EPCOT VP Dan Cockerell Discusses Food and Wine Festival
wdwinfo.com photos by Corey Martin
Dan Cockerell, 40, Vice President of EPCOT, has worked with the Disney Company for over 18 years. He started right out of college parking cars in the EPCOT parking lot, worked his way up to a front-line food and beverage manager at the Disneyland Resort Paris, and, as of February 2009, [...]
Get Free Disney World or Disneyland Tickets for Volunteering
Planning a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland resorts in 2010? Disney wants you to give back to the community and they’ll give you a free ticket to celebrate your participation. The “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” promotion celebrates the volunteer ethic by matching you with an approved nonprofit to make a difference. Hopefully this will light the volunteer spark under some who have yet to experience the joys of doing good for others.
GADGADD replaces the 2009 ‘Celebrate Today’ promotion where you could get free admission (or a replacement gift if you were an annual passholder) on your birthday. That promotion ends Deember 31, 2009.
The GADGADD promotion is fairly simple. Beginning January 1, 2010 you must sign up at Disney’s website and search for an available volunteer opportunity. Once you’ve completed your shift at the organization, Disney will verify your session and send you an email that will allow you to get one free ticket (allow at least two weeks for verification). You can only earn one ticket a year through this promotion and supplies are limited.
To get an idea of what shifts will be available search HandsOn Network’s list of approved volunteer opportunities for a something near you. Feel free to volunteer today and help out a great organization, but it won’t count toward the promotion until after you sign up for Disney’s promotion. Even if you already regularly volunteer, you still have to sign up at Disney’s site for your shift to qualify.
There are many more details in Disney’s FAQ for the program. For instance, if you’re an annual passholder you can choose an alternate gift such as a special fastpass or a collectible set of mouse ears with a matching pin. The whole program wraps up on December 15th, 2010. You’ll have to use your ticket voucher by then. Plus there are a few blackout periods ( Walt Disney World® Resort: March 29 – April 8 and July 4, 2010 AND The Disneyland® Resort: February 13-14, March 21, June 21-22, July 4, November 21, December 11-12, 2010 ).
Disney plans to use the Muppets to promote the campaign. Check out the launch site. It’s actually pretty cute and full of downloads and even a contest to win a free trip.
What do you think? Is this a good follow up to 2009’s promotion? While I don’t have Disney’s numbers for the event, I have to wonder how successful the free birthday ticket was at driving new traffic to the parks. Probably more successful in Anaheim where more people live within driving distance.
I don’t see this promotion driving a lot of new traffic either. It certainly is a great idea though.
Disney has a long history of volunteering in the community. The cast member army of VoluntEars is always out and about in the community and Disney’s Conservation efforts makes an impact every day all around the globe. I hope that the GADGADD promotion will now create millions of new ripples in the pond and you never know if one of those will become a tidal wave of change.
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Get Free Disney World or Disneyland Tickets for Volunteering
Dancing with the Stars: Week 2 Performances
It’s week 2 on Dancing with the Stars, and the men and women will finally be competing head to head. The dances this week are the jive, the quickstep, and the tango, which are all difficult styles in their own right, plus they’ve only had four days to prepare – so this should be an interesting show. Len is MIA this week, but filling in is guest judge Baz Luhrmann, the man behind Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Australia, and the fabulous reinterpretation of La Boheme on Broadway. Luhrmann isn’t a former dancer per se, but he “grew up around ballroom” and is credited with making ballroom dancing “cool” thanks to the smash film Strictly Ballroom. If you haven’t seen it, please stop what you are doing and go rent it immediately. Let’s go to the dances!
Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough – Jive: Feet are the most important part of the jive, particularly in the execution of the many kicks this dance requires. With that in mind, Joanna needs to work on hers. Oftentimes her feet weren’t pointed, and she and Derek weren’t always kicking in sync. And as with last week, Derek’s choreography kept them in one place for the whole routine – I would love to see them use the stage more. Carrie Ann and Bruno agree with me – both praised Joanna’s energy but criticized her footwork. Ever the film director, Baz says the dance was good but that Joanna and Derek need to relate to each other more. Scores: 6-7-7 = 20.
Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo – Quickstep: The quickstep has two major rules: Keep Your Back Straight and Don’t Have an Asthma Attack. Natalie, despite holding her breath underwater for a living, has trouble breathing in rehearsals but manages to make it through the live performance with a big ol’ smile on her face. It was a decent routine, although she needs to make sure she points her toes during her extensions, and she seemed a bit stiff at times. Bruno and Baz tell her to relax, and Carrie Ann deems Natalie one of her favorite contestants. Scores: 7-7-7 = 21. And not a chicken dinner in sight.
Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya – Tango: The tango is a masculine, aggressive dance with one major rule – Do Not Break the Hold EVER. The tango definitely plays to Chuck’s strengths, and this was his best dance so far by a mile. He’s a little flat-footed, and his shoulders would creep up at times (in other news, I am turning into Len), but this was a great routine. Extra kudos to Anna for the great choreography. However, I must deduct kudos for the shirtless-and-suspenders outfit. Note to the wardrobe department: The shirtless suspenders look does not work. Ever. Not on Maks, not on Chuck, not on anyone. Sincerely, My Eyes. Back to the judges – Baz calls it fantastic, Carrie Ann calls it impactful, and Bruno calls it “sudden and primeval” (not unlike the Primeval Whirl at Disney’s Animal Kingdom). Scores: 6-7-6 = 19. This seemed low, considering the comments.
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas – Jive: I think the jive is Mark’s favorite dance, because it gives him license to be a total and complete ham. The problem with this is that you have to match his energy level, which is more or less impossible even if you were to drink 19 Red Bulls before going onstage. Thus, Melissa Joan looked downright lazy at times. Her technique was a little sloppy, but the bigger problem for me was that she looked as though she was struggling to keep up. Strangely, Carrie Ann praised her high energy, Bruno praised her energy but called her dancing frantic, and Baz agreed that she needs to watch her feet. Scores – 7-6-6 = 19. Sounds right to me.
Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova – Quickstep: After getting smacked down last week for bad dancing AND bad choreography, Michael and Anna needed to nail this dance big time. This performance was a huge improvement over last week, even if there were technical flaws here and there. Bruno praised Michael’s huge improvement, Baz called him out for sticking his tongue out while he dances, and Carrie Ann called it a touchdown. Scores: 7-7-6 = 20.
Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Tango: Debi says in rehearsals she thinks her love-hate relationship with Maks puts them at an advantage with this dance, and I’m inclined to agree. Maks “Dancing is Not a Democracy” Chmerkovskiy also continued his streak of making his partners cry in rehearsals, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Debi. She looked amazing in her outfit, and it was a particularly bold move to make them dance to “Tango de Roxanne” from Baz’s own Moulin Rouge. The problem, of course, is that Debi is no Nicole Kidman, and looked like she was being dragged around most of the time. Baz began his critique by quoting his own movie and called it a fantastic performance, Carrie Ann called Debi “the drama queen,” and Bruno loved her character but told her she needs to keep it constant throughout – even when she’s unsure of her steps. Scores: 7-7-7.
Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower – Jive: Full disclosure – Chelsie and Louie are my favorite couple. I think it’s my residual love for Chelsie from last season and her stint on So You Think You Can Dance coupled with their overall adorableness, but I think they’re serious contenders in this competition. Louie is still very green, but keep in mind Chelsie is a fantastic teacher and a smart choreographer. This jive started off with a HUGE flip off the stage from Louie and was just oozing charm the whole way through. It was definitely the best routine of the night so far, and you can’t help but smile when these two dance. Carrie Ann says she loved his joy but called him out for having moments of visible confusion (fair enough). Bruno couldn’t contain himself, so he stood up and said there wasn’t enough jive content and Louie shouldn’t be skating (boarding?) by just because he can do crazy tricks. Baz thought it was a tremendous routine that captured the spirit of the jive. Scores: 6-7-6 = 19. These scores seem crazy low to me – it seems the spirit of Len is with us tonight.
Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff – Quickstep: Things are tense in rehearsals, with lots of shouting and whatnot, but they seem to have patched things up and ….. OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING WHY ARE THE MUPPETS HERE. This is incredibly unfair for two reasons: 1. Dancing to the Muppets theme song automatically makes your dance better than everyone else’s 2. You cannot have Animal guest star in one routine and not offer the other couples the same deal. I mean, Tom DeLay is basically a Muppet anyway, but that’s not to say his performance wouldn’t be enhanced by Rizzo’s antics. And we all know Donny Osmond would be great at waka-waka-waltzing with Fozzie. And as for Len? We can just replace him with Sam Eagle. Back to the dancing – this was an incredibly clean routine and a great performance from Aaron. In any other number, the fact that he was dressed like a leprechaun (and it takes a very secure man to wear sparkly green shoes) would seem strange, but not tonight. Gonzo joins the panel to hang out out with our resident gonzo, Bruno, who proclaimed their dance “spectacular! spectacular!” and said they’ve set the bar very high for themselves. Baz called it clever and inventive, and Carrie Ann called attention to their technique (props for the hold!). Scores: 9-9-9 = 27. Holy Statler and Waldorf, those scores blow everyone else away.
Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel – Tango: Kelly is nervous about her tango and has worked herself into a tizzy worrying that she can’t measure up to last week’s incredible Viennese Waltz. This routine was, sadly, a big step backwards for her. Louis’s choreography was difficult and she made a few mistakes throughout the dance, including one right in front of the judges’ table. Baz and Carrie Ann both acknowledged that she made mistakes but are still fans; Bruno is a bit tougher on her but none of the judges critique her over anything in particular. Scores: 6-7-6= 19.
Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovoloni – Quickstep: This was probably the easiest quickstep of the night, but it was danced clean. Kathy is still really stiff, which is appropriate for this style of dance, but I wish she had more grace and fluidity in her movements. Carrie Ann said the routine was too careful and there was too much space in their hold, Bruno said Kathy wasn’t engaging enough, and Baz, in his polite Australian way, called them boring. They could be in trouble tomorrow night. Scores: 6-6-6 = 18.
Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer - Quickstep: Mark has great posture, so he should be a natural at this style. Rehearsals seem to indicate otherwise. But wow – they pulled out a majorly classy, incredibly entertaining, glamourous routine. Huge props to Lacey for her awesome choreography – the other couples need to keep an eye on these guys. Bruno called it a great performance but said Mark needs to watch his footwork, Baz called it an incredible comeback (Mark slipped early on), and Carrie Ann called it clean and tight and praised his quick recovery from the slip-up. Scores: 7-7-7. Personally, I think there should have been a few 8’s in there.
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin – Jive: The jive is not traditionally a sexy dance, but Mya and Dmitry performed a sassy, sultry, totally original routine. I rewound the DVR so I could watch it again – the personality was through the roof in this routine, and as frequent viewers will note, personality will get you very far on this show. No surprises here -the judges are ecstatic. Baz called them the real deal and loved that they told a story, Carrie Ann praised their energy and synergy, and Bruno jumped out of his seat and compared them to Josephine Baker and Clark Kent (a compliment). Scores: 9-9-9. Well deserved.
Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke – Tango: The tango is the dance d’amour, so prepare yourselves for Tom DeLove. It turns out Tom is such a dancing fool that he’s suffered pre-stress fractures in his feet – whether this is foreshadowing for a more dramatic injury later, only time will tell. As for their tango, Serious Tango Tom is much more palatable than last week’s Wild Thing Tom, and he did a very respectable job … until he almost dropped Cheryl on the floor at the end. Carrie Ann finds them alluring (uh?), Bruno said he almost pulled the routine off and gave them credit for doing a proper tango. Baz commented that Len would have been pleased with their performance. Scores: 6-6-6 = 18.
Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson – Jive: Donny appears to be having problems in rehearsals with the physical stamina that the jive requires, but it didn’t matter – he delivered a very controlled, fun, personality-filled performance. Points off for the velvet suit, but Kym gets extra credit for delivering another smart, balanced routine that catered to Donny’s strengths. Bruno saved his best critique for last – “Secret Agent OsMANd! Mission accomplished!” Baz called them a joy, and Carrie Ann called their routine a testament to why the Osmonds are such a powerful force in entertainment. Scores: 8-9-8 = 25.
So who’s going home? My money is on Kathy and Tony. See you back here tomorrow with the results!
When she’s not geeking out over the Baz Luhrmann oeuvre, you can catch The Disney Chick at www.thedisneychick.com.
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Dancing with the Stars: Week 2 Performances
Disney Parks launches it’s own blog!
Today marks the next step for the Walt Disney Company’s parks and resorts division. They’re finally launching a blog. It’s about time, I’ve been advocating for this for years. Disney employs the best and brightest in their fields and now you’ll be able to hear from a few of those subject matter experts directly. Plus, we’ll get the usual PR related material too (which is okay with me).
www.DisneyParks.com/blog is still too new to gage whether or not it will be a success. But it has many good things going for it. Permalinks, which allow direct linking to individual posts. It has comments, albeit moderated. Comments means they’re at least interested in joining in conversation Disney fans rather than just speaking at us. It has an RSS feed, so you can follow the blog at your own pace and at the place of your choosing. It even has twitter status, although it’s not immediately obvious that’s what they are. I would like to see a ’social media panel’ where readers can easily find links to all the social networking channels for the Walt Disney Company.
I’ve actually known about this project for about a year now. I think it’s taken Disney that long just to clear it with the lawyers. The number one question I get is, are you afraid this will cannibalize the readers from the unofficial Disney blogs (like this one)? The answer is, no. In fact, I think it will have the opposite effect. More people will discover the world of Disney blogs via the new official blog and they’ll be tempted to find out what the unofficial take is.
Disney will always be limited in what they can communicate via the blog. They can’t ’spoil the magic’ and they can’t be critical of themselves. They can show that they’re listening and use the blog to communicate in times of crisis and celebration. But they’ll never write the long inquisitive posts that you expect from Disney fans. They’ll never discover the truth behind a rumor or the humor behind a Disney legend’s off color joke. And they have to be even handed in how they offer travel planning advice. One of the reasons they’re running the Disney Mom’s Panel, so those non-Disney employees are the advice givers.
Over time, I expect there to even be some interplay between the official and unofficial Disney blogs. Now, at least, Disney Parks has finally begun to reach out. Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and at last blogging (sort of the opposite order most usually take). Welcome to the conversation Disney Parks. Now tell your friends and neighbors at the Mouse House how to join in.
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Disney Parks launches it’s own blog!
New Trend Same as the Old Trend
This morning in the Orlando Sentinel Jason Garcia compiled an informative look at the most recent trend to hit the Orlando area theme parks – interactivity. Let’s leave the debate as to whether guests actually desire this over passive entertainment while on their vacation aside for now. The idea is already here and the parks are building a lot more of it in the next few years.
For years theme park design has meant to immerse the customer in the show, but the main focus has been to view them as guests who just happens to drop by. So the focus was on presenting a high quality experience they would remember forever and, even better, share with their friends and family when they got home. The new focus is to view the guest as more of a participant in the experience.
“Kids whose concept of entertainment is defined by video games are looking for something very different in a theme park than previous generations whose concept of entertainment was defined by television or movies or radio,” said Robert Niles, publisher of the Web site themeparkinsider.com.
Walt Disney often spoke of how Disneyland was the culmination of all the skills and talent learned at his television, movie, and animation divisions. There is also a direct line from the Cast Member training program invented in the early days of Disneyland by Van Arsdale France and Dick Nunis to the modern definition of Guest Service Excellence that is taught at the Disney Institute and practiced at nearly every customer oriented company. The idea that the customer is your guest and not just X percentage of profit margin really changes how a company interacts and works to earn the future business of each consumer.
If theme parks take seriously the idea that the guest is part of the show, this will lead to a wholesale shift in the way cast members are trained and how customers are treated at theme parks. It already has shifted somewhat at attractions like American Idol Experience and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Coaster. Eventually those lessons will make their way to the rest of the business world as well. I’m definitely excited to track how that happens.
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New Trend Same as the Old Trend
Time Warner?
Time Warner has been one of Disney’s largest rivals, which in today’s world of media and communications means they have both competed against each other and helped each other. Their films compete with each other at the box office, and their broadcast and cable television networks compete with each other for viewers, yet each company produces content that is distributed by the other. Just think of how many times you have noticed a Harry Potter movie (Time Warner) appearing on ABC Family (a Disney-owned cable channel), and how many of you watch The Disney Channel on Time Warner Cable.
After growing larger and larger in the last couple of decades, in part through mergers/acquisitions, Time Warner has been shrinking through spin-offs and sales, and now in the news is talk of the “Time” portion of the corporation being jettisoned (see this Reuters story by Jessica Wohl.) The same source talks about the corporation making more acquisitions in “core” businesses, but publishing used to be one of those!
Time Inc’s magazines include popular titles such as People and Sports Illustrated. In the second quarter, revenue at Time Inc publishing, the largest U.S. magazine publisher, fell 22 percent to $915 million due to a 26 percent decline in advertising revenue.
While Crawford did not name specific acquisition targets, he did say there would be a “winnowing process” during which weaker companies in the sector would be gobbled up.
I mentioned Time Warner Cable – that was spun already spun off in March of this year. Warner Music Group was sold in March 2004. The Time Warner Book Group was sold in March 2006.
Warner Communications, Inc. and Time Inc. merged in 1990. The company acquired Turner Broadcasting System in 1996, and then was purchased by AOL in 2001, to become AOL Time Warner, although the “AOL” portion of the company name was later dropped, and, if the parties had only waited a little while, Time Warner could have bought AOL instead. There has been talk of spinning off AOL for a while now.
The corporation currently owns a wide range of brands and media companies, including New Line Cinema, HBO, The CW Television Network (with CBS), Cartoon Network, CNN, and DC Comics.
I could see Disney, owner of ESPN, being interested in acquiring Sports Illustrated.
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Some personal news and a request for your help
This week my position at Give Kids The World (GKTW) was eliminated after a series of tough budget decisions. This move was indicative of the difficult situation nonprofits find themselves in these days. GKTW is singularly focused on making dreams come true for children battling life-threatening illnesses whose one wish is to visit Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, or Universal Orlando. That was something I identified with very much and it was a privilege to work there.
You may have read The Disney Blog for years and not known I worked at GKTW because I kept a wall between the two at the request of work. That said, my network of Disney fans and webmasters have been nothing but supportive of GKTW and I know they will continue to be.
How you can help
I’ve been very busy polishing my resume, updating my online social networking sites, and looking at job listings. I have already identified a handful of jobs that I am well qualified for and have sent in resumes. However, that is just part of the strategy.
According to Department of Labor statistics nearly 50% of new positions are found through friends, business contacts, and relatives. Less than 10% are found via online job advertisements. So I am counting on you to help me reach that half of open positions I just can’t target via online searches.
I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Emurse. This allows me to reach out if I need a referral or reference. If you have a few minutes to review my resume (see Emurse link), offer suggestions, or help me refine my job search, please contact me via email.
There is a very high rate of unemployment right now, however I am confident I have the ability to make an immediate positive impact to a company’s bottom line and will quickly find a new full time position. In the meantime I am open to writing, freelance, or consulting gigs. Of course, I’m continuing to work on my personal website network too.
I would be very appreciative if you could recommend me for any open positions you are aware of in the Orlando area. As my resume summary states, I am a knowledge worker, writer, marketer, and technology expert able to clearly communicate ideas and goals while working under deadlines. I have experience as a CRM Database Manager, Online Sales & Marketing Manager, Online Community Manager, and Social Media Professional. I would add that I am a flexible fast learner able to pick up new software or job knowledge swiftly.
I am maintaining a realistic, but positive outlook. Perhaps this is an opportunity to move into a new industry or tap back into some long held skills. Job searching is a full time job in itself and I intend to keep very busy until I find one.
Thank you so much for your support,
John Frost
Email: JohnFrost@Gmail.com
Twitter: @JohnFrost
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Some personal news and a request for your help
Custom Cars Mods
The world of custom car mods can be quite expensive when you’re working on the full size real thing. But if your thing is toy cars, then all that’s holding you back is imagination and talent. That’s why these modified toys from the Pixar movie Cars are so cool.
Plenty more to see over at Take5ADay and a contest. With a Cars 2 movie coming out I hope we’ll be seeing even more great stuff.
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Custom Cars Mods
The world of custom car mods can be quite expensive when you’re working on the full size real thing. But if your thing is toy cars, then all that’s holding you back is imagination and talent. That’s why these modified toys from the Pixar movie Cars are so cool.
Plenty more to see over at Take5ADay and a contest. With a Cars 2 movie coming out I hope we’ll be seeing even more great stuff.
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EPCOT 2009 Food & Wine Festival By The Numbers
Plenty of positive reports have been pouring in from the 14th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival where Walt Disney World guests can sip, taste and enjoy live entertainment all day long from Sept. 25-Nov. 8. But it’s hard to understand the scale of the event without actually being there. Disney just released a few numbers that might help.
Here are a few facts about the 14th annual event:
- More than 300 national and international wines
- More than 76 kinds of international foods, each appetizer-sized portion priced $2-$7
- More than 160 of America’s most celebrated chefs and Walt Disney World chefs
- 405 wine and beer seminars
- More than 1,200 fireworks rockets exploding each night over World Showcase Lagoon in “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” grand finale to the festival
- 135 Eat to the Beat! concerts performed
- 33,000 bottles of wine and champagne
- 1.2 million hors d’oeuvre plates
- 2.1 million Vanity Fair napkins
- 750,000 beer cups
- 690,000 sumptuous samplings
- 600,000 forks
- 338,000 wine glasses
- 100,000 miniature desserts including crème brûlée, traditional apple strudel, Grand Marnier parfait with Orange Coulis and warm chocolate lava cake with Bailey’s ganache
- 3,000 gallons of soup, including cheddar cheese soup (Montreal marketplace), chicken and coconut soup with mushrooms, lemongrass and ginger (Bangkok, Thailand marketplace) and Mealie soup with crabmeat and chili oil (Capetown, South Africa marketplace)
The six-week outdoor festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park serves up authentic cuisine, wine, entertainment and cultures of more than 25 international regions. Exotic marketplaces from Rio de Janiero to Shanghai offer exciting taste treats. The festival is the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world, beginning at the Festival Welcome Center in the Wonders of Life pavilion and fanning around the promenade encircling World Showcase Lagoon.
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EPCOT 2009 Food & Wine Festival By The Numbers
