Fun Starters

Getting to know the human side.

Main Course

A quick deep dive into the day-to-day job.

Tell us about yourself and your job.

I work on the Story Art and Concept Development team where I help concept new ideas for Disney products and packaging. My job role either ideates new promotional concepts that showcase the beloved Disney stories and characters globally, or it entails crafting taglines and slogans across franchises, ranging from Pixar, Disney Jr., Disney Classics, and Marvel, etc. Additionally, I serve as an editor on the team, reviewing concepts across the board for their viability or reviewing material grammatically.

How did you end up in your field? What do you like about it?

I applied for Disney after building up my writing portfolio for several years. I've always been fascinated with the world of entertainment and was amazed, as well as blessed, to be invited to work for such a reputable company as Disney. What I love most is that every year there's a new project or film to work on.

What does a typical morning look like on the job?

My typical morning looks like checking my email for meetings, then reviewing any packaging that needs copy edits.

Cool, then what does a typical afternoon look like?

My typical afternoon looks like more meetings, and then concepting based on the meetings I had! Sometimes I'll have to do research which may entail reading a script for a new movie or if it's an established property, I'll watch the film or T.V. show.

What types of projects and meetings are you involved in?

My work is normally divided up by Disney Franchise or property. So if the company is coming out with a new plush line, all the stakeholders will get together in a meeting. Everyone will decide what's needed as far as creative assets, this includes what's needed for editorial. My team and I will go back and concept how to showcase this new plush line, what's the storyline driving the marketing, and the images you'll see. Then, down the line, I'll also craft taglines to accompany the story we created.

Who do you collaborate with within meetings and projects?

I collaborate with various stakeholders such as the designers and photographers who will be helping with the visual components of the storytelling. I also partner with the character artists who will draw the Disney characters in various poses. For example, let's say if I come up with a tagline "Think outside the tower" for Rapunzel and then a character artist can come up with a clever way to draw Rapunzel to match that tagline or if I write "Friendship is the Perfect Match" for Rapunzel and her chameleon friend, Pascal, that tagline might inspire a completely different pose for a character artist to draw.

Dessert

Now for some juicy insights in the tea room.

What's the most challenging thing about your job?

The most challenging part of the job is workload. There are so many properties and so many plates spinning, it's not uncommon to put in overtime to make sure each franchise gets the very best of storytelling.

What are some characteristics that can help someone succeed in your role?

Helpful characteristics that help in this role include being adaptive to fast-moving projects, staying organized, being an expert researcher - whether that's using the library, going to physical stores to see what products are on-shelf, scouring TikTok or Instagram, going through magazines, watching as many movies as possible, etc.

Any advice on how to stand out and get hired for those just starting off?

For copywriting, make sure you have an online writing portfolio that you can send people a link to, and within that portfolio make sure you have a breadth of material to show off. In copywriting jobs, employers want to know that whomever they are hiring can adapt to multiple brand voices. For Disney, I have to sound like a villain one day and a princess the next. And if you were to work for an ad agency, there are so many different clients so being able to pivot as far as brand voice is key.

What's something that surprised you about your job?

What surprised me the most was how many stakeholders are involved in the project. It's not just one team, it's dozens. There are people who create just the character pose, then there are graphic designers, then there are package designers - those who build out what the physical packaging will look like for a toy, then there's the toy designer, etc. There are so many people with a unique role to play that I wasn't aware of when I joined the Consumer Products segment.

Any last thoughts, advice, or recommendations for someone who wants to do what you do?

Explore the different avenues of writing that are out there. I work in a very creative field with more short-form copy. Perhaps you may want to work in the tech field with long-form copy. Or maybe you want to do comedy writing for a late-night show, which is fast-paced and short-form (in which case, get a Twitter and share your jokes there. Plus, follow joke writers on Twitter). Whatever you want to write, explore and research that field to the fullest.

Drinks

Chat more over coffee or tea?