Orlando Becoming East Coast Headquarters for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products

[Bullseye1967]

The move of cast from CA to FL with no relocation reimbursement is shocking. Perhaps if a number of CA refuse to move and resign then hire FL locals at a lower salary ?

At least you claim part of it on your taxes.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

It's this very reason why even the most loyal of imagineers are thinking it's not worth the move and is a reminder of previous mass layoffs. Imagine within a year of arriving to Florida being told you are no longer needed/employed. Your wife, husband, or partner decide to quit their job to move to Florida for you and then you have that happen. It's one of those things that if personally you have never moved because of a job you just can't fathom. Its not just Disney so many companies do it. Maybe it's a way to cut cost to see who will stay or who will leave, but it's just not something someone does just because. I'm doing it because I'm young and don't mind the move as it doesn't affect me overall, but for others it's a quality of family life over career choice.

A friend of mine in the biotech industry was asked to relocate from MA to NC. They gave him a 20% raise (he had been making $70,000) and paid for his family's relocation expenses...only to close the location he was relocated to after about 3 years.

So even if the deal looks really sweet...there may be factors that at your level of employment you are completely unaware of.

 

[ULPO46]

The move of cast from CA to FL with no relocation reimbursement is shocking.

Not to mention a cut in salary and you see why so many great people are just done. It's beyond morale or where to send kids to school. Its a we move there and than what they lay off the workforce after EPCOT and boom you're screwed looking for another job hoping that the severance was enough to wait things out. No one wants to quit, but then again no one wants to be bullied into a corner where you have to choose a lesser of two evils.

 

[ULPO46]

A friend of mine in the biotech industry was asked to relocate from MA to NC. They gave him a 20% raise (he had been making $70,000) and paid for his family's relocation expenses...only to close the location he was relocated to after about 3 years.

It's why I keep saying from my colleagues eyes why they are at the cross roads of should we go or should we resign. Disney says to be closer to WDW. In all honesty it doesn't cost the company so much to house any of us as a majority of us pay for housing out of pocket or if we are lucky have family abroad in places like Paris or Shanghai and we all bunk in together. Once EPCOT refurb is complete, WDW has zero on the chain of expansion so it's a tough sell to relocate an entire division to Florida for that reason which has too many people nervous. Believe me every time there is something like this that happens I refresh my resume and send out in mass in case it's a layoff. There is no guarantee in any contract that says we are safe from lay off.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

It's why I keep saying from my colleagues eyes why they are at the cross roads of should we go or should we resign. Disney says to be closer to WDW. In all honesty it doesn't cost the company so much to house any of us as a majority of us pay for housing out of pocket or if we are lucky have family abroad in places like Paris or Shanghai and we all bunk in together. Once EPCOT refurb is complete, WDW has zero on the chain of expansion so it's a tough sell to relocate an entire division to Florida for that reason which has too many people nervous. Believe me every time there is something like this that happens I refresh my resume and send out in mass in case it's a layoff. There is no guarantee in any contract that says we are safe from lay off.

That doesn't bode well at all...

Could they really be foolish enough to completely clear out and close Imagineering?

 

[ULPO46]

That doesn't bode well at all...

Could they really be foolish enough to completely clear out and close Imagineering?

TBH the worst part was when they merged us with consumer projects. While it has been cool to get to be a kid and play with the latest Star Wars toys or other IP's we aren't toy makers. It's been a long time coming. Like others have stated, we don't need to build models anymore. VR means computer generated images, graphic designers who can now be outsourced. Imagineering won't die, not anytime soon, but morally we question what our job nature entails once the current lineup is complete.

 

[Lilofan]

It's why I keep saying from my colleagues eyes why they are at the cross roads of should we go or should we resign. Disney says to be closer to WDW. In all honesty it doesn't cost the company so much to house any of us as a majority of us pay for housing out of pocket or if we are lucky have family abroad in places like Paris or Shanghai and we all bunk in together. Once EPCOT refurb is complete, WDW has zero on the chain of expansion so it's a tough sell to relocate an entire division to Florida for that reason which has too many people nervous. Believe me every time there is something like this that happens I refresh my resume and send out in mass in case it's a layoff. There is no guarantee in any contract that says we are safe from lay off.

My father, relatives and friends were part of the long-term assignment groups when they had to live in foreign countries or in other states away from their families. For them the company provided plane, room and board in long-term stay hotels . They worked more hours per week on their assigned projects at times 6 days a week , 12-13 hours per day and afterwards have a late dinner or breakfast and back to the hotel. Projects have no set hours. You work a lot, at times overnight and frequent caffeine is your friend.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

TBH the worst part was when they merged us with consumer projects. While it has been cool to get to be a kid and play with the latest Star Wars toys or other IP's we aren't toy makers. It's been a long time coming. Like others have stated, we don't need to build models anymore. VR means computer generated images, graphic designers who can now be outsourced. Imagineering won't die, not anytime soon, but morally we question what our job nature entails once the current lineup is complete.

It really breaks my heart to think that the company that once took such great pride in offering families places to play that captured the hearts of multiple generations has now fallen victim to narrow-minded, soul-less leadership.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Not to mention a cut in salary and you see why so many great people are just done. It's beyond morale or where to send kids to school. Its a we move there and than what they lay off the workforce after EPCOT and boom you're screwed looking for another job hoping that the severance was enough to wait things out. No one wants to quit, but then again no one wants to be bullied into a corner where you have to choose a lesser of two evils.

Nobody's salary is being cut, what are you talking about?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It's why I keep saying from my colleagues eyes why they are at the cross roads of should we go or should we resign. Disney says to be closer to WDW. In all honesty it doesn't cost the company so much to house any of us as a majority of us pay for housing out of pocket or if we are lucky have family abroad in places like Paris or Shanghai and we all bunk in together. Once EPCOT refurb is complete, WDW has zero on the chain of expansion so it's a tough sell to relocate an entire division to Florida for that reason which has too many people nervous. Believe me every time there is something like this that happens I refresh my resume and send out in mass in case it's a layoff. There is no guarantee in any contract that says we are safe from lay off.

Imagineers are not on contracts.

 

[Lilofan]

Nobody's salary is being cut, what are you talking about?

That's what I thought too.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

TBH the worst part was when they merged us with consumer projects. While it has been cool to get to be a kid and play with the latest Star Wars toys or other IP's we aren't toy makers. It's been a long time coming. Like others have stated, we don't need to build models anymore. VR means computer generated images, graphic designers who can now be outsourced. Imagineering won't die, not anytime soon, but morally we question what our job nature entails once the current lineup is complete.

It's called "Consumer Products," and Disney doesn't design their own toys. Disney Consumer Products is a licensing company. LEGO and Mattel and Hasbro design the toys.

 

[britain]

TBH the worst part was when they merged us with consumer projects. While it has been cool to get to be a kid and play with the latest Star Wars toys or other IP's we aren't toy makers. It's been a long time coming. Like others have stated, we don't need to build models anymore. VR means computer generated images, graphic designers who can now be outsourced. Imagineering won't die, not anytime soon, but morally we question what our job nature entails once the current lineup is complete.

Someone (was it Mick Jagger?) noted that for 1000s of years, musicians would only be paid for live performances, and they’d never become wealthy from it. Then in the 20th century, there was this moment when you could make serious money off a recording of ONE performance. But now, thanks to the ease of digital distribution, you can’t really do that anymore, and we’re back to musicians putting in the hard concert work to keep an income flowing.

WED started life as Walt hand-picked some of the company’s animation artists for his own private skunkworks. Then it became a literal dream factory - it both manufactured dreamscapes and it was a factory that young creatives dreamt of. But is that dream factory sustainable?

Is WDI as we knew it a blip, an anomaly, in the sweep of the history of creative & commercial endeavors?

 

[Communicora]

Someone (was it Mick Jagger?) noted that for 1000s of years, musicians would only be paid for live performances, and they’d never become wealthy from it. Then in the 20th century, there was this moment when you could make serious money off a recording of ONE performance. But now, thanks to the ease of digital distribution, you can’t really do that anymore, and we’re back to musicians putting in the hard concert work to keep an income flowing.

WED started life as Walt hand-picked some of the company’s animation artists for his own private skunkworks. Then it became a literal dream factory - it both manufactured dreamscapes and it was a factory that young creatives dreamt of. But is that dream factory sustainable?

Is WDI as we knew it a blip, an anomaly, in the sweep of the history of creative & commercial endeavors?

Disney corp could afford it, they just don't seem to want to.

 

[ULPO46]

Jeeze, now I remember why I'm not the biggest fan of writing in fan forums. One read in fine context it is some employees who have gotten a salary deduction. Not all, those few who have have decided to leave the company. The average job lifespan at imagineering is between 3.5 years to 5 years. Yes you can make it a lifelong career if you are patient and love your job. But like any other career job in America, if you want to get married, start a family, and provide for said family it's your right to move on to greener pastures and find better pay and work.

I'm not a English major nor proofread social media post. Mad respect in that atmosphere. I don't ever share my private social media accounts or name on any of the Forums because it's quite annoying to be bothered about changes or anything I cannot do as it's not in my job description. Every so often I get people on here who like to say I have no idea what I'm saying or doing I'm 100% genuine. I cannot speak for everyone at Imagineering, however I can speak for myself.

I am happy where I am at in my career. I started with a professional internship, started on back projects and slowly have made it to a point I feel confident doing what I do day in and day out. Imagineering is not what we grew up watching on documentaries. Many of the people Walt hand picked are either long passed or retired and don't come in often.

Imagineering is still a very fun place to work and I look forward to not having to go back and forth between Glendale and Lake Buena Vista to work on a WDW project. But that's where I feel confident and secure. Like any business that is ran by numbers, spreadsheets, and shareholders, Disney is a business. They have the very right to lay off when ever they so please and move around divisions/workforce. Disney is not the only company doing this.

People have the right to do what is best for their families and that is their right not to be questioned or pondered by someone behind a laptop, desktop, or phone. Imagineers are real humans not some computer software from China. I love my job, it has been my dream since childhood to wake up every morning shave and have fun enjoying work.

As I said in a prior post on another thread we don't design toys, we merely play with them, analyze them, and approve for sale at the parks or online. Ala pic below when Concept's for SWGE and GSC were still being discussed, even though I wasn't part of the project I was able to score a ton of cool stuff to play with when not working on what my assigned duty was.

I don't ever complain about my job, I love it and will admit there are days I get bummed or feel I can do better somewhere else. But like my colleagues have rights to choose so do I and I choose to keep working for the Mouse. Whilst personally I may not see eye to eye with current corporate management, I respect them and would never bad mouth the source of my paycheck.

You as fans have every right to be angry, to think what is best for us or any cast member, but the reality is it's tough for a lot of people. Respect that, I personally don't know what the future holds for imagineering and no one is ever forced into a contract. The reality is that everyone knows once EPCOT's remodel is over there will be layoffs as it's a normal cycle. Until then it's time to have fun, keep working, and keep producing even if fans aren't a fan of your work or that of a colleague.

Again business is just business and I can only speak as to how I feel. I'm not angry, I'm not sad, or mad. I'm rather excited for what our new workshop will have. Grand Central Creative will still stand as a place where we all will continue to work from time to time, but Nona will be a much larger facility to keep on dreaming up the future of this division of a storied American company. Whilst change and Progress may never be everyones cup of tea, I look forward to what is in store for myself and those of us whom decide to remain with Disney.

Anxiety, depression, or family is no excuse to make fun of any one of my colleagues in their decisions to leave or move on to another company/division. It's their right and it saddens me how so many so called "Disney" fans cannot grip at the humanity of our jobs. We are all one very big and happy family, when good people leave morale always stabs at the heart for loss.

I apologize if this is not enough for you but from what I have learned from these is I will never put my name on here again after I got stalked, some people on here are too creepy for the likes of it. Wish you all the best and enjoy every moment of every experience whether at the parks or in life in general. Things change, Covid taught us all that there was no need for offices that we could be just as creative without one. But sometimes, just sometimes life teaches us that it isn't always so easy.

 

[Lilofan]

Jeeze, now I remember why I'm not the biggest fan of writing in fan forums. One read in fine context it is some employees who have gotten a salary deduction. Not all, those few who have have decided to leave the company. The average job lifespan at imagineering is between 3.5 years to 5 years. Yes you can make it a lifelong career if you are patient and love your job. But like any other career job in America, if you want to get married, start a family, and provide for said family it's your right to move on to greener pastures and find better pay and work.

I'm not a English major nor proofread social media post. Mad respect in that atmosphere. I don't ever share my private social media accounts or name on any of the Forums because it's quite annoying to be bothered about changes or anything I cannot do as it's not in my job description. Every so often I get people on here who like to say I have no idea what I'm saying or doing I'm 100% genuine. I cannot speak for everyone at Imagineering, however I can speak for myself.

I am happy where I am at in my career. I started with a professional internship, started on back projects and slowly have made it to a point I feel confident doing what I do day in and day out. Imagineering is not what we grew up watching on documentaries. Many of the people Walt hand picked are either long passed or retired and don't come in often.

Imagineering is still a very fun place to work and I look forward to not having to go back and forth between Glendale and Lake Buena Vista to work on a WDW project. But that's where I feel confident and secure. Like any business that is ran by numbers, spreadsheets, and shareholders, Disney is a business. They have the very right to lay off when ever they so please and move around divisions/workforce. Disney is not the only company doing this.

People have the right to do what is best for their families and that is their right not to be questioned or pondered by someone behind a laptop, desktop, or phone. Imagineers are real humans not some computer software from China. I love my job, it has been my dream since childhood to wake up every morning shave and have fun enjoying work.

As I said in a prior post on another thread we don't design toys, we merely play with them, analyze them, and approve for sale at the parks or online. Ala pic below when Concept's for SWGE and GSC were still being discussed, even though I wasn't part of the project I was able to score a ton of cool stuff to play with when not working on what my assigned duty was.

I don't ever complain about my job, I love it and will admit there are days I get bummed or feel I can do better somewhere else. But like my colleagues have rights to choose so do I and I choose to keep working for the Mouse. Whilst personally I may not see eye to eye with current corporate management, I respect them and would never bad mouth the source of my paycheck.

You as fans have every right to be angry, to think what is best for us or any cast member, but the reality is it's tough for a lot of people. Respect that, I personally don't know what the future holds for imagineering and no one is ever forced into a contract. The reality is that everyone knows once EPCOT's remodel is over there will be layoffs as it's a normal cycle. Until then it's time to have fun, keep working, and keep producing even if fans aren't a fan of your work or that of a colleague.

Again business is just business and I can only speak as to how I feel. I'm not angry, I'm not sad, or mad. I'm rather excited for what our new workshop will have. Grand Central Creative will still stand as a place where we all will continue to work from time to time, but Nona will be a much larger facility to keep on dreaming up the future of this division of a storied American company. Whilst change and Progress may never be everyones cup of tea, I look forward to what is in store for myself and those of us whom decide to remain with Disney.

Anxiety, depression, or family is no excuse to make fun of any one of my colleagues in their decisions to leave or move on to another company/division. It's their right and it saddens me how so many so called "Disney" fans cannot grip at the humanity of our jobs. We are all one very big and happy family, when good people leave morale always stabs at the heart for loss.

I apologize if this is not enough for you but from what I have learned from these is I will never put my name on here again after I got stalked, some people on here are too creepy for the likes of it. Wish you all the best and enjoy every moment of every experience whether at the parks or in life in general. Things change, Covid taught us all that there was no need for offices that we could be just as creative without one. But sometimes, just sometimes life teaches us that it isn't always so easy.

You were questioned when you claimed that the cast relocating from CA to FL would not be assisted with relocation costs ( no reimbursement for relocation costs as you claim ) . Care to comment on that?

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Well. This thread got weird.

 

[bcoachable]

Well. This thread got weird.

Thanks Shanghai

 

[britain]

Jeeze, now I remember why I'm not the biggest fan of writing in fan forums. One read in fine context it is some employees who have gotten a salary deduction. Not all, those few who have have decided to leave the company. The average job lifespan at imagineering is between 3.5 years to 5 years. Yes you can make it a lifelong career if you are patient and love your job. But like any other career job in America, if you want to get married, start a family, and provide for said family it's your right to move on to greener pastures and find better pay and work.

I'm not a English major nor proofread social media post. Mad respect in that atmosphere. I don't ever share my private social media accounts or name on any of the Forums because it's quite annoying to be bothered about changes or anything I cannot do as it's not in my job description. Every so often I get people on here who like to say I have no idea what I'm saying or doing I'm 100% genuine. I cannot speak for everyone at Imagineering, however I can speak for myself.

I am happy where I am at in my career. I started with a professional internship, started on back projects and slowly have made it to a point I feel confident doing what I do day in and day out. Imagineering is not what we grew up watching on documentaries. Many of the people Walt hand picked are either long passed or retired and don't come in often.

Imagineering is still a very fun place to work and I look forward to not having to go back and forth between Glendale and Lake Buena Vista to work on a WDW project. But that's where I feel confident and secure. Like any business that is ran by numbers, spreadsheets, and shareholders, Disney is a business. They have the very right to lay off when ever they so please and move around divisions/workforce. Disney is not the only company doing this.

People have the right to do what is best for their families and that is their right not to be questioned or pondered by someone behind a laptop, desktop, or phone. Imagineers are real humans not some computer software from China. I love my job, it has been my dream since childhood to wake up every morning shave and have fun enjoying work.

As I said in a prior post on another thread we don't design toys, we merely play with them, analyze them, and approve for sale at the parks or online. Ala pic below when Concept's for SWGE and GSC were still being discussed, even though I wasn't part of the project I was able to score a ton of cool stuff to play with when not working on what my assigned duty was.

I don't ever complain about my job, I love it and will admit there are days I get bummed or feel I can do better somewhere else. But like my colleagues have rights to choose so do I and I choose to keep working for the Mouse. Whilst personally I may not see eye to eye with current corporate management, I respect them and would never bad mouth the source of my paycheck.

You as fans have every right to be angry, to think what is best for us or any cast member, but the reality is it's tough for a lot of people. Respect that, I personally don't know what the future holds for imagineering and no one is ever forced into a contract. The reality is that everyone knows once EPCOT's remodel is over there will be layoffs as it's a normal cycle. Until then it's time to have fun, keep working, and keep producing even if fans aren't a fan of your work or that of a colleague.

Again business is just business and I can only speak as to how I feel. I'm not angry, I'm not sad, or mad. I'm rather excited for what our new workshop will have. Grand Central Creative will still stand as a place where we all will continue to work from time to time, but Nona will be a much larger facility to keep on dreaming up the future of this division of a storied American company. Whilst change and Progress may never be everyones cup of tea, I look forward to what is in store for myself and those of us whom decide to remain with Disney.

Anxiety, depression, or family is no excuse to make fun of any one of my colleagues in their decisions to leave or move on to another company/division. It's their right and it saddens me how so many so called "Disney" fans cannot grip at the humanity of our jobs. We are all one very big and happy family, when good people leave morale always stabs at the heart for loss.

I apologize if this is not enough for you but from what I have learned from these is I will never put my name on here again after I got stalked, some people on here are too creepy for the likes of it. Wish you all the best and enjoy every moment of every experience whether at the parks or in life in general. Things change, Covid taught us all that there was no need for offices that we could be just as creative without one. But sometimes, just sometimes life teaches us that it isn't always so easy.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness and your desire to share your perspectives from the inside.

 

[eddie104]

Well. This thread got weird.

My thoughts exactly. I frankly don’t what’s going on anymore.