Interesting look at CM Gary Maggetti's Work Schedule

[Figments Friend]

I imagine a lot of that is likely PR, and that the dirty details of running Disneyland are often not accessible to fans online.

Unless you regularly read this Forum.
All of the 'dirty details' about running Disneyland can be found right here and are totally accessible to ( the smarter ) fans online!


One of the main reasons I love it here, and have for the decade or so I've been posting - hearing the REAL stories.
Not the press release stuff, not the PR fluff, not the 'spin'.
The real reasons behind things and all the insights from our dedicated and educated group.

Peeps here know their stuff...and openly share it within proper circumstances.


-

 

[Darkbeer1]

Look, the article was clearly written with the assistance of Disneyland's PR department. But still, an inside look with photos provided by Disney. Of course it was a puff piece.

I wrote more than a few myself but clearly made it clear when I did.

But I wrote many without, and some that I discussed the behind the scenes stuff without having to get the PR department OK.

And yes, I spent time on the Disney PR naughty list

Many of my fellow reporters also got on the list. But they hardly ever banned credentials for long, as they needed us to reach our readers.

It is kinda of a game, how close or actual go over the line without getting the cold shoulder. But I wrote more than one that was written with an unofficial OK from them.

 

[TP2000]

Look, the article was clearly written with the assistance of Disneyland's PR department. But still, an inside look with photos provided by Disney. Of course it was a puff piece.

I wrote more than a few myself but clearly made it clear when I did.

But I wrote many without, and some that I discussed the behind the scenes stuff without having to get the PR department OK.

And yes, I spent time on the Disney PR naughty list

Many of my fellow reporters also got on the list. But they hardly ever banned credentials for long, as they needed us to reach our readers.

It is kinda of a game, how close or actual go over the line without getting the cold shoulder. But I wrote more than one that was written with an unofficial OK from them.

Interesting. I always wondered where on that spectrum Al Lutz was during the 2000's and early 2010's before he retired. It seemed as though he had very legit inside sources, and that perhaps even some of his stuff was being leaked to him on purpose from TDA official channels. But then he could be so brutally honest about the silliness that TDA suits often engaged in (like getting free valet parking at the Grand Californian while the parking infrastructure for employees and paying customers ground to a halt in daily gridlock and lines and no one in TDA ever seemed to care). His dislike for Pressler, and Cynthia Harriss in her later years, was epic. He seemed to adore Matt Ouimet during the 50th, thought Ed Grier was a clueless dork, and gave George K. mostly a pass before Lutz retired.

I wonder what Lutz would have thought of Michael Colglazier, whom my very knowledgeable neighbor said was rather snobby and elitist and very out of touch but could pretend to be otherwise when the cameras were on him? And this new guy Josh Dimaro who has kept a low profile so far? And I wonder how TDA would have responded to Al Lutz if he had made it into the current Social Media age?

The current keepers of the flame at Lutz's old website seem to be more interested in currying favor with TDA and offer gushing articles about the latest churro flavor and softball coverage of touchy subjects like this latest hotel drama. Al Lutz is sorely missed by this reader!

 

[shortstop]

Interesting. I always wondered where on that spectrum Al Lutz was during the 2000's and early 2010's before he retired. It seemed as though he had very legit inside sources, and that perhaps even some of his stuff was being leaked to him on purpose from TDA official channels. But then he could be so brutally honest about the silliness that TDA suits often engaged in (like getting free valet parking at the Grand Californian while the parking infrastructure for employees and paying customers ground to a halt in daily gridlock and lines and no one in TDA ever seemed to care). His dislike for Pressler, and Cynthia Harriss in her later years, was epic. He seemed to adore Matt Ouimet during the 50th, thought Ed Grier was a clueless dork, and gave George K. mostly a pass before Lutz retired.

I wonder what Lutz would have thought of Michael Colglazier, whom my very knowledgeable neighbor said was rather snobby and elitist and very out of touch but could pretend to be otherwise when the cameras were on him? And this new guy Josh Dimaro who has kept a low profile so far? And I wonder how TDA would have responded to Al Lutz if he had made it into the current Social Media age?

The current keepers of the flame at Lutz's old website seem to be more interested in currying favor with TDA and offer gushing articles about the latest churro flavor and softball coverage of touchy subjects like this latest hotel drama. Al Lutz is sorely missed by this reader!

Micechat posts the same photos of things like the sun-faded mural on ITTBAB and thinks it’s doing its job of holding Disney to a high standard. Remember when they used to actually break news?

 

[Darkbeer1]

Al was Al, a very unique person with outspoken views.

He never wanted to be the press, never applied or accepted a press credential. Due to his professional career in the music business, he met a lot of "Walt Disney Company" execs, outside the parks division.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-lutz-mn0001803443

He was a big fan of Disneyland, being a child of the 1950's and 1960's when Walt Disney was still alive. "Disneyland" was different back then, it was new, different, amazing. It had a different set of standards back then, one that honored people that went the extra mile, and placed emphasis of what you did more than what you looked like, who you knew, your background, etc. You could be "different" back then, but it wasn't the fact you were different, people didn't care, and you didn't flaunt it or advertise it. Anybody could compete, you just had to do your best, don't care what others think, just go that extra mile, and treat everyone equally. And that what Disneyland was, a group of people running a place with different backgrounds, nobody cared what your family did, your educational background was, where you went to church, who you voted for. (Walt was a conservative in the political background in fiscal matters and less government, but his staff was all over the political map, but he wouldn't put up with the politics of today, that didn't belong in the workplace). His biggest push was to honor America and its history. It was a place where you could make a mistake, but you better have learned something from it, and not do it again. Work hard, be independent (He would hate the corporate group think there is today), strive to be better every day. Many of the Honored "old men" were just that, people that came to work for Disney and worked their way up due to one reason, hard work. Those who went the extra mile, not taking a long lunch, heck, eating at your desk while working was the norm. You were expected to do anything if needed, people were cross trained, taught standards, and then expected to exceed them, and set the example for others. When you found a better way, you shared it with others.

And then there is something that both Al and I shared, we were pioneers in the computer communication era. We had computer skills at an early age (OK, we were nerds, and guess what, that did match up with Disneyland, think the Tomorrowland of the 1950's and 1960's, think about the fact that engineers were a valued skill at Disneyland, Bob Gurr is a great example). Al's start as a person who shared his info online was alt.disney.disneyland (If you don't understand, look it up). That was old school.

I started in the 1970's in building a computer (Heathkit), and in the 1980's attaching a dedicated phone line to it. One of my roommates built the first device to allow multiple phone lines to connect to a single Apple II computer. I was involved in the Dial-a-Match system for Commodore 64, folks that was a single line BBS (Bulletin Board System), a person would call in using a modem, read and posted. Then another. But only one person at a time. Then came the multi-line systems, where a board could have 4, a big board maybe 8 lines ,so a few folks could talk to each other at the same time. And it was slow and just words, no graphics at all.

But we learned and loved how you could share information. But nobody cared what the person behind the typing looked like, the focus was on the information, and yes, the fact you could go outside the box.

So came the larger systems, and we "stepped" up, now we could share our information to others. (wow, instead of maybe a few hundred, we could share with thousands). And that is what Al did, and loved to do. He helped found MousePlanet, and that was in the late 1990's, where websites were starting to form on the "world wide web", and that allowed him to do his own thing. He let others run the site. He just wrote about something he loved and was passionate about. He also loved to read and studied Disneyland History, and through his music career got a chance to meet some Disneyland Senior Staff. Back then, they weren't execs, but senior staff. Just the ones in charge, but not "better or different". They worked on site, The Walt policy of you were expected to be in the park and work along side with other Cast Members of varied years of service, even the new ones, was still strong. Even the administrative staff were supposed to get out from behind their desks to get in the park. Yes, number crunchers, secretaries, whatever. Step foot in the actual place, talk to the CM's and the guests, and do so with a smile and both help out, but also learn and observe. Just because you got a bigger paycheck wasn't important, doing the work was.

I started off with a love of Theme Parks, and in particular, roller coasters in general. I loved to figure out how things worked, and started to meet people who made that happen. I was lucky enough to get to know Bud Hurlbut. I didn't realize it at the time, but I got it later, he saw this young kid checking out something he built and was proud to show off his attraction, and maybe place a spark in me. To share his knowledge and help motivate me. As they call it now, pay it forward.

So by the 1990's Al's and my circle of friends started to have multiple shared ones. My internet sharing of information had me working with multiple sites, and MousePlanet, which became the top website covering Disneyland back then (late 1990's to early 2000's). That said, there wasn't much competition back then. And really no ads or revenue to be made. We had sponsors if we were lucky. The purpose was to share information.

Now, here comes the shift. We had friends, they would give us the scoop (why did I get the great photos I did early, because I knew something was about to happen), and since our viewership was low, the PR department didn't care).

But then we got larger readership. Did Disney care about Al Lutz early on, no, but then his readership grew, and so did the word with CM's, which worked it's way up the chain, to the point that someone was assigned as part of their job to read the boards and share what was being said online, and that was the PR department. Then came the daily briefing, a short memo with key points given to senior management. Well, things started to change quickly. Al opted to go to his preferred mode. what he did in the music business, stay behind the scenes, keep his mouth shut about where he got information, but kept telling it "like it is" to his readers. This drove a few folks who cared about their image crazy. And Disney since the beginning cared, they looked at the business as being "on stage", and while their might be chaos going on behind the curtains, the image needed to be presented in a calm, professional matter. So Disney started to freakout.

It was going on for years, but Light Tragic showed Disney how much influence Al had, and I could keep going on and sharing, but I have already spent too much time on this post, but it is nice to look back.

Al taught me more than a few things, but love life, love what you do, care about others, care about standards, but don't really care about what others think about you, that is their problem, not yours. Yes, when you are onstage, do it right. And make sure others do it right.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I should add, That post was a true rough edit style of writing, and should be edited bigtime. But I am short on time. Sorry for the tough read, but I felt it was better to share....

 

[TP2000]

I should add, That post was a true rough edit style of writing, and should be edited bigtime. But I am short on time. Sorry for the tough read, but I felt it was better to share....

Thank you Darkbeer! It was enlightening and brought back some great 20 year old memories, and all it was missing was the screechy crackle from my old 28K modem from those wonderful Wild West days of the 1990's Disneyland Internet community.

 

[Missing20K]

Al was Al, a very unique person with outspoken views.

He never wanted to be the press, never applied or accepted a press credential. Due to his professional career in the music business, he met a lot of "Walt Disney Company" execs, outside the parks division.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-lutz-mn0001803443

He was a big fan of Disneyland, being a child of the 1950's and 1960's when Walt Disney was still alive. "Disneyland" was different back then, it was new, different, amazing. It had a different set of standards back then, one that honored people that went the extra mile, and placed emphasis of what you did more than what you looked like, who you knew, your background, etc. You could be "different" back then, but it wasn't the fact you were different, people didn't care, and you didn't flaunt it or advertise it. Anybody could compete, you just had to do your best, don't care what others think, just go that extra mile, and treat everyone equally. And that what Disneyland was, a group of people running a place with different backgrounds, nobody cared what your family did, your educational background was, where you went to church, who you voted for. (Walt was a conservative in the political background in fiscal matters and less government, but his staff was all over the political map, but he wouldn't put up with the politics of today, that didn't belong in the workplace). His biggest push was to honor America and its history. It was a place where you could make a mistake, but you better have learned something from it, and not do it again. Work hard, be independent (He would hate the corporate group think there is today), strive to be better every day. Many of the Honored "old men" were just that, people that came to work for Disney and worked their way up due to one reason, hard work. Those who went the extra mile, not taking a long lunch, heck, eating at your desk while working was the norm. You were expected to do anything if needed, people were cross trained, taught standards, and then expected to exceed them, and set the example for others. When you found a better way, you shared it with others.

And then there is something that both Al and I shared, we were pioneers in the computer communication era. We had computer skills at an early age (OK, we were nerds, and guess what, that did match up with Disneyland, think the Tomorrowland of the 1950's and 1960's, think about the fact that engineers were a valued skill at Disneyland, Bob Gurr is a great example). Al's start as a person who shared his info online was alt.disney.disneyland (If you don't understand, look it up). That was old school.

I started in the 1970's in building a computer (Heathkit), and in the 1980's attaching a dedicated phone line to it. One of my roommates built the first device to allow multiple phone lines to connect to a single Apple II computer. I was involved in the Dial-a-Match system for Commodore 64, folks that was a single line BBS (Bulletin Board System), a person would call in using a modem, read and posted. Then another. But only one person at a time. Then came the multi-line systems, where a board could have 4, a big board maybe 8 lines ,so a few folks could talk to each other at the same time. And it was slow and just words, no graphics at all.

But we learned and loved how you could share information. But nobody cared what the person behind the typing looked like, the focus was on the information, and yes, the fact you could go outside the box.

So came the larger systems, and we "stepped" up, now we could share our information to others. (wow, instead of maybe a few hundred, we could share with thousands). And that is what Al did, and loved to do. He helped found MousePlanet, and that was in the late 1990's, where websites were starting to form on the "world wide web", and that allowed him to do his own thing. He let others run the site. He just wrote about something he loved and was passionate about. He also loved to read and studied Disneyland History, and through his music career got a chance to meet some Disneyland Senior Staff. Back then, they weren't execs, but senior staff. Just the ones in charge, but not "better or different". They worked on site, The Walt policy of you were expected to be in the park and work along side with other Cast Members of varied years of service, even the new ones, was still strong. Even the administrative staff were supposed to get out from behind their desks to get in the park. Yes, number crunchers, secretaries, whatever. Step foot in the actual place, talk to the CM's and the guests, and do so with a smile and both help out, but also learn and observe. Just because you got a bigger paycheck wasn't important, doing the work was.

I started off with a love of Theme Parks, and in particular, roller coasters in general. I loved to figure out how things worked, and started to meet people who made that happen. I was lucky enough to get to know Bud Hurlbut. I didn't realize it at the time, but I got it later, he saw this young kid checking out something he built and was proud to show off his attraction, and maybe place a spark in me. To share his knowledge and help motivate me. As they call it now, pay it forward.

So by the 1990's Al's and my circle of friends started to have multiple shared ones. My internet sharing of information had me working with multiple sites, and MousePlanet, which became the top website covering Disneyland back then (late 1990's to early 2000's). That said, there wasn't much competition back then. And really no ads or revenue to be made. We had sponsors if we were lucky. The purpose was to share information.

Now, here comes the shift. We had friends, they would give us the scoop (why did I get the great photos I did early, because I knew something was about to happen), and since our viewership was low, the PR department didn't care).

But then we got larger readership. Did Disney care about Al Lutz early on, no, but then his readership grew, and so did the word with CM's, which worked it's way up the chain, to the point that someone was assigned as part of their job to read the boards and share what was being said online, and that was the PR department. Then came the daily briefing, a short memo with key points given to senior management. Well, things started to change quickly. Al opted to go to his preferred mode. what he did in the music business, stay behind the scenes, keep his mouth shut about where he got information, but kept telling it "like it is" to his readers. This drove a few folks who cared about their image crazy. And Disney since the beginning cared, they looked at the business as being "on stage", and while their might be chaos going on behind the curtains, the image needed to be presented in a calm, professional matter. So Disney started to freakout.

It was going on for years, but Light Tragic showed Disney how much influence Al had, and I could keep going on and sharing, but I have already spent too much time on this post, but it is nice to look back.

Al taught me more than a few things, but love life, love what you do, care about others, care about standards, but don't really care about what others think about you, that is their problem, not yours. Yes, when you are onstage, do it right. And make sure others do it right.

Pin this post and make it required reading.

 

[Texas84]

Our break room is a storage closet with a microwave and a fridge.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Our break room is a storage closet with a microwave and a fridge.

Did you get the broom closet ending? The broom closet ending was my favorite!

 

[Model3 McQueen]

That “break area” is a joke. It looks like an industrial shed with a Coke machine, uncomfortable metal chairs and a hokey banner.

TDA suits would allow this photo to be published publicly?!? They should be embarrassed that this is how they care for their employees as a division that has made $3.6 Billion in after-tax profit in the last 9 months of this fiscal year, but they probably are too stupid to be embarrassed about this break area. https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.co...ter-and-nine-months-earnings-for-fiscal-2018/

Fabulously Famous Manager Gary Magetti cuts the ribbon on this lavish new break area! Semi-Shade! Oscilatting Fans! Metal Chairs! Dorks wearing Dockers! Come work for Disneyland and you get all this, plus you get to pay Union dues and park 5 blocks away!

But it has a Pixar Pier Break Area Banner - it must be high quality!