Q: What made you want to do the Disney College Program?
A: Growing up I took trips to Disney almost annually, and first heard of the program on one trip when my parents asked a Cast Member why her name tag had a university on it instead of a hometown. The program sounded like so much fun. That memory was triggered when during my freshman year of college I saw a mention of the program on social media. I researched more and applied during my sophomore year just to get familiar with the application process. When I was accepted for my number one role, I knew I had to go!
Q: What was your role and location? Was it your first choice? If not, what was?
A: I was a PhotoPass Photographer which was my first choice role! My home park is Epcot, which was originally my first choice location. The role is global, so I got to work in all the parks and Magic Kingdom ended up being my favorite because of the variety.
Q: What was your training like?
A: PhotoPass Cast Members take the longest to officially earn their ears because our training is spread over a month. Training was split up into three stages each a couple weeks apart: icon, night and view, and character. Icons were our core and consisted of two days in the classroom learning about composition of photos and how to use the equipment, then two days in the parks where we practiced taking photos and had guest interaction. Nighttime and view, the station where guests go to see and purchase their pictures, and character training each took one day-half a day in the classroom, half a day putting the skills into practice. After each of the three training stages we took a written assessment and were good to go! This is the training all PhotoPass Cast Members go through, and on my program I had the opportunity to be trained at the water parks as well.
Q: What were the best things about your role?
A: Working with the characters was my absolute favorite part and allowed for creating a ton of magical moments! Observing and capturing guest interactions while they meet Mickey or their favorite princess is priceless. This also contributed to why Magic Kingdom was my favorite park to work; there were so many different characters to work with! I also loved the variety of picking up shifts everywhere.
Q: The worst?
A: Since a lot of positions we rotated between during shifts were independent, it took longer to get to know my coworkers than in some roles in which Cast Members are always working with the same people. Character attendants and performers are scheduled at a lot of different locations as well, so sometimes I wouldn't see the same Cast Members for weeks. The PhotoPass role also requires moving around in the heat while carrying several pounds of camera equipment.
Q: Would you recommend this role to a friend?
A: Absolutely! I looked forward to going to work all the time and highly recommend it to others.
Q: What advice would you have for new CPs in this role?
A: Drink LOTS of water, eat healthy, and apply sunscreen! Florida heat is intense, and spending hours at a time outside can drain energy if you don't take care of your body. Go out of your way to be creative and create magic for guests as much as possible, it's super rewarding and makes your day a lot of fun! Also, pick up shifts wherever you can! PhotoPass is one of the few global roles, and that should definitely be taken advantage of as it adds variety to your schedule and is a great way to meet new people.
Q: What have you been up to since your program ended?
A: Since the end of the program, I have returned to school to finish earning my degree and am expected to graduate next year. I hope to return to Disney in the future!
You can follow Diana on Twitter and Instagram: @dianacasola
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Brittany Earns Her Ears" is on Amazon! Click here to get your copy today!
Instagram: @brittanyearnsherears
Facebook.com/BrittanyEarnsHerEars
Twitter: @BrittanyEHE
No comments:
Post a Comment