DIS Unlimited Podcast Disney Virtual Roundtable Discussion Episode #1

I enjoyed seeing everyone back, and love the new name and logo - not so much the music. However, I do wonder what alternative universe they are living in sometimes.

When the world is facing rising costs of living and struggling to even think of a holiday to WDW I found the price cost of backstage magic...$9000 almost insulting. DIS Unlimited should to trying to bring in as many people as possible that want to visit a park, or go on a cruise etc - but these very limited and expensive trips are really going to alienate casual viewers.

I appreciate it is a product that you sell, BUT it should have it's own video/focus in my opinion - having it plugged in the Tuesday show will scare viewers and possible holidaymakers away with that kind of cost.

I also found that, as usual, Universal Orlando, and especially Epic Universe was completely ignored whilst discussing Disney's discount offers and low hotel stays. I appreciate why the big elephant in the room wasn't mentioned during the video, but surely when discussing all the discounts and offers that Disney is currently offering the discussion should also be expanded as to why....why are people tuning away...because the price points are ridiculous, as are the hurdles people have to jump over just to get on an attraction.

I feel overall that the team are out of touch with the people they are aiming their videos and products at and hope that future discussions are just that - discussions, comparisons and debates.

But great to see the show back.
 
John adds so much to the podcast, and I hope he can make as many as possible going forward.
 
It may just be me but, is it available on youtube? I can find the podcast but not the show on youtube. I can see the video of Craig saying it will be back in 1 day but not the actual show from yesterday.
 


Bad Pink Tink 2.0 said:
Totally agree.

Painful, awkward and uncomfortable to watch. I know that the company is in a transition and change period but this was just not a good look. A group of middle age to elderly white men, some who are clearly not comfortable with using technology clinging on to an outdated format are just not relatable.
Click to expand...
I understand your feedback regarding the recent company presentation. It's essential to emphasize that mentioning someone's race in such contexts isn't productive or relevant. The focus should be on the effectiveness of the presentation, regardless of the individuals' age or comfort with technology. Constructive feedback about improving communication and updating formats can be valuable for the company's growth without referencing personal characteristics. Why is this acceptable racism? Can you imagine going to any other podcast or show and saying you have too many older asians or black people?
 


Ok, first off I’m gonna say that I’m elated that the Tuesday show is back and glad to see we’re back in a routine here. I say everything I’m about to say with love and an eagerness to see y’all succeed in the new era.

At the risk of being an “Armchair Producer”, here’s some feedback:

- At a high level, I think each person on the panel needs to take ownership of their own segment of the show, instead of a sole moderator throughout the whole show. Break it out into 10-15 minutes apiece and make sure each segment is a topic that individual actually cares about and has a passion for because…

- …For example, I don’t think anyone other than John or a Dreams travel agent needs to deliver news about travel deals. I don't gather that Ryno could care any less about the new hotel offers and what not. Like, that’s just not his “department”. And that’s okay. However, John runs the travel agency side of things, and therefore he (or an agent) is the SME on that subject. That kind of news needs to come from someone who’s actually in the weeds on the agency side.

- Craig and Corey would be great for delivering the more general and “harder” Disney Parks news. They have great chemistry that lends itself to being great “anchormen” for the show.

- Ryno and Erica can be the folks that deliver the lighter-fare, feel-good stories. “DIS On Your Side”, if you will. Lol. Cool merch, new food options, maybe a brief glimpse into some in-park sights and what not. I think they have a liveliness that’s perfect for this kind of content. It shows when they do the more in-depth in-park videos and that spirit would carry over into the Tuesday show quite nicely.

- I had to step away for a meeting at work so I missed most of the end of the show, but if there was still a “rapid fire” section, I say scrap it altogether and give that time to longer discussion. It always just came off as a “everybody, think of something to talk about and mention it right quick” for the sake of having something to mention right quick kind of thing. Like, just roll that type of thing over to Craig and Corey’s headlines and that would flow better to me.

- Also, I do agree that there was some awkwardness happening early on in the episode, but I would attribute that to a combination of “atrophy” from having not done a Tuesday show in a hot minute, and frankly nerves from waiting for the other shoe to drop (IOW folks showing up in the chat trying to start some mess), and things loosened up some when that didn’t really happen. I do think y’all would’ve benefitted from a rehearsal/“unaired pilot” to shake off the cobwebs.

- I’m actually not bothered by the Zoom thing at all, as I think that was done pretty successfully during the pandemic, and there are plenty of podcasts that do excellent work via Zoom. While it’d be nicer to see y’all back in the same room sooner than later, you gotta do what you gotta do in the meantime.

Yeah, but just keep on keepin on and I’m sure y’all will do great things! Relax, have fun, pay the haters dust, and you’ll do great! I’m rooting for y’all!
 
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I'm really glad the show has come back, and it did seem that they were trying to establish a structure to show what the show would be. It did struggle with a lack of decent new stories this week (discounts and a boat returning) but I could see where they've tried to take feedback. The new show's format seems to be:
  • Sponsor
  • News Stories (seemed like they were trying to keep it at a maximum of 3)
  • A section for each person to talk about something Disney in their life (formerly Rapid Fire but it allowed Kevin to talk ABD, Ryno to talk about the TikTok video and Craig to mention the Disney 100)
  • Article of the Week
As with any Pilot, they need to work out the kinks and what works and doesn't. I don't think you can judge the new show based solely on one episode
 
Gusey said:
It did struggle with a lack of decent new stories this week
Click to expand...
This part as well. Unfortunately, the world of Disney Parks is so niche that it’s far more vulnerable to a “slow news week” than the broader scope of world events and unfortunately the big comeback hit during one such week.
 
Fun to see them back, warts and all.

After reading much of the above, it's my opinion that the main issues are the virtual format leading to an awkward communication style and the unavoidable hole left by Pete, who like him or not was the show's main host and a giant personality. These issues are not the fault of the team and kudos for getting back out there and giving the audience a show.

Possible, perhaps obvious, suggestions:

-Studio
-A main host who's skills are closer to Pete, Panda, etc. Besides being a great producer, I see Craig as a very insightful analyst vs. a play-by-play guy - to use a sports analogy (sorry Kevin).
-Rotate the panel and surprise us
-Don't respond to trolls and haters, chats asking for apologies, etc


Best of luck ....and as Tres said, have some fun and let your passion for the parks shine through - this is what this crazy audience relates to.
 
We need to give them some grace in terms of not being in a new studio yet. They've been very clear a new studio is coming. A new studio can't just be thrown together. Plus they have to find a space that fits all their needs. Obviously they decided it was better to come back virtually, rather than wait until a new studio is ready to go. Fine by me, even if it lead to some awkward exchanges.

In terms of not mentioning the Pete of it all, they probably can't yet for legal reasons. Give them some time. Things are always more complicated than it appears to the people on the other side of the computer screen.
 
Tiggerette said:
Thank you very much for the work put into the new edition. If possible, would y'all please consider:

- Adding a 10-15 second countdown screen to the start of the streaming. Adding this countdown screen would alert folx waiting for the start when it really does occur, and more importantly, allow the ads to run so we don't miss the actual stream content. Often I'd catch the stream post-intro video and sometimes post-introduction because of the ads. A 10-15 second countdown screen would help mitigate that issue.

- Placing content related to very limited demographics, such as ABD trips and other very high dollar trips, on its own occasional and in-depth series. If the purpose of the podcast is to reach a very broad audience AND broadest relatable content, then these exclusive engagements are less impactful. However, if the purpose of the podcast is to reach a broad audience whilst getting the best return on booked-travel-dollar, then I understand why a substantial amount of time is taken to advertise these limited, exclusive bookings during the podcast.

Thank you again for bringing back the show and live chat. I appreciate everyone's unique personalities and desire to share their fandom in community. Shout out to the chatterati; we were pretty well behaved all things considered. I really enjoyed the supportive atmosphere and seeing familiar chatterati in chat!
Click to expand...

Lashed34 said:
I enjoyed seeing everyone back, and love the new name and logo - not so much the music. However, I do wonder what alternative universe they are living in sometimes.

When the world is facing rising costs of living and struggling to even think of a holiday to WDW I found the price cost of backstage magic...$9000 almost insulting. DIS Unlimited should to trying to bring in as many people as possible that want to visit a park, or go on a cruise etc - but these very limited and expensive trips are really going to alienate casual viewers.

I appreciate it is a product that you sell, BUT it should have it's own video/focus in my opinion - having it plugged in the Tuesday show will scare viewers and possible holidaymakers away with that kind of cost.

I also found that, as usual, Universal Orlando, and especially Epic Universe was completely ignored whilst discussing Disney's discount offers and low hotel stays. I appreciate why the big elephant in the room wasn't mentioned during the video, but surely when discussing all the discounts and offers that Disney is currently offering the discussion should also be expanded as to why....why are people tuning away...because the price points are ridiculous, as are the hurdles people have to jump over just to get on an attraction.

I feel overall that the team are out of touch with the people they are aiming their videos and products at and hope that future discussions are just that - discussions, comparisons and debates.

But great to see the show back.
Click to expand...
I had several problems with the show yesterday, but shilling for ABD, Backstage Magic, etc wasn't one of them. If they get just a few bookings a week from a single show for those high dollar trips they go a long way to paying the cost of not only that show, but some of the other content they produce. High dollar trips booked mean high dollar commissions for the company.
 
CampbellzSoup said:
I understand your feedback regarding the recent company presentation. It's essential to emphasize that mentioning someone's race in such contexts isn't productive or relevant. The focus should be on the effectiveness of the presentation, regardless of the individuals' age or comfort with technology. Constructive feedback about improving communication and updating formats can be valuable for the company's growth without referencing personal characteristics. Why is this acceptable racism? Can you imagine going to any other podcast or show and saying you have too many older asians or black people?
Click to expand...
There are many fans who have expressed that better gender, racial and cultural representation on The Dis is not just important but essential to the future success of the show. This was one of the most frequent suggestions when Craig and Corey asked for advice on content going forward.

@Bad Pink Tink 2.0 was simply sharing what many of us have been frustrated with for years. We have loved the show and are rooting for its success. But to remain tone deaf to the needs and desires of a vast sector of your audience is truly disappointing.

It's fine to continue to think that it doesn't matter, but it won't help the show move forward.

I may have said the same thing as you at one time in my life, but times have changed. To anyone wondering why @Bad Pink Tink 2.0 's comment should never have been called racist or why it is insensitive and offensive to respond with the "panel of Asians or black people" anecdote, I suggest reading the book "White Fragility." Sorry to have my back up, @CampbellzSoup , but I like you and really hope you can further your learning on historical oppression and racism. I wish the same for the team at The Dis.
 
I didn't watch the whole show, I skipped around a little bit. I am mostly a audio version only kind of guy so it's on my podcast list to give a full listen. I've stopped listening regularly a few years ago.

Anyway, for some feedback - it seems like the same show? I hope we have some changes coming soon on format. I don't think this format reflects the talents of the people that are on the show.

I have really enjoyed Ryno, Craig and Erica's videos out in the parks. They all seems to have fun together and I enjoy the combination of Craig's dry humor and Ryno's colorful sarcasm and sharp wit. Erica is a nice bridge between the two. That being said, a format that would really reflect their talents is a roundtable format for the show once they have a studio to work out of.

Assuming they want to keep to a production "studio" show the three of them should just sit at a table with a wide shot so you can get all three of them on screen at once. If you want to get fancy, get three more cameras for single frame shots. Then the three of them just talk about their week in the parks. If they did videos about A B and C that week, talk about A B and C. If there were new updates to the parks (festivals, shows, parades, M&G, restaurants etc) talk about that. If there is substantial news like Destination D23 announcement, have that segment.

I don't think the old format works where you have a singular host who steers the show and you just from formal topic to topic. The show needs to feel more like a hangout that a products nightly news program with A Blocks through D Blocks.

Also any podcast with more than 3 people is probably too many.

My 2 cents.
 
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