How to Become an Imagineer?

[A113PoCfan]

Hi, I'm only in 8th grade but I think I would like to be an Imagineer. I know it's a hard-pressed dream, but I am willing to work for it. I think I would like to be a little more on the creative side, but I am willing to do technical stuff too. If anyone can help me answer any of these questions that would be great!

1. Where can I find a good list of ALL the Disciplines of Imagineering? If they could include salaries, job descriptions, and what kind of degrees and backgrounds I would need that would be super helpful.

2. Does anyone know what kind of colleges Disney likes to hire from? I plan to do the Disney College Program for sure.

3. Does anyone have any contacts with Imagineers or people in the Disney College Program who would be willing to email or message me?

4. Does Imagineering separate you from your family for long periods of time? I plan to one day have a wife and maybe kids and I don't want a job where I am never around.

5. Any words of advice in general?

I am pretty smart (a Honors student) but I would still like as much help as possible. If you can give me any information that might be helpful I would love to have it! I am relatively new here so I am sorry if somebody already made this tread. Thanks!

 

[Matt7187]

One college I know for sure is Carnegie Mellon university in pittsburgh has a close tie with imagineering. Hope that helps!

 

[A113PoCfan]

One college I know for sure is Carnegie Mellon university in pittsburgh has a close tie with imagineering. Hope that helps!

Thanks. I live about 4 hours away from Pittsburgh, so I will defiantly consider that.

 

[Matt7187]

Thanks. I live about 4 hours away from Pittsburgh, so I will defiantly consider that.

I live in the pittsburgh area!

 

[lazyboy97o]

Expand your horizons beyond Disney. The industry as a whole is more than Disney and people move around a lot between companies.

Eddie Sotto has also made a lot of comments on his experiences in his two threads.

 

[A113PoCfan]

Expand your horizons beyond Disney. The industry as a whole is more than Disney and people move around a lot between companies.

Eddie Sotto has also made a lot of comments on his experiences in his two threads.

Where can I find those two threads? Also, what are some other Imagineer-like jobs?

 

[flynnibus]

Where can I find those two threads? Also, what are some other Imagineer-like jobs?

imagineering covers virtually every discipline out there...
art
theater
writing
engineering
construction
finance
management

The common thread you'll hear from any imagineer is 'Be the best at what you do..' - then look to apply to work for the company.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Where can I find those two threads? Also, what are some other Imagineer-like jobs?

Eddie Sotto threads.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/eddie-sottos-take-on-the-current-state-of-the-parks.440383/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...he-current-state-of-the-parks-part-ii.770938/

Other "Imagineer-like" jobs would be at places like Universal Creative (Universal's smaller version of Imagineering), Landmark Entertainment, The Goddard Group, Nassal, Super 78, Garner Holt Productions and many, many more. Almost any job has an application in themed entertainment, it's more what you want to do as there is no general discipline of "theme park designer" (and companies like those above often do more than just theme parks) in which one can major in school.

I would also recommend The Season Pass Podcast. Lots of interviews with people in the industry. Only caveat is that the language is sometimes a little salty, and so it may be best to run it by your parents.

 

[A113PoCfan]

Eddie Sotto threads.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/eddie-sottos-take-on-the-current-state-of-the-parks.440383/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...he-current-state-of-the-parks-part-ii.770938/

Other "Imagineer-like" jobs would be at places like Universal Creative (Universal's smaller version of Imagineering), Landmark Entertainment, The Goddard Group, Nassal, Super 78, Garner Holt Productions and many, many more. Almost any job has an application in themed entertainment, it's more what you want to do as there is no general discipline of "theme park designer" (and companies like those above often do more than just theme parks) in which one can major in school.

I would also recommend The Season Pass Podcast. Lots of interviews with people in the industry. Only caveat is that the language is sometimes a little salty, and so it may be best to run it by your parents.

Thanks! I will look into those careers, but I kinda feel that it would not be quite Disney. I did read Disney likes people who have experience elsewhere though, so maybe I will work at some other theme park first and then become an Imagineer! Thanks again!

 

[lego606]

Hi, I'm only in 8th grade but I think I would like to be an Imagineer. I know it's a hard-pressed dream, but I am willing to work for it. I think I would like to be a little more on the creative side, but I am willing to do technical stuff too. If anyone can help me answer any of these questions that would be great!

1. Where can I find a good list of ALL the Disciplines of Imagineering? If they could include salaries, job descriptions, and what kind of degrees and backgrounds I would need that would be super helpful.

2. Does anyone know what kind of colleges Disney likes to hire from? I plan to do the Disney College Program for sure.

3. Does anyone have any contacts with Imagineers or people in the Disney College Program who would be willing to email or message me?

4. Does Imagineering separate you from your family for long periods of time? I plan to one day have a wife and maybe kids and I don't want a job where I am never around.

5. Any words of advice in general?

I am pretty smart (a Honors student) but I would still like as much help as possible. If you can give me any information that might be helpful I would love to have it! I am relatively new here so I am sorry if somebody already made this tread. Thanks!

First, they have a competition called ImagiNations that you can take part in, and if you win you get an Imagineering internship.

1) You can find that on the Disney Careers site
3) If you'd really like to meet an Imagineer, they have the Dine with an Imagineer program. Sure, it's not business-y, but it's definitely a way to meet someone and wedge your foot in the door a little.
4) I believe that Imagineering will relocate you if you're on a long program. I know one of the people in charge of New Fantasyland moved from Anaheim to Orlando for 2 years, and the Company relocated him.
5) Go for it, you never know

 

[WED99]

I'd be happy to give you Bob Gurr's email so you can ask him some questions if you like. He is known as an imagineering legend, he has worked from the beginning of Disneyland and was a friend of Walt's. He mainly focussed around the mechanical engineering of ride vehicles, but he knows a lot when it comes to designing! If you would like it just shoot me a PM

 

[hiptwinmama]

On the Artistic Side, I have read that Disney and Pixar heavily recruit from the Ringling School of art in Naples. My daughter wants to be an imagineer and that is where I am hoping she will go, so that if the imagineer thing falls though she will still have the art background.

 

[Alien]

Cal Arts!

 

[jmorri26]

I know this thread hasn't been posted on in a long while but I just found it and was curious of those that know- I get the impression looking at Disney's career site that if you don't get in to any creative Disney Parks department with an internship in college, you've missed your window. Is this off?
I've watched for a long time now out of curiosity on the career site. Once or so, if ever, have I seen a position available for any creative job involving the parks- not just Imagineering- that wasn't an internship only open to college enrolled students. Once for Yellow Shoes I saw one that was an extremely senior level job. So has the days of "Being the best at what you do" in a field then approaching Imagineering gone away? If so that's a shame. I remember hearing a long while back as well that it's such a small niche group that when positions are available, it's handled internally and jobs are never seen open to the public. Most of the original men from WED Enterprises were just animators Walt pushed to help, not people bred for the job I hope I'm wrong in that.

 

[WED99]

Walt had no choice. No one had ever done what he needed to be done, people from his studio were the closest to what he needed.

Not too long back I saw a Mechanical Engineering job (the field I am interested in) available for about 4 months. The hardest part is just waiting for your field.

 

[Turtle]

Cal Arts!

I am pretty sure that CalArts doesn't have an imagineering nor engineering program

 

[jmorri26]

I am pretty sure that CalArts doesn't have an imagineering nor engineering program

I'm in the Animation industry and I know most companies in my field recruit at any bigger arts colleges. But recruit usually means professors behind closed doors tell the visiting company a handful of kids they'd recommend and their reels/portfolios would be looked at and possibly, if interested, interviewed. If a company does something more open to everyone with a presentation or portfolio reviews is up to them. But usually, students would have zero clue they were there. And, unfortunately, a lot of it is biased by professors. So I would imagine Disney would do similar.

 

[Turtle]

I'm in the Animation industry and I know most companies in my field recruit at any bigger arts colleges. But recruit usually means professors behind closed doors tell the visiting company a handful of kids they'd recommend and their reels/portfolios would be looked at and possibly, if interested, interviewed. If a company does something more open to everyone with a presentation or portfolio reviews is up to them. But usually, students would have zero clue they were there. And, unfortunately, a lot of it is biased by professors. So I would imagine Disney would do similar.

Ok. By the way, what are you doing in animation?

 

[jmorri26]

Ok. By the way, what are you doing in animation?

Making movies
Specifically, I'm a Lighter/Compositor.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I know this thread hasn't been posted on in a long while but I just found it and was curious of those that know- I get the impression looking at Disney's career site that if you don't get in to any creative Disney Parks department with an internship in college, you've missed your window. Is this off?
I've watched for a long time now out of curiosity on the career site. Once or so, if ever, have I seen a position available for any creative job involving the parks- not just Imagineering- that wasn't an internship only open to college enrolled students. Once for Yellow Shoes I saw one that was an extremely senior level job. So has the days of "Being the best at what you do" in a field then approaching Imagineering gone away? If so that's a shame. I remember hearing a long while back as well that it's such a small niche group that when positions are available, it's handled internally and jobs are never seen open to the public. Most of the original men from WED Enterprises were just animators Walt pushed to help, not people bred for the job I hope I'm wrong in that.

You're going to find far more opportunities to get to Disney by looking beyond Disney.