Interview 34507 – Caption Index: 127
Now how do you fit into this Disney culture?… Read More
Now how do you fit into this Disney culture?… Read More
And, and I think the imagineers wanted to have invisible barriers on everything. And it was just not possible to do everything like that. So we had to make some compromises with the storyline. And then, and they didn’t want the keepers out there during the day at all, you… Read More
But they managed the budget. And we had, I think it was a $75 million contingency, $75 million contingency, you know, on this project. I didn’t know it at the time, but I also didn’t know that the construction Disney people, their bonuses depended on how if they use less… Read More
They’d throw shit and, and you’re in and things would rust. So you couldn’t, you couldn’t use that kind of doors. But everybody, it, it was just a, and then, and then the horticulture guy, his budget was three times what my animal budget was and he’s just planting the… Read More
You know who to go to and what. And so that, so that helped a lot. And then, because it was just the two of us until we got the, the, the three topping sexes and three years later. So it was exciting. Now I, I mean that’s what I… Read More
But this is such a good opportunity. Those are the zoo directors. I like the ones that, you know, don’t, don’t, don’t prevent their people from advancing because they’re just selfish about it. And so I did some of those and we hired some really good people. Like I said,… Read More
So it, it was pretty interesting. You make the move from San Diego to Orlando in 1996, what’s going through your mind Relief that we’re now on a construction site and we’re gonna be building that. It took, it was a, the park took five years to plan and three… Read More
You didn’t, you didn’t have to advertise. It was Disney, everybody knew. I mean, did, did They did. They came to us. Resumes just kept coming in. Well, you don’t, you’re building, you’re building the dream zoo for most people. You know, I, I guess they advertised, but we didn’t… Read More
Oh yeah. The only, the only stipulation was when I hired management positions, they wanted to do this Gallop profile. It was a, a phone interview that they would do. There’s no right or wrong questions, but they, it’s like a behavioral assessment of people and they’re usually statistically pretty. Read More
Three years later, Bess Stevens came in and then we had the head vet come in and then, and, and then the animal person and, and those three came in. And then we started hiring more people in the next two years, I think we hired keepers from, we hired… Read More
So were you advertising for these people and trade magazines?… Read More
Michael wanted to do it, but, but Frank was, Frank was, and and I, when, when I had, when I heard that news, they put our project on hold for a little bit. But, you know, and, and I helped with other projects at Disney, which was kind of interesting,… Read More
Do you have, as they’re building it, do you have carte blanche to hire the staff you want?… Read More
So I was over the Living Seas, which was over there, discovery Island and, and the ranch, which had horses. So they put me over everything. So I had, I had plenty to administer at that time. Mary Healy was on Discovery Island. So, you know, I had Discovery Island,… Read More
It, it, sure it was more money, but that was quite a bit more money. But it was just, I had been consulting on the project. I knew Joe Rodie very well. I believed it was gonna ha and I thought it was Disney now was gonna build a zoo… Read More
So Disney, I could do it right, and they would, and they would listen. It was a risk, but it was definitely a risk worth taking because there’s no way I wouldn’t have ever gotten that experience. And the resources they had were just amazing. Do you ask for any… Read More
So I think that I didn’t have to have any stipulations with that. I ha I, I just had to believe that it was actually gonna happen. ’cause if it didn’t happen then I was with, without a job. And it, when I took the job in 93, we didn’t… Read More
So, you know, it’s, it, it it’s definitely time to go when, when you know, you, you get, you get moved over to, to something else that you didn’t really want to do, you know?… Read More
But, but, but you stuck with it and then it, it all worked out for the best. So in, in 93, you’re, you’re take, you’re not going to Orlando, but you’re full time at, at Disney. What did they, what kind of offer did they make you that you said,… Read More
Or is this now your responsibility?… Read More