, just remember that it's the trees trying to have sex in your nose.

.....and that's why we get Sniffle-is. ;)