Chat with the Chief Magic Official

Hey Justin ~ I love reading about your adventures and you were fabulous on Lou's show. I can hear the joy in your voice of getting to experience this great opportunity. You sound like a genuinely nice man that gets to let His light shine thru you.

How is your family doing with all of this? Are they ok with staying home while you are "working"...having fun...no, no really working?

I'm glad that your church and church family are behind you. I'm sure it's difficult to juggle those responsibilities, home life, and an extra job that requires you to travel. :wizard:


Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so glad that you can tell through my voice how incredible of an opportunity this is. I really want to represent you all well, as I know what it is to be a passionate Disney fan and when I'm on the 'job' I feel like I'm not just there for me - I'm there for all of us!

My family is very supportive. My wife works incredibly hard and because of her job(s) she hasn't been able to get time off to join me yet. Hopefully we'll work it out where she can come along at least once!

Thanks again!
 
Here are some picture from the last few portions of the Disneyland trip in June. If you've been following along, you'll recall that my last full day in the parks was spent with the Dream Squad. If you are just joining us at this point in the story, I'd love to encourage you to check out some of the pictures and stories over last several pages. My first CMO trip to the Disneyland Resort was truly amazing!

Near the end of my day with the Dream Squad we had the responsibility of selecting and hosting a family who would serve as Honorary Grand Marshals for the parade. As always, it was wonderful sharing this experience with an excited family and I will never get tired of seeing the smiles on guests faces!

n506475946_942965_1667.jpg


n506475946_942968_2597.jpg



n506475946_942970_3230.jpg
 
A few more pictures from the parade . . .

This family was rather large (by Honorary Grand Marshal standards, that is . . . ) so in addition to the beautiful white antique car, we had some of the family ride in the antique fire engine. Pretty nice ride!


n506475946_942972_3871.jpg


n506475946_942973_4203.jpg



n506475946_942977_5484.jpg
 
My last night in Disneyland ended with some incredible memories. Earlier I posted a picture with a mom (from the DISboards!) and her son who were able to join me for the most memorable viewing of Fantasmic! We were on a balcony above New Orleans Square - adjacent to the balcony of the Dream Suite - and had a completely unobstructed and totally mesmerizing view. Wow.


Before that, however, I had the chance to experience Disneyland's nightly fireworks spectacle in a way that made it even more spectacular. Thanks to a Guest Service Manager from the Dream Squad who really wanted to make my night, I had the chance to take it all in while looking over the shoulder of one of the pyrotechnicians and standing ON A ROOFTOP along Main Street! What an incredible experience that was!
 

Shameless plug for the website here . . .

If you haven't checked out www.dreamCMO.com lately, please head on over there at some point! You can follow the link in my signature. I'll keep working on getting new material on the site, but my May trip report is complete and there are a couple of new CMOcabulary entries into the CMO Dictionary! A more detailed account of my adventures in Disneyland will be on the site soon as well!

Also, don't forget that you can email me your comments or questions directly at Justin@dreamCMO.com. If you're curious about anything you've seen on this thread, if you want more details about my experiences as CMO, or if you are looking for tips on any of the new attractions that I've had the chance to experience, fire me an email and I just might answer your question on the site!

(You'll definitely get a reply from me, but if it's a particularly intriguing question we'll post it and my response on the website for everyone to read!)
 
Finally, as if my first trip to Disneyland in almost 20 years could get any better, my final day held one more treat. I was due to catch my flight home early Thursday afternoon. Before I headed to the airport however, I was able to get a ride to Glendale - - - home of WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING!
 
I spent a few hours on Thursday getting a tour of the WDI facilities, meeting some incredible people, and getting a glimpse into one of the most fascinating worlds. Due to the highly proprietary nature of what the Imagineers do, they don't allow cameras in their buildings. They do, however, offer to take a couple of pictures for you!



n506475946_1074051_2508.jpg

Here I am with the original Snow White statue from Disneyland. She was brought here for safe keeping when a more 'durable' version was placed in the park. Around all four walls of this room are models and molds of some of the incredible details found in the parks. One of the shelves even contained the mold of Johnny Depp's head that was used when they added the Captain Jack Sparrow audio-animatronics to Pirates of the Caribbean!
 
And in this picture I am with one of the most incredible Audio-Animatronics ever designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. As a part of the "Living Character Initiative" WDI is building free-roaming characters that can truly interact with guests in a whole new way. This is Lucky the Dinosaur - a truly remarkable creature!

n506475946_1074050_1563.jpg
 
That pretty much wraps up my adventures in California. Talk about an unforgettable experience!

I'll be back soon to fill you in on a neat trip I had to meet and share my story with other Disney fans in Harrisburg, PA a couple of weeks ago.

Until then, have a magical day!
 
pixiedust: Here's to hoping that your visit falls sometime during my trip...Sept 4-9th...I could use a BIG "dream", Justin...it is, after-all, my 18th wedding anniversary trip :lmao: No, really...hope to run into you, that would be a great "dream" in itself! :goodvibes
 
pixiedust: Here's to hoping that your visit falls sometime during my trip...Sept 4-9th...I could use a BIG "dream", Justin...it is, after-all, my 18th wedding anniversary trip :lmao: No, really...hope to run into you, that would be a great "dream" in itself! :goodvibes


Wow! Congratulations! It sounds like you are going to have a wonderful trip! I don't know about my schedule at the moment, but I'm certain you will have a magical time no matter what!
 
What an awesome way to end your trip...how exciting!! My family and I always wished we could see Lucky, he looks soooooo cool!! The entire trip sounds wonderful, and again, thanks so much for sharing with us! I look forward to future reports and will keep checking in over at www.dreamCMO.com
 
Wow! Congratulations! It sounds like you are going to have a wonderful trip! I don't know about my schedule at the moment, but I'm certain you will have a magical time no matter what!

You got that right...anytime I am at WDW is a magical time. I will keep watching to see what your trip schedule is...who knows, we might just run into each other :) You are doing a great job as CMO...the people defiantly made the right decision when they picked you...keep up the good work!
 
What a wonderful idea! I think it is great that so many of you are able to get together and keep Bob's (Bawb!) spirit and fun-loving nature alive. I hope you have a wonderful response to this event!

My plans for the trip are still very much up in the air, but I'll let you know more as we get closer!

Thanks for the invite!
Thanks for the reply Justin. :goodvibes I keep my fingers crossed!

And in this picture I am with one of the most incredible Audio-Animatronics ever designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. As a part of the "Living Character Initiative" WDI is building free-roaming characters that can truly interact with guests in a whole new way. This is Lucky the Dinosaur - a truly remarkable creature!

n506475946_1074050_1563.jpg

We were lucky enough to meet Lucky when he came to WDW. You are so right, he is Incredible!

That pretty much wraps up my adventures in California. Talk about an unforgettable experience!

I'll be back soon to fill you in on a neat trip I had to meet and share my story with other Disney fans in Harrisburg, PA a couple of weeks ago.

Until then, have a magical day!


Can't wait to hear your story. From everything I have heard so far Mouse Meets was AWESOME!
 
Just came across this and although I haven't read every posters post yet- I will, truly I will- I am curious if it hasn't been asked already- Since this is officially Summer Time I guess the CMO duties have been fairly easy for you to do - As school starts to approach, Are you still a Band Director? Is it HS or College? What will happen w/ the flexibility that you have? I think this was awesome for you to have had the opportunity to do - Do you think, or do you know what the future holds? For you I mean- I hope they take the Year of Dreams forward- It seems that it has added a special "punch" to Disney's already very Magical atmosphere.- Keep up the good work!
 
Hi Justin!
I haven't been on the boards in a loooong time...and I happened across this thread and have really enjoyed reading your stories! Congratulations on the job; it sounds like you're having a fantastic time! It must be amazing to get to spread a little pixie dust and see the smiles on people's faces.

I live about an hour from WDW and am in the parks a lot, so maybe I'll run into you someday :) Thanks for sharing with us! Keep the good stories coming!
 
Hey Justin!
It's so nice of you to share your experiences. I just found this thread and look forward to reading through more of the posts. Looks like they found the perfect person for the job!! Congrats and I hope you are having fun!
 
What an awesome way to end your trip...how exciting!! My family and I always wished we could see Lucky, he looks soooooo cool!! The entire trip sounds wonderful, and again, thanks so much for sharing with us! I look forward to future reports and will keep checking in over at www.dreamCMO.com

Thanks for following along! It really is my pleasure to share all of this - I'm just glad you are willing to read it! (p.s. thanks for plugging the site! :) )
 
You got that right...anytime I am at WDW is a magical time. I will keep watching to see what your trip schedule is...who knows, we might just run into each other :) You are doing a great job as CMO...the people defiantly made the right decision when they picked you...keep up the good work!


Thank you so much for your kind words! I'll do my best to keep representing you all as well as I can!
 
Thanks for the reply Justin. :goodvibes I keep my fingers crossed!

We were lucky enough to meet Lucky when he came to WDW. You are so right, he is Incredible!

Can't wait to hear your story. From everything I have heard so far Mouse Meets was AWESOME!


Yeah, Lucky is truly amazing. I never cease to be amazed by whay the Imagineers are capable of, but "living characters" like Lucky are really something special!
 


Disney Vacation Planning. Free. Done for You.
Our Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are here to provide personalized, expert advice, answer every question, and uncover the best discounts. Let Dreams Unlimited Travel take care of all the details, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a stress-free vacation.
Start Your Disney Vacation
Disney EarMarked Producer






DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Add as a preferred source on Google

Back
Top Bottom