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

[Lilofan]

They can keep the building and still move WDI. You don't have to be an imagineer in order to give a tour of 1401.

If they keep ANY part of WDI in the building, they will still be bifurcating teams. If the executive leadership (Weis/Bouza/et al) stay in Glendale, and ship the lower level folks out to Florida, that new campus won't solve any of the communication problems they laid out as their reasoning for moving. Certainly, if a team stays behind in California, that team will just keep growing and growing overtime as the "real" WDI while the team in Florida languishes.

I'm starting to fall into the camp of thinking this was a layoff/reduction disguised as a relocation effort.

That was be unfortunate if the CA creative teams relocated 3K miles away at company expense then would be let go afterwards if that actually ever happens.

 

[JT3000]

Hawaii has that? What do do they do? Throw rotten coconuts at you or flaming wreaths of flowers? Well there is tossing people in the volcano but Im not certain that is very common.....these days. It does make me wonder about alaska. Do they still use knives for shanks or just use an icicle instead.

Alaska has the highest violent crime rate in the country, so whatever they're using, it appears to be effective.

Translation - most of downtown Orlando, there is a data center in vegas in a area so bad all employees are issued firearms. Its an odd feeling being in a place where everyone is packing heat

"Most of downtown Orlando" isn't even bad (except for some of the characters who show up at night.) Parramore is problematic, but stay east of I-4 and it's fine.

 

[Lilofan]

Alaska has the highest violent crime rate in the country, so whatever they're using, it appears to be effective.


"Most of downtown Orlando" isn't even bad (except for some of the characters who show up at night.) Paramore is problematic, but stay east of I-4 and it's fine.

Parramore adjacent to downtown Orlando is not somewhere I would be at night unless to catch a game with the Magic at Amway Arena but it does have a few barber shops, liquor stores and soul food places to check out during the day and help support local business. What disappoints me is at 2am when the bars close in downtown, substantial amounts of cops on bikes, horseback, cars and foot patrol surround the area and still shootings and assaults just as recent as last week.

 

[el_super]

Why is it a given that a local team would grow? Why hasn’t this happened with Universal Creative?

They haven't grown?

Assuming that work will continue to expand, and the parks will continue to expand, there will be more work to do and a need for more people. If WDI keeps an office in California, eventually they will start to pull in from the same talent pool (Hollywood designers) that founded WDI in the first place.

Unless work stops entirely in California, eventually those teams will expand. Just the nature of business.

That was be unfortunate if the CA creative teams relocated 3K miles away at company expense then would be let go afterwards if that actually ever happens.

I don't think the idea is to reduce the workforce POST move, but to filter out people making the choice to stay behind.

 

[lazyboy97o]

They haven't grown?

Assuming that work will continue to expand, and the parks will continue to expand, there will be more work to do and a need for more people. If WDI keeps an office in California, eventually they will start to pull in from the same talent pool (Hollywood designers) that founded WDI in the first place.

Unless work stops entirely in California, eventually those teams will expand. Just the nature of business.

They have, in Orlando, despite there being a local team that is largely responsible for Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal itself being headquartered there. A lot of people even relocated from California to Florida to work on Universal Studios Beijing and Epic Universe.

 

[skypilot2922]

That was be unfortunate if the CA creative teams relocated 3K miles away at company expense then would be let go afterwards if that actually ever happens.

No that's not the way its done, The department moves across the country to an area with a lower cost of living you are 'offered' a new job at the new location at a lower salary and no relocation expenses paid in the not unreasonable expectation that you will quit, No severance package etc. It's genius really.

 

[larryz]

Hawaii has that? What do do they do? Throw rotten coconuts at you or flaming wreaths of flowers? Well there is tossing people in the volcano but Im not certain that is very common.....these days. It does make me wonder about alaska. Do they still use knives for shanks or just use an icicle instead.

I remember being warned to avoid the west coast of Oahu since, as a haole, I was considered fair game for plunder.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

For all the geniuses trashing Florida, our state budget is half that of New York’s (despite a larger population) and we have better schools, roads and jobs.

 

[Lilofan]

For all the geniuses trashing Florida, our state budget is half that of New York’s (despite a larger population) and we have better schools, roads and jobs.

You must be joking if you think FL has better jobs than NY if you are thinking of salaries.

 

[DisneyDebRob]

For all the geniuses trashing Florida, our state budget is half that of New York’s (despite a larger population) and we have better schools, roads and jobs.

You are kidding right? Florida has lower taxes and cost of living. As for jobs.. better schools.. and yes even less crime, NY is the winner. I know everyone loves where they live for the most part but you also have to be honest with yourself. I don’t live in either state but a quick google search will find the answers.

New York vs Florida Which is the Better State

Is moving from New York to live or retire in Florida a mistake? See our state to state comparison of quality of life factors for the answer.

www.stateoffloridaliving.com

 

[ctrlaltdel]

For all the geniuses trashing Florida, our state budget is half that of New York’s (despite a larger population) and we have better schools, roads and jobs.

Florida has pretty anemic wages, even with it's lower cost of living. The state itself is extremely reliant on federal transfers from Social Security and Medicare (which is built into it's no state income tax model, making it very attractive for retirees). I'm not here to trash FL, as it works for a lot of people, but I wouldn't say that any of those are necessarily better in FL, except roads (NY has an excellent higher ed system, and funds public schools across the state generously). Doesn't mean florida

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Florida has pretty anemic wages, even with it's lower cost of living. The state itself is extremely reliant on federal transfers from Social Security and Medicare (which is built into it's no state income tax model, making it very attractive for retirees). I'm not here to trash FL, as it works for a lot of people, but I wouldn't say that any of those are necessarily better in FL, except roads (NY has an excellent higher ed system, and funds public schools across the state generously). Doesn't mean florida

And yet Florida schools are scoring better results on tests measuring ability. Wages are not anemic. A McDonald’s worker in Tampa is paid nearly 15/hour plus benefits. It goes up from there.

 

[ctrlaltdel]

And yet Florida schools are scoring better results on tests measuring ability. Wages are not anemic. A McDonald’s worker in Tampa is paid nearly 15/hour plus benefits. It goes up from there.

Not really talking about minimum wages (although that is a good thing that those wages are rising!). A lot of Florida's job mix is relatively low wage compared to NYS. Florida's median wage is much, much lower than NYS.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Not really talking about minimum wages (although that is a good thing that those wages are rising!). A lot of Florida's job mix is relatively low wage compared to NYS. Florida's median wage is much, much lower than NYS.

Cost of living is significantly more there too. Not to mention taxes. People vote with their feet.

 

[Lilofan]

Cost of living is significantly more there too. Not to mention taxes. People vote with their feet.

There is no doubt COL is cheaper in FL as opposed to NY ( especially NYC ). $1M will buy one a nice 1 bedroom in midtown. $1M in Central Florida will get you a palatial home . The trick is if one can relocate to Central FL and maintain their Northeast or West Coast salary then yes life can be better for some in CFL.

 

[skypilot2922]

For all the geniuses trashing Florida, our state budget is half that of New York’s (despite a larger population) and we have better schools, roads and jobs.

Yah but Florida does not have that festering boil known as New York City which is a black hole for resources financial and otherwise which winds up in the pockets of 'connected' people.

 

[skypilot2922]

There is no doubt COL is cheaper in FL as opposed to NY ( especially NYC ). $1M will buy one a nice 1 bedroom in midtown. $1M in Central Florida will get you a palatial home . The trick is if one can relocate to Central FL and maintain their Northeast or West Coast salary then yes life can be better for some in CFL.

Have a colleague who just spent 1M on a 800 Sq Ft loft in Manhattan, for quality of life its nuts but as a investment well no one will ever do better in the market.

 

[UNCgolf]

Yah but Florida does not have that festering boil known as New York City which is a black hole for resources financial and otherwise which winds up in the pockets of 'connected' people.

I don't think calling New York City a black hole for resources is very accurate. It's responsible for most of the funding that pays for things everywhere else in New York state. I think NYC and the surrounding suburbs is responsible for like 80-90% of all tax revenue in the state.

 

[skypilot2922]

I don't think calling New York City a black hole for resources is very accurate. It's responsible for most of the funding that pays for things everywhere else in New York state. I think NYC and the surrounding suburbs is responsible for like 80-90% of all tax revenue in the state.

 

[skypilot2922]

Actually the Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester and NYC generate the 70% of the state tax revenue, However NYC out of the big 4 uses more resources than it generates.