The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 2: International Edition - The Board Room

jdmdisney99

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
memorywall5.jpg

@MA Screamin' and @Sam4D23 have been eliminated
<here ends Challenge 5 discussion>
 
Last edited:

Zweiland

Well-Known Member
This is my time to brag. Sorry if I come off as a bit arrogant in some parts, but gosh darn it, this is the boardroom! That’s what it’s for.

Also, whatever happens, I’ll lose IDInstitute (until next time!). So I just want to say, it’s been great working with you. Throughout the comp you’ve really let your abilities grow. I hope we meet again some day! :)


Why should I remain in this competition?

My combination of problem solving, quick thinking, and creativity has only influenced my team for the better throughout the course of this competition. Team Land has been through good times and bad times together, and I have been there for us all the way.

It says a lot about the strength of our team that three of the original members are still alive and together—and are the only ones left on the team. We have created a bond greater than teammates: we have practically become friends. I understand that defining the word “friends” is dangerous when it comes to strangers on the Internet, but team Land was as close as it could be to that definition.

LEADERSHIP
My part in creating our bond was invaluable. When the competition first started, IDInstitute was Team Land’s project manager. Not having participated in the first season, IDI really had no idea what was expected of him. Seeing this, I led the team from the start: I helped make sure we had an idea down as soon as possible, I helped create a basic schedule, and I helped divide the work into groups. (Of course, IDInstitute soon learned what to do as PM, and later became one of the best).

When I am project manager myself, I don’t take as much control as some others might. I know what it means to be a leader: it means to have more say than usual in whose ideas stay and whose go, not to be an absolute dictator. I let the team convince me whose idea is best. If one of them says “no way” to an idea, there is “no way” our team is using that idea.

I should remain in this competition because I am not afraid to take leadership roles, but I also understand the limits of these roles.

TEAMWORK
I always work best in a team. Maybe it’s the way ideas can be shaped and formed in multiple ways as soon as you throw them out there, or maybe it’s just the comforting feeling of others having your back, but teamwork is one of my strong suits. And I show it! I realize that in order to have your own ideas molded and shaped by others, you need to return the favor by doing the same to their own ideas.

One way that I show teamwork skills is by editing the rough drafts of others. When I can, I take time and precision to make descriptions concise, grammatically correct, and a pleasure to read.

I should remain in this competition because teamwork is my strong suit. I also recognize that it goes both ways.

CREATIVITY
In the early brainstorming stage, I am a very valuable asset. I had a major say in the overarching concepts of Team Land’s submissions in 6 out of 8 challenges! I realize that my team has lost a few times lately— however, most of those losses have not been for the concept itself, but for the development of the concepts. I feel that I have given a 110% effort each week in coming up with creative, fresh, and interesting ideas.

I also brought some newfound talent to the scene by learning how to create illustrations. I understood right away that the competition in the artistic field would be tough this year, and I took initiative to lessen that gap. I created quality artwork for many of the challenges this season.

I should remain in this competition because I have the ability to come up with creative concepts very quickly. In addition, I can pick up new creative skills very easily.

_________________________________________________

Leadership, teamwork, and creativity: The three most important skills that any Imagineer should have. Because I possess all three of these skills, I should remain in the competition and continue on my path to becoming… The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Thank you for reading! Finally, I would like to state that I was sick last week for a few days, and therefore unable to do as much as I could have. If you keep me around, JDM, I’ll be back and better than ever before!
 

DinoInstitute

Well-Known Member
Hello.

Wow, what a week. Weekend, really. So much going on, and I'm hardly caught up with my Spanish soap operas. Before I begin, I would like to take this moment instead at the top of the post to thank multiple people. @jdmdisney99, this has been so wonderful and appreciate you setting up this comp. @Robert Butnarasu and @Sam4D23, you unfortunately both couldn't be on our team at the moment, but when you were, you were both such wonderful people that helped bring me to this point. @englanddg, @Voxel, @MonorailRed, and @tcool, what a great team you four make, you have put up some amazing competition. And @RMichael21, promise that, with whichever one of us continues to live on, you help pull out a win for Team Land!;)

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and make a case for my fellow teammate and friend in the Board Room, @Zweiland. If I'm correct, two seasons and this is your first time in the boardroom? That's impressive. And it's no surprise too, as you bring such wonderful ideas to the table, incredibly helpful to your teammates, and produce exceptional work. You helped me learn a lot. Unfortunately, the inevitable time has come where we shall split paths for now.

Now, I will make my bold statement: I think I should stay in this comp, and really would love to.

Let me start from the beginning. When was it? Mid May? I was fairly new to the forums, joining April 30th. I found about about the imagineering forum. Ever since a 4 year old, I annually traveled to the world and loved it so much that I knew my dream was to be "one of them". Anyways, I asked about the competitions, as that sounded like a pretty cool idea (as stated before, I love reality TV competitions). The next upcoming one was The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 2: International Edition. I checked out the past season, and boy, despite what seemed to be a few communication errors, it looked like fun! I knew that it was my goal to join and take home a win for the Institute! Over time, you may have caught me checking out a few of the other imagineering threads, but it was all leading to this. Unfortunately, class got in the way, and I was traveling home to England for a bit! Therefore, I almost forgot about it. I showed up a little late to the party, but managed to be lucky enough to grab a spot.

A few days later, I learned my team. I have heard and read a lot about them, and was excite to work with them! Our first challenge came, and what do you know, I had the honor of project manager. It was very overwhelming, but in no way was I not up for the task! We created a very solid concept, and I ended up even winning the first (and would come my only) Immunity Idol. Challenges passed by, and we only grew only stronger as a team. We are a "WDWMagic family", and we knew we could trust each other. We worked with one another, could help develop each other's ideas more, and became an amazing team. Unfortunately, a loss cam by. This was awful, but we managed to get through it. We needed defeat to kick us in the head and let us know that as the time goes on, our quality will need to improve as well.

We survived a few more challenges, until #5, where a close friend @Sam4D23, and a brief teammate @MA Screamin' got eliminated. Only three remained. The clock was counting down. We could not lose again. We were, and still are, a very tight group with amazing skills, and work with each other amazingly because of our bond. We got very lucky, but we knew that wouldn't last. We got back on our feet after a 24-hour stay at Prehistoric Point Hotel, but once again, we unfortunately could not do enough to win challenge 8, and here we are.

Anyways, that's a "Brief" summary, but why exactly do I deserve to be here?

I love WDW with all my heart. I zippedy-doo-dah my way to sleep and visit my laughing place in my dreams. This an incredible opportunity for me to show everyone that I have what it takes to become an Imagineer. I have not yet reached my full potential though. But to be frank, I won't reach it in this comp. But that's what I need this comp for! My skills have grown incredibly. I have very good teamwork sklils, I work well with others with a good attitude but manage to get to a great point with them.Take this for example: Back in the first day our team met, Z asked us to introduce our selves and our skills. My post was:

Lets see, my strengths....
Actually, I'm very similar to @RMichael21 in this aspect, as I am good when it comes to creating a description and visual in your head, and then persuading you to go with my idea!
Another OK/good thing of mine is creating a story to go along with an attraction.

Looking back now, I can add so much more. Creating some art, working with websites, and even I'm trying out video editing, but that's new.

I really hope Jdm, that you let me stay in this comp. I have the leadership skills, without becoming a huge boss, and think I lead my team well this week. I am one of the most creative people here, I make (sometimes poor) ideas, but ideas non the less. I have devoted every minute of my time to this comp, and will not stop.I put the most amount of effort possible into what I do here. If someone posts, I will automatically stop to check what it was to continue growing, and if we reach a slow spot I will post some ideas to get us out.

I have loved every minute of this extravaganza that defined my 2014 summer, and I am not ready to stop, I need to keep working at my true passion. I would love for a second chance. I really hope you consider keeping me, I promise, I am not going to bring another loss and I will not disappoint you. Thanks so very much, and @Zweiland, see you in Season 3;)



Some of the most amazing memories made this summer, and I hope to make more:):
2q1zdia.png

*The edit was some grammar things..I was re-reading and my OCD got the best of me!
 
Last edited:

jdmdisney99

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You are both great contributors to the competition. However, one of you must go. You were the Project Manager this week and everything just didn't fall into the right place. @IDInstitute, you're fired. Please please please stay involved with the competition through the discussion thread, and thank you so much for joining us this season!
 

tcool

Well-Known Member
I feel like I should remain in the competition, but this week I couldn't help my team as often as I do as I was visiting WDW during the beginning of the challenge and until Monday was when I was fully able to help out. To be quite honest I'm surprised I've made it this far in the competition heck if it weren't for the immunity idol I had I probably would've been eliminated instead of @JokersWild

Although I might not be the most experienced in making fancy and sleek artwork or perhaps coding a website, but I am the youngest competitor at 13 and although age should never matter how common is it that a 13 year old makes time from his hectic schedule (school starting at 9 - 4 + Homework every day and cant forget clubs which add an extra 2 hours) to bring out something fun and even sometimes innovative material every challenge. Heck some of my friends don't understand why I do this not even some of my family do, but there is no true 100% answer, but this is what I call fun and engaging. The people I have met are all fun and different which is one reason I have stayed in the competition. Another reason is I would never ever want to let down my team especially in their time of need.​

So I thank @jdmdisney99 for hosting this competition. @BryceM for advising. @Zweiland , @RMichael21 , @IDInstitute , @Robert Butnarasu , @Sam4D23 , @MA Screamin' , @ctxak98 , @Wikkler , @englanddg , @Voxel for being excellent competitors, and even if you did do nothing I would not know, but you still get the Thank You. @MonorailRed , @Matt7187 , @JokersWild , @Twilight_Roxas , @Voxel , and @englanddg for being great teammates! In total I thank all of you for participating.​

And, with that said all the teams Land, Sea, and Air have done great jobs throughout the competition.
グッドラックボクセル!​
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
I won't be long winded with this, mainly because I am not a long winded person (I say this now, but watch this become a 3 paragraph plea to stay). Through out this competition I have put my heart in soul into everything I have done. I admit that the (not this current challenge) but the past two were not by best input, even @englanddg and I have discussed it. But this week I have had a new revival of energy and I believe is shows.

I have played a key role in developing two new types of presentation elements and techniques never used before in the Imagineering Challengers. In the Islands of the Adventure challenge, I created somewhat of an explorable model that added a depth or realism that has never been seen before. It was a risk, and even though we lost I think it opened the doors for the possibility of new elements in future presentation.

Another risky moved that I really played a key part in developing is the Interactive map developed for this most recently challenged. I helped lead the direction for the videos (including producing three of the videos: The advertisement, the Hoo-Hoo Haus, and Atlantic Voyage), and linked the video's in a way to map everything together. Will this proved to be a very demanding task, more so then we thought, it produced a unique response to the challenge.

I would also like to state that I created a restaurant that @englanddg was impressed by :p. (I had to Eng, your the food guy)

I would love to state, that to me this competition has become less about creating new concepts for rides and experiences and more about learning tools and new techniques. Ten weeks ago, I only developed websites for school and through Englanddg I learn more about website management and design then I had ever learned in school. From Red I learned about art that I never saw before, though I could never use photoshop. Even @tcool, your younger point of view of life was refreshing and brought insight to what families want going to Disney. Even by myself I learned Final Cut Pro Something I have fallen in love with in recent week and plan on doing more with that in my Disney Videos.

I should stay because I have been there for my team and I wanna prove again I have what it takes to take the lead.
 

jdmdisney99

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Really tough choice here. Thank you both so very very much for joining us. It means a lot. However, one of you has to go. You yourself explained your busy schedule, and you were the head of the losing team this week. You've been great for your age, but your time has come. @tcool, you're fired. Please please PLEASE stick around in the discussion thread and keep up to date on forum happenings. Thank you!
 

RMichael21

Well-Known Member
RMichael21's Plea

3 months… It’s hard to believe that myself, along with so many others, have been creating, inspiring, and having fun for 3 whole months. But, today, my time in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Season 2: International Edition may come to an end. These past 3 months have been an amazing journey with ups and downs like no other. I would like to start off by stating that single sentence that I mean with all of my heart...

I deserve to stay in this competition, I deserve to be in the final four and I have shown that I deserve it!

I'll back up this statement for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I have amazing leadership skills. I am able to lead my team through losses, wins and challenges even when our numbers are low. An example of my leadership skills is my Project Manager career in this game. Both of the challenges in which I was Project Manager were 24 hour challenges. Severely, upping the stakes through not just the time constraints, but the 20 sentence limit. We may have lost Challenge 3, in which I still feel that my leadership skills were great, we came back and won the next 24 hour challenge (Challenge 7).

A second reason why I deserve to stay in this competition if because I take my time in my work and work well under pressure. I try to think things through as much as I can and point out flaws in my work. This could help me in the long run and help me/my team avoid silly mistakes that could hurt us. A huge example of me working under a large amount of pressure is my role as Project Manager in Challenges 3 and 7. Because we were under a very small time limit and a tiny word limit, there was quite a bit of added pressure. However, our team did pretty well both times (Even if we lost one) and the critiques were almost all positive.

A third reason why I deserve to stay is that I put my best effort in my work. These past few months, I have shown that I will put time, effort and detail into my work. For example, in this challenge, I spent a good 2-3 hours on just the map of the area. I kept checking back in with my team and asking them to critique it. Another example of this is during Challenge 2, when I put an extreme amount of detail into the ride description and we ended up not losing a player for the second week in a row.

A fourth reason is that I have a variety of skills that help me in this competition. I can describe things in detail, draw or make artwork, find pictures that complement our proposal, design a website or two, write/flesh out the ideas of my teammates and help in the brainstorming process. I have done many different things to help out my team and mold my abilities in order to adapt to my team’s skills and weaknesses. In addition, I am willing to step outside of my comfort zone and create or try something new. An example of this would be in the most recent challenge where I created the map for the area. I hadn't done much of the artwork for the competition yet and wanted to add a new skill to my portfolio.

A fifth reason that I deserve to stay in this competition is that I help my team out whenever they are in need. I will step up to the plate if one of my team members is not able to fulfill their duty, or if they simply need help or more ideas, I'm happy to help. An example of this from Challenge 10 is when I volunteered to do a large multitude of jobs for the proposal. From making the map, to doing a ride through description, to making a general area paragraph, to creating rough drafts of the attraction track layout. Another example of me helping out another team member was in Challenge 2. One of my fellow Team Land members needed some help on part of the description. So, I gladly volunteered to help!

A sixth reason is that I am creative with my ideas and come up with many different aspects of our proposals that help out greatly. An example of this was the idea to include the cameos of all the Doctor's in the secondary queue. This added a nice feature to an otherwise boring section and also gave the other Doctors some screen time. Another example of this is from Challenge 8. We knew that we had to step up our presentation level by a few notches, but we didn't know how. Then it hit me, BAM! We could create a creepy, scary, and spooky poem that would really convey the haunted message to the reader. An example from this challenge is that

A seventh why I deserve to stay in this competition is that I am willing to familiarize myself with a topic that I am not familiar about. An example of this would be in the most recent challenge (Challenge 10). I honestly knew nothing about Doctor Who and had never seen a single episode... So, I spent my time and money researching Doctor Who and watching different episodes. I now call myself a Whovian Initiate and am a full-fledged Doctor Who fan. This is because I was willing to familiarize myself with Doctor Who and it's related topics to help my team out in the challenge.

An eighth reason is that I can accept critique and use it to make my future ideas and proposals better. Also, I can take my team's critiques and adapt my ideas to them. An example of this is from the most recent challenge. I was in charge of the map for the pavilion area changes. I went through about 7-8 drafts, 5-6 of which I shared with them. From changing the colors, to adding a key, to shifting the gift shop a little bit to the left and widening the pathways, I took their comments and made the map better. Another example of this is our presentation. We took the other team's critiques from last week and focused a large portion of our time to presentation this week, making sure that the ride-through would work just right.

A ninth and final reason why I deserve to be in the final four is because I bring a positive and optimistic attitude to Team Land. I am often in a positive attitude, through ups and downs alike. An example of this is when we won Challenge 9. My positive and optimistic attitude carried over from that challenge and into this one. I'm still in a good mood now, even though we lost. I know for a fact that our concept was outstanding and that's all that counts.

I would like to thank a large sum of people! First, I would like to thank @Twilight_Roxas , @Wikkler , @Matt7187 , @ctxak98 , @JokersWild , @tcool , @Voxel and @MonorailRed for being outstanding competitors this season. Next, I would like to thank @Matt7187 (again), @BryceM , @LittleGiants16 , and @Sam4D23 for being great advisors/judges. Your critiques and comments really helped me grow as a person! I would also like to thank @englanddg and @MA Screamin' for being amazing enemies/teammates, it's been great. I would like to give a HUGE round of applause to @jdmdisney99 for hosting what I think is one of the best competitions this board has ever seen. And last, but most certainly not least, I would like to thank @Robert Butnarasu , @Sam4D23 (again), @IDInstitute and @Zweiland for being phenomenal original Team Land members. All of you were so amazing and I hope I get to work with all of you again some day.

In sum, I deserve to stay in this competition because of my leadership skills, how I work under pressure, I put effort into everything, I bring a variety of skills to the table, and I help out my team. Also, I am creative, positive and optimistic, I familiarize myself with the subject, I take my time with my work, and I am able to accept critique. I deserve to be in the final four of The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 2: International Edition because I believe in myself (as cheesy as it sounds) and I believe that I can help bring our team out of this loss and to the finish line!

I hope that these reasons prove to you that I am worthy of not just staying in this competition, but becoming the next Sorcerer's Apprentice!

Good Luck to @Zweiland and @englanddg in the Boardroom!

My name is @RMichael21 and I approve this message!
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
First, I'll start with this challenge loss, because as PM, I have a few things I need to say.

I could not have asked to work with a better group of individuals on this Project, and the experience was a blast. Even though we lost, I am proud of the work we all did! So, thank you, @Zweiland and @RMichael21. I, personally, love what we created together.

I should clarify that the choice of Who was my idea originally, though the team as a whole agreed to it. However, if the choice of IP led to our loss, I bear the full weight and responsibility for that choice.

So, there are my thoughts on that. Once again, no matter where this goes, I want to thank everyone for an amazing competition this year, and I can't wait to work with you all on future projects (and, hopefully, that means the next challenge! :) ).

Which leads me to why I believe I should stay.
(as a side note, I hate "me" speeches, but this sort of calls for one, so bare with me.)

No matter the team, I give my all and do my best to make sure we pull in a win. Part of this is my own competitive nature. I want to WIN. But, this is not due to ego. Rather, it's a function of enjoying the challenge, and coming out on top. I love to help my team win any way I can, and I've pulled out the stops this year to do so.

In my opinion, creativity is often conflated with imagination. Imagination is about forming of new ideas and visualizing what "could be". Creativity is about applying those...well...figments of imagination...in practical ways, and turn those concepts into a presentable reality.

I won't say I'm the most imaginative, not by a long shot, but I do believe I'm highly creative. And, as a combination, I believe I walk the line between the two well, and this makes me an asset to any team. Also, with each new challenge I learn a bit more about myself, both as an individual and as a teammate. I grow and develop.

So, I'll leave this with my record from this year, as I believe it speaks volumes for what I have brought, and hope to continue to bring, to this competition!

So far, I have experienced with my teams:

6 Wins
  • Challenge 2 (PM)
  • Challenge 4 (Acting PM) - This is the only challenge I feel I can claim is wholly representative of what I'm capable of, because this challenge I did 95% of all the creative and the work, sorry to my Air team members that week, but...)
  • Challenge 5 (after transfer to Sea)
  • Challenge 6
  • Challenge 8
  • Challenge 9 (after transfer to Land)
2 Second Places
  • Challenge 1 (probably would have been a win had our PM posted and I hadn't opened my big mouth about the Tintin IP in the main thread! ;))
  • Challenge 3
2 Losses
  • Challenge 7 (Non Elimination Challenge)
  • Challenge 10 (PM)
In every challenge, I have given as much as I could, and churned out content that I feel has been, for the most part, high quality. I contribute, I meet my obligations, I participate, and I help facilitate our team's success.

And that, is why I think I should stay.
 
Last edited:

Zweiland

Well-Known Member
Well, here we are. Back in the boardroom, with another tough loss no matter who leaves.

I love this competition, and I will be returning next year. But at the same time, it is very important for me to be able to win it this year.

Why? To represent the rest of the original Team Land who are no longer with us. @Robert Butnarasu, @IDInstitute, and @Sam4D23. It is my duty to try my hardest for them.

I have put in so much effort already to get where I am today. I have made time for this competition even with real-life conflicts. I have worked my hardest on every single challenge... and now I'm ready to take it to the next level.

You heard that right. I'm going to keep improving, keep getting better, just as I always have. I will show you that I truly have what it takes to be the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

I put together this website, which is a gallery of my best work so far, but also explains why I should stay and what I did this past challenge to deserve it.

ZWEILAND'S BOARDROOM PLEA
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom