Imagineers come from many creative and technical backgrounds. Engineers, architects, painters, sculptors, music composers, computer programmers, costume designers, you name it. If you work for the Glendale crew, you’re an Imagineer full stop.
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It's tattle, so if Craig's leaving we have to shoot straight on it.
The Good: When The Dis was clicking on all cylinders he was creating a lot of content, shooting and editing videos, visiting parks, producing shows. For the most part it was good. He was also an "ok" on air personality in sort of a side kick curmudgeon role, which could work at times.
The Bad: He was a terrible host. He just didn't have the personality or the delivery to be the host or the "main character" on shows and to drive conversation. (I never understood why "youtubers" on some of these bigger channels don't take acting lessons or improv classes so that they can learn techniques to just get better at being in front of a camera or a microphone)
The Scandal: This is the real gray area. He was there so long its just hard to believe he doesn't know where all the metaphorical "bodies are buried". (We don't have to include the alleged SA stuff, but just the alleged bullying and toxic work environment) At best he was turning a blind eye to alot of things and just kept collecting a paycheck and eating those Disney cupcakes. There was also some accusations last year that he may have played a role in some of the workplace bullying with Pete. He made some sort of cloaked apology about maybe he was behaving a certain way because he thought he was doing what was right for the company. It was odd.
Anyway, another one gone and it seems the ship is almost at the bottom of the ocean.
The Good: When The Dis was clicking on all cylinders he was creating a lot of content, shooting and editing videos, visiting parks, producing shows. For the most part it was good. He was also an "ok" on air personality in sort of a side kick curmudgeon role, which could work at times.
The Bad: He was a terrible host. He just didn't have the personality or the delivery to be the host or the "main character" on shows and to drive conversation. (I never understood why "youtubers" on some of these bigger channels don't take acting lessons or improv classes so that they can learn techniques to just get better at being in front of a camera or a microphone)
The Scandal: This is the real gray area. He was there so long its just hard to believe he doesn't know where all the metaphorical "bodies are buried". (We don't have to include the alleged SA stuff, but just the alleged bullying and toxic work environment) At best he was turning a blind eye to alot of things and just kept collecting a paycheck and eating those Disney cupcakes. There was also some accusations last year that he may have played a role in some of the workplace bullying with Pete. He made some sort of cloaked apology about maybe he was behaving a certain way because he thought he was doing what was right for the company. It was odd.
Anyway, another one gone and it seems the ship is almost at the bottom of the ocean.
No doubt that certain roles get that designation (like the ones you listed), but some don’t. For instance when visual merchandising was folded into Imagineering they weren’t permitted to use the name. It’s a title reserved for certain creative positions.
I think it’s a silly distinction and would agree that if you work for Imagineering you should be able to use the title.
I'm not going to go back and listen to it again but the only person that was bought up by name was Shaun. From what Craig and Corey were talking about when the name was bought up it being a media event memory. My guess is it was Shaun Thompson.
I'm also wondering if Craig's job is going to be along the lines of what Shaun is doing with Disney.
I can maybe shed some light on this now. Although I'm not certain, I highly suspect that Craig’s "cloaked apology" was a reaction to a difficult conversation we had.
Craig reached out to me for feedback on a statement he was planning to post after the news about Dustin broke. After reading it, I told him it was good but not good enough. The statement was mainly informational about what he knew and what he didn't know. The transparency was good, but I pointed out it lacked an acknowledgment that we had enabled Pete and an apology for our part in it. I explained that his statement's focus was off, similar to John's.
We had a back-and-forth about whether my perspective was true. Craig felt he wasn't responsible because if he hadn’t been doing his job, someone else would have. In his mind, that absolved him because Pete’s affairs could continue without him. I explained that the problem was it wasn’t someone else—it was us. We were often tools in Pete’s toolbox, and it was our choice to be there. At some point, we all saw the toxicity and chose to stay. I told him he needed to take some responsibility if he wanted his statement to be satisfactory to others.
Now that he is out and "safe," I feel free to share an excerpt of the hard truth I spoke in that text exchange:
"People were broken, and we did it. We helped keep everything 'business as usual' so Pete could skate by. In cases of abuse (outside of sexual assault), we knew. We still kept it afloat and justified it to support our families. You knew about Shaun. You stayed. You knew about me. You stayed. You may have known about others after me. You stayed. In my case, you definitely enabled it. I have the text messages. [I’m referring to how Pete put him up to bringing me back for a final Universal show against my wishes so Pete could save face.] Again, I'm not holding a grudge. I'm trying to wake you up. Your statement is a good start but lacks true responsibility for your part and an apology. It has a tone of 'this is my defense' because I think you’re still focused on that. The focus has to shift..."
To his credit, Craig received everything I said. He expressed appreciation and said this was exactly why he reached out to me. He wanted honesty. Shortly after our exchange, you reported his seemingly random acknowledgment of his part in this. Maybe it wasn’t related to our conversation, but the timing seemed coincidental. Whether he was talking about me or not, it seemed like he had humbled himself enough to hear my direct and hard words. I was moved.
You might be right but I remember him saying Ryno replaced his "best friend" but not Shaun's name. Whatever. Not worth it to watch again.
I think it says a lot about Craig that he listened to your feedback.
A good example of this is when they did a video of Worst 2-Credit Dining Locations.
Something happens toward the end of the video and Pete just keeps harping on Craig about it. Craig just keeps saying "okay.. okay.. okay.."
It's worth a watch if only just to see an example of the cracks showing in an actual video.
Speaking of this - does anyone have a link to the live show where Teresa tells Charles she doesn't like him?
Ok the bad realistically is that we found out that Craig can not carry the show if it was on him he seems to be extremely talented as a back of the house person.
JL was an on screen character with charisma charm and looks Craig had none of those three. We need to know our strengths and weaknesses.
Also I can 100% for certain especially since he didn’t have a family at the time would hit have stayed with Pete if he fucked over my best friend.
JL was an on screen character with charisma charm and looks Craig had none of those three. We need to know our strengths and weaknesses.
Also I can 100% for certain especially since he didn’t have a family at the time would hit have stayed with Pete if he fucked over my best friend.
I'm excited for Craig and his family. I have a friend who is an Imagineer at the Glendale campus who mostly does archival stuff. Imagineers are much more than one specific job/task that the public envisions.
First, thank you for sharing this story.
Second, I think the tone and message you put in that text to Craig was perfect. It was what people felt.
I wish he (and/or John, Kevin, Corey) had put a message out like your text and was sincere about. If so, there may have been a chance that they would have saved what was left of the company. People tend to be forgiving.
Is hosting or co-hosting multiple podcasts for 10 years different than "doing a podcast?"
I appreciate everything you’ve done for moving the conversation along here in a productive light, but I just can’t shake the taste of self righteousness out of your posts when you speak about a situation that is clearly still very toxic and active for those involved at this workplace- and since gone. I know you’ve spoken about your own Pete issues and I don’t want to discredit the abuse you suffered either. It just feels a little tasteless for you To be on this gossip sight basically saying “I told them so.”
Were you on Craig’s ass like a good friend “all those years” after you left telling him he’s betraying you if he doesn’t leave? Or did that just become the opinion when things came to light because of Dustin?
When Sean and Dustin came forward, I had the chance to speak with both of them about their experiences and let them know they had my full support. Dustin thanked me for my posts, saying they helped keep the topic active, which is the main reason I continue to share here. I don't gain much personally from doing this; in fact, there are risks to me both personally and professionally, especially since I'm open about my identity. Reliving these memories takes an emotional toll on me, and speaking out publicly doesn't win me many friends (at the Dis or elsewhere) because the whole situation makes people uncomfortable. I've tried to state that plainly many times.
That being said, I understand that some people might not take my words at face value and may see my posts as self-righteous. I've come to terms with the fact that some will misinterpret my intentions and motives no matter how I communicate because this type of interaction has its limitations, and some people are naturally cynical. Honestly, I tend to be cynical myself, so I understand that viewpoint.
I'm not offended by your perspective. I see where you’re coming from and accept that you might hold that opinion regardless of my intentions. Everyone's circumstances influence how they see others. My focus remains on my true purpose here: keeping the topic active and providing more pieces to the story whenever I can.
This brings us to the most recent post you criticized. I shared the story simply because a poster brought up Craig's previous acknowledgment in a YouTube video that felt confusing and random. I thought I could provide fuller context to the incident and show the humanity of it.
I fail to see the "I told you so" part you have painted into the picture, as if I didn't include myself in explaining to Craig that we were part of something harmful. But, again, I have spoken as plainly as I can in my retelling of this. Whether the failure to understand is due to my inability to communicate better or your inability to perceive better, I have to accept that this is where we are.
Also, I think it is fair to say that maybe all of us being here is "tasteless" to some degree. The story itself is tasteless. But if it is going to be discussed truthfully, there will be parts that lack taste. I can't really apologize for that reality. It is what it is.
Not that I owe you an explanation, but I will answer your question in another attempt to provide insight. I did not ever get on Craig's case for "betraying me" because I didn't feel that way. Craig has suffered more than I did at the Dis. If he ever shares his story, you guys better buckle up because he once told me he literally kept a log of incidents. I have always known he did what he did while he was there because he was between a rock and a hard place, trying to navigate a fraught situation as an emotionally damaged person. I genuinely have compassion for all of them (even Ryno) on that point. So, no, I didn't "get on his ass" for betraying me. I didn't need to. Once I was out, it wasn't about me. It was about him and getting him out.
Many of our conversations before Dustin and Sean came forward were about "not staying so long that you get stuck" in that toxic hell—he'll recognize that quote because I said it repeatedly. He listened to me even back then and was looking on and off for a way to get out. But after Sean and Dustin came forward (followed by Charles' revelations), there was a greater sense of urgency for him to "wake up," as I put it in the text. Does this insight help you?
@imjenilynn I really appreciate your honesty, openness and insight on these important issues. You've brought a fair balance to help everyone sort out the facts in what has been so much speculation for a long time. I do have a question for you if you are willing to share anything; what happened to Oliver? It has been bothering me for several years. I very much enjoyed Oliver's videos and it was so much fun to watch you and his friends in his videos. It appeared everyone was having such a good time. I understand there were personal breakups along the way, but Oliver literally just disappeared off all social media one day. Oliver's videos were in the very early days of vlogging in the parks where there was nobody scrambling to get in Disney's favor by trying to get on their media list. It was refreshing to see people just vlogging experiences instead of begging and performing for views and super chats. If you aren't comfortable sharing, I totally understand. I just want to know that Oliver came out of the DIS mess ok.
I view Criag as kind but very much a straight white male who doesn’t feel like issues for marginalized communities are his concern. Nothing malicious but just doesn’t take an initiative to care or have empathy for others unless it affects him. He’s sorry things happened but he never used his power to stop them or at least say something.
At the 19:50 minute mark in this video I thought it may have been a Pete sighting in the background. After far too many replays I don't think it is, but wanted to share with those who would know better than me. The shirt, bag, and I think glasses straps seemed tacky enough for Pete.
If that's Pete, he must have maxed out his Amex again....... on potato chips and ice cream.