The Dis Unplugged #5 Stay Out of the Damn Employees

[justthisonce]

Dustin now that you gave us the ground balls tell us some behind the scene drama. What was your worst experience working with this team? Did you honestly love Pete? What was your best moment from working form the dis unplugged?

Working on it! I have a few pretty big posts coming up. I’ll be touching on all of this. But please keep sending questions and I’ll try my best to answer them. Thanks for all the support!

 

[The Mando]

Just wanted say thank you to Sean and Dustin for sharing their stories. I’m also incredibly sorry those things happened. Glad you both are in better places now.

I worked for the Dis albeit on a much smaller scale than either of those two but Pete was vile even to those like me. His final email to me after I said I was done dealing with his crap told me that I was basically a worthless human that’s never done anything of value in my life.

I used to have this separate email address that I would just forward mean emails he would send me. I need to see if I can still get in that because they were so funny. I had saved voicemails for a long time, but then my voicemail got full and I had to delete them, but it was just unhinged stuff like him calling me and 'mooing' at me or like yelling 'Jethro' into the phone and hanging up......good times

 

[ProfessorFate]

Nowadays I just get bored with Craig's monotone and boring personality, Ryno's anxiety over eating a restaurant where noise can be heard, and Erika's impossible to predict dietary restrictions.

Word on the street is that she can now only eat fish if it is caught while Mercury is in retrograde, the fishing boat is solar powered, and is crewed by fishermen with Greta Thunberg tattoos.

 

[Rufio'sGhost]

Dis Unplugged #6: Stay Out of the Damn Employees Part 2-The Demise of Pete Werner

 

[The Mando]

I’d like to flesh out my story a little bit and give even more context. I ultimately decided to share here because I felt the overwhelming majority of folks are simply looking for the truth. While I see some judgement and criticism, I understand that when people are in the public eye, I know that’s part of the deal. We can’t grow without constructive criticism.

I know that I’m by no means %100 innocent in anything that happens in my life. I’m not a passenger or some audience member watching my life happen around me. I’m an active participant. I’ll happily take responsibility for any actions that may have led me to make poor decisions. But we also need to find a common ground of what constitutes predatory behavior.

What is taking advantage of? What is inappropriate for an employer to do with an employee? There’s such subtlety in our society when it comes to these things. Movements like MeToo are trying to break walls down and define what’s right and wrong.

I’m simply hoping to find some definitive personal boundaries in MY story. I’m hoping to share my perspective of what I went through and what I deem appropriate for my life. Your mileage may vary and I don’t intend to fight back with you about those things. Let’s get started…

I’m sad to say that I too can look back on these years and realize I was never in love with Pete. I knew even then I was not attracted to him. I had never been attracted to men anyways. Some of you may wonder what my sexuality is. I’ll be open about it. I’ve always identified as a straight man.

After finding myself in a relationship with Pete, it was undeniable to me that I must be somewhere else in the broad spectrum of sexuality. I’m not on the 100% side of being completely straight. Maybe 90%? I don’t even really identify as Bi. I don’t ever really find other men attractive and I’m very happily married to my amazing wife. All I know is that this moment in my life happened and I have no intentions of denying it. Do with that what you will.

I was also not in it for the money or the travel or the opportunities. Those things were great at the beginning. But they were not why I stayed. Looking back, I realize I was paid enough to pay rent and have a decent apartment with decent things. And Pete did pay for nice dinners, travel, and fun electronics. However, most of it was work related and like I said before, the cathartic selling of all of it at my local pawn shop proved to me that those things only ever tied me down.

So why did this relationship ever start? I’m not attracted to men. I’m not money hungry. What happened? I was vulnerable, young, naïve, and at the time a chronic people pleaser. Let’s rewind a few months before I moved to Florida in the summer of 2011.

It’s April 2011 and I’m at an emotional high. My college, VCU, has just made history by going to the Final Four in the NCAA championships. I’m a senior about to graduate from the film program and I have a great group of friends. One of my good friends devised a way for me and him to move in together in Orlando with the goal being to work full-time at Walt Disney World. Then just before graduation, I get a phone call.

My best friend from childhood (we were born 10 days apart and inseparable from then on) had just died in a house fire, alongside his newlywed wife and their poor little cat. I was devastated and depressed to say the least. I had lost a brother. We had gone to different schools, so we grew apart over the course of those 4 years or so. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I went from absolute high to basically rock bottom.

I graduated and me and my other friend still planned on living in Orlando together. That plan was in motion. But now it has become an escape. I escaped Virginia and all the pain that was there. Sadly, I also left everyone there without me. Looking back, I wonder how many of them wanted me to stay or needed me.

I started working full-time at Disney. I was enjoying my job there at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I was dating here and there. Life was seemingly better. One of the things I did to distract myself was listen to the DISUnplugged. I had been listening since basically the beginning. I always thought to myself that the show could easily be made into a video show. I saw that things were going in that direction for other podcasts. I also felt they could use an upgrade in their video presence in general. Ride throughs, media events, etc..

I listened out for any opportunities where the team was doing meets in the parks and I eventually met several members of the team. Eventually I connected with Corey and he hired me to do a freelance video of the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in the Fall of 2011. This was all intentional. I made myself known to the team and I was eager to help their website. I wanted to be a part of the team. I wanted them to be my friends.

The first time I ever met Pete in person was at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter DISApalooza in December 2011. He was smoking a cigarette in the smoking section. I joined him and talked to him about the video I shot for them. It was a short conversation that apparently he has no recollection of. But nonetheless I think this helped put me on his radar.

This all led up to the Disney Fantasy media sailing. This was meant to be my tryout. If I nailed this, there was the idea that I’d get a full-time position with the DIS. It was a success and I was offered a full-time position as their Director of Video and New Media. I cannot remember exact numbers but my starting salary was somewhere in the $30,000s. By the way, this was actually an upgrade from Walt Disney World.

At the start, I was working from my own home like anyone else in the company would. I had invested in setting up my own little office area. I was covering media events and special parties. But then came time to start working on the video show. This involved working out of Pete’s home for a large amount of time. I was installing equipment in the studio (two bedrooms with the wall knocked out), going on shopping trips at Best-Buy and Sam Ash, and working on the floor plan. I had set up shop kind of temporarily there and most of my days were spent there.

Around this same time. Pete’ personal friend from back in New Jersey, Kevin (a different one) had reappeared in his life. I remember the two of them having private conversations like they were two teenagers in high school. Sometimes giggling, sometimes Kevin reassuring Pete while he was crying. I wasn’t allowed in the office during those times. Those were private moments.

Then one day during all of this, I get called into the office. Pete comes clean to me about how he has feelings for me. I assume spending all that time together at his house sped this process up. We got along great when there was no external pressure. I thought to myself at times that I was working for a really funny person who understood my passions and we had a great collaborative relationship.

So when he told me, he asked if that would be an issue for me. I said no. Again I had this great working relationship and I foolishly thought I could work around the knowledge of my boss having a crush on me. I say “crush” cause that’s what it felt like. He and Kevin going off and giggling or gossiping. Kevin pulled me to the side and tried to give me advice. I now know that this was all a manipulation. I’m confident he sent Kevin to talk to me, become my friend, get information about how I really felt. It was all very high school-esque.

I was somehow able to manage to keep things separated for a few months. By October 2012, we were off to London and Paris for a private Adventures by Disney tour hosted by Dreams Unlimited Travel. Of course, during this adventure we were sharing a room the whole time, to help reduce the costs and occupancy of the trip. This had happened before during some hotel reviews and I was never fully comfortable with it, especially after he had told me he had feelings for me.

So just to push pause for a second. I want you to remember that I’m very vulnerable. I’ve lost my best friend and I’m desperately trying to find a new friend, a new group, a new family here in Orlando. I find a person who’s great to work with, our personalities mesh pretty well, and we’re having fun. He tells me he has feelings, but I don’t want to lose the friendship and I don’t want to lose the job. I’ve made it very clear that I don’t have feelings, but I’m willing to put up with the awkwardness to continue doing my dream. Right now, the happiness to misery ratio is probably 85 happy to 15 miserable (on the sliding scale.)

We’re in London. Almost immediately into this trip, he uses a brand new phrase: “Emotional Relationship.” I find the timing interesting. He was OK existing as is back at home. The minute we're overseas, far from home, he has a conversation with me TELLING me that we’re not friends. How could we be? The way we work together and the laughter and fun. He TELLS me this is an emotional relationship. There’s no physical touch, but this definitely isn’t a friendship.

I’m secluded. I can’t drive home. I have to go to the same hotel room every night with this man for 2 weeks. I have no escape. Then he brings up this new development to the relationship. I push back at every instance. He cries and misses out on several parts of the adventure. I have to cover for him by the way; coming up with excuses for his absence (this became a recurring theme that even Sean has pointed out.)

At some point in the trip, during one of our multiple hours-long late-night conversations… I cave. I admit that logically I can see that this is more than just a friendship. There’s something special here. Never in my heart did I think it was romantic. But he latches on to my acknowledgement like I’ve never seen before.

All of a sudden, the trip wasn't so bad. Nothing has changed internally for me really. I’m able to enjoy myself. I feel like I acknowledged his feelings after very long intensive grill sessions… and we can move on.

On one of the nights, we were in London, I was asleep in my bed. There were two full/queen beds during this trip (thank God.) Pete had gotten pretty upset with me. I was late for a podcast recording in London. Everything ultimately went fine, but I had gotten held up at the London Eye with John and Kevin and the rest of the group. That experience was on our Itinerary, and I still don’t fully understand why he was upset that day. Pete went to bed upset and I went to sleep pretty tipsy (after hours of deep conversation and telling me why and how I can be better.) I woke up groggy to this man on his knees, next to my bed, reaching under my sheets and touching me inappropriately.

I didn’t know what to do, so I pretended to be asleep, shake him off me, and roll over into the opposite direction. I was now wide awake in the bed, pretending to be asleep. I think realized he almost got caught. He went back to his bed. I never mentioned this encounter to him ever again.

What should have I done? Confront him right there? Yes. I know that now. I’ve had over 10 years to relive this moment. This moment set the stage for how I approached the next 3 years. That sliding scale of misery I mentioned earlier… we’re sliding now. Sliding further and further down.

Initially I had shame. Shame that a man had touched me. Forgive me, but I grew up in a society where it was taboo to be gay even though I never felt that way personally. On top of that, I never identified as gay or even curious. Who could I tell? If I told anyone, they’d tell me what I was doing was wrong, they’d tell me to give up my entire dream or they might kill this man .

The shame, guilt, and the desire to hide this friendship/emotional relationship/relationship was what fueled everything. I couldn’t tell my family. Strike #1. Pete used my shame to guilt me further and further down the path of a relationship. He might say things like “How could I have let things like this happen if I wasn’t into it?” So that’s Strike #2. My friends and co-workers knew parts of it but I was hiding most of it. The balancing act that built for another 3 years eventually tipped that misery scale to 100% into the opposite direction.

This is just the beginning. This is the "why." This is only less than a year into working at the DIS. I’m leading a double/triple life. I’m lying to friends and family and pleasing the one person who gave me the ultimate piece of bait dangling from the hook. He could be my real friend. Something I had so recently lost.

The next few years played out on screen for a lot of people. After reading this, I challenge you to go back and watch my smile being forced through my teeth. I’ll continue the story. There’s so much more to dive into. It doesn’t end here.

we just text but it goes without saying here…..Dustin and I are different men, different pasts, and different sexualities but I’m just devastated to read/hear your experiences.

I knew/know what and how I am. I am not an innocent by any standard. But to know the level of hurt I’ve felt is compounded so much into someone so much purer, kind and more decent than I am is hard for me.

Part of me is happy for some validation from a more credible source and the other half is just devastated.

 

[The Mando]

It’s funny to me because I generally always grew up in the south and was always told how awful the north is and about ‘Yankees’ being cold and rude. Then I went as an adult up there and realized they were kinda my people?

I always felt out of place in the south because there was pressure to pretend to like people that I didn’t. I remember asking my mom a lot, why do we hang out with people we don’t want to be around. There was always a reason like ‘that’s the vice presidents of the banks son’ or ‘you be nice to him, his mom goes to my church’ or whatever.

It was really bizarre, then I went to the north and people didn’t care at all. It was amazing. They weren’t rude, they just didn’t overstep into my business. It was like a breath of fresh air. They just said whatever was on their mind and had no reason to hide their intentions.

I don’t want to live there but I love going to visit. Most of my friends live between Maryland, nyc, south jersey and Philly so I’m up there all the time and I just love it.

I remember sitting at dinner with my friends and his dad, right in front of him, telling him ‘you know what your problem is? You got rocks where your brains should be’ and I was floored that someone would say that to their child or another human being. And his son was like, ‘yea I get it from you’ but they just laugh and keep going and it’s all good. That just wouldn’t fly in the south and I personally loved it.

I was taught in the south to not even question someone older than you. If they are older, it’s insulting to question them because they ‘should’ know more than you so you are just supposed to believe it. It drives me nuts but I get why mentalities get very set in certain areas because you’re raised to not question anything.


All that was a total side bar. I’m just sitting at a home inspection and had time to kill and saw the northern talk lol.

 

[FiestyFigment]

Just wanted say thank you to Sean and Dustin for sharing their stories. I’m also incredibly sorry those things happened. Glad you both are in better places now.

I worked for the Dis albeit on a much smaller scale than either of those two but Pete was vile even to those like me. His final email to me after I said I was done dealing with his crap told me that I was basically a worthless human that’s never done anything of value in my life.

 

[justthisonce]

Glad to have you here. What's caused you to want to share after all this time? Were you just kinda like, "yeah sure, why not?"

Seeing Sean's post led me here. I found that he had a certain strength after only a few years that took me almost 10 to develop. I care about people, and I don't want the same things happening to others. I'm not hear for gossip or tea. It's a chance for me to tell my story in a way I've never done before.

Hi Dustin,

During your "relationship" with Pete, especially towards its termination, did you notice Pete going after anyone else? There were some murmurs on here of Pete being romantically interested in other young employees besides those he's confirmed to have dated. No need to name drop if you're not comfortable.

Until I left he was only interested in me as far as I could tell.

When I was in the loop Pete told me you were coming back to work for him (this was after you left originally). What caused that to change, if it was true at all?

I'll touch more on this as I'm planning on writing very long form posts that touch on my whole story. I hope ya'll like chapter books lol! That will be near the end. But the short and sweet of it is I thought he had changed and he didn't. We tried to have me come back and the same old patterns continued. This is a crucial part of my story I'm looking forward to telling. It's the part of the story where I meet my wife and become truly happy.

I have a kinda similar question as @Jafar
I was there when you were sort of coming back. Pete would rage about how unprofessional you were being, but then he would break down and be sorta honest about the situation, i.e. that it was his fault why you left for good the second time. I think he said he was trying to get back with you and talk bad about your now wife. Anyways, my question is, why would you want to come back after what happened to you the first time?

Again, I thought there was true change. Under the guise of AA and therapy. Literally nothing changed.

sometime this evening I'll release the first part of my story covering my background, getting the job, and what reasons I had for getting into the relationship. I'm sorry to say I'm much more of a long form writer. At least for now I'm gonna post the long form story and we'll keep the discussion active as it goes along. Thanks!

 

[The Mando]

Google has spoken SeanView attachment 2315433

I did not lose 55 pounds and get a hair transplant for this to exist still

 

[Bullybuster]

How many self-righteous Werner "rants" did we all have to suffer through about Disney mistreating their cast members while this delusional asshole is bullying his own employees, misappropriating company funds to pay prostitutes, and sexually abusing a series of young men? Yeah, YOU should be the one running Disney's HR department Werner.

This goes beyond being a simple hypocrite. He's simply psychotic.

I can't imagine how his employees managed to stomach sitting there listening to Werner's sanctimony while they themselves were being treated far worse by him than Disney has ever treated their theme park workers. No cast members were ever required to share a hotel room with a love-starved Bob Iger near as I can tell.

 

[Ahoyhoy]

Craig announces the team is changing studio locations to "accommodate John and Kevin"

 

[RealBobChapek]

My jaw dropped when Craig said they are moving out of the studio! Clearly the parting of ways with Pete has begun.

 

[RescueRanger]

Honestly, that’s part of why it was tough to come forward. Pete’s fans are ravenously loyal to him and I knew it would be an uphill battle to say the least.

Ultimately I had to decide that I didn’t care if people believed me because it might help the next person and the truth would come out in the future.

Ironically, it allowed the truth from the past and helped Dustin come to come out, which I never expected so it all worked out and I’m glad I did it.
---
Also, I am 100% sure that Pete is not aware of what has happened here with the lawsuit nor with Dustin posting.

He would’ve never shown up on the show, he would not be laying up ironic comments like ‘Disney echo chamber’ and all these things. He is completely clueless to this. Pete’s a jerk but he would not be brushing over this.
---


I don’t, maybe cause he gets a house he didn’t have to pay for? I’m really not sure at all

Just know that last week I was a big Pete fan and thought at his worst he was a bitter old queen. You and Dustin, along with this group of threads has opened up my eyes to who he really is. So while there will always be defenders, there are some of us who listened and fully support you!

 

[The Mando]

The Pete Werner sycophancy in that live chat is truly awe-inspiring. If you ever feel a bit down on yourself, and need a moment to reassure yourself that there a ton of people far more stupid or pathetic in this world than you think you are, go no further than that live chat.

Honestly, that’s part of why it was tough to come forward. Pete’s fans are ravenously loyal to him and I knew it would be an uphill battle to say the least.

Ultimately I had to decide that I didn’t care if people believed me because it might help the next person and the truth would come out in the future.

Ironically, it allowed the truth from the past and helped Dustin come to come out, which I never expected so it all worked out and I’m glad I did it.
---
Also, I am 100% sure that Pete is not aware of what has happened here with the lawsuit nor with Dustin posting.

He would’ve never shown up on the show, he would not be laying up ironic comments like ‘Disney echo chamber’ and all these things. He is completely clueless to this. Pete’s a jerk but he would not be brushing over this.
---

Sean do you know why Walter refused to completely remove his name from the house?

I don’t, maybe cause he gets a house he didn’t have to pay for? I’m really not sure at all

 

[Jafar]

Hey @The Mando did Pete trash listeners/viewers after meeting them in person?

He did to me, individual people and fans as a whole. Also staff. Told me many times how he was gonna fire Jackie and Michael Bowling.

 

[minimax]

I just mean there are more perspectives out there. Erica. I want to hear from Ruben and Razek. PANDA?

I am not dismissing Seans experience as well, and if we are being honest I am a huge fan of his and felt like he carried a lot of the content he was involved with.

I get emotions are running high in this thread but we can't go around being judge and jury.

Tattle Life Rules Overview:

"No moderating. If there's a post you don't like either keep scrolling, add the user to your ignore list or report. Don't attempt to shut down the conversation. Keep it on tattle, and don't encourage any behaviour that could be seen as harassment. Don't derail threads."

 

[The Mando]

I feel so gross after watching that. I'm just glad Dustin got out and is in a better place emotionally. What Pete did to him can lead people down dark paths of drug abuse, alcoholism and/or sexual promiscuity

I just watched that the other day. The amount of times Pete needed reassurance that him and Dustin were "close." Ugh

I watched the end of that. I hope he goes to prison and I am fully available to Amex if they need a witness testimony of someone who was helping repay his Amex bill and finances.

 

[GossipGirl43]

Dustin, thank you for sharing your story and I’m so, so sorry that this happened to you.

I haven’t watched the DIS regularly for several years but the Dustin years were my prime viewing time - I never missed an episode. I feel sick to my stomach that all this was going on behind the scenes and you just put on a professional face every week on camera. I‘m glad you were able to get away from this toxic situation (Sean too) and hope you both are in a much better place now. Sounds like you are.

I remember Pete talking about the me too movement and cancel culture going too far (maybe on a Patreon show?) and defending Kevin Spacey. I thought that was a really bizarre and tone deaf position to take and although I wasn’t surprised by it then, it hits even more horribly now. Monsters have to stick together I guess.

 

[Iwantallthetea]

I usually only lurk on this thread but I feel I need to speak up and also thank Sean and Dustin for coming forward and sharing the real truth with us. I always thought there was something shady about Pete, and my Spidey Senses were correct. I've also unsubscribed from all DIS social media.

 

[The Mando]

God, what a nightmare. Glad you were honesty with Joshy Boy. They need to hear that. It's a trickle down effect. And to not have access to A/C in Orlando while working some of those attractions as well is nuts.

I worked there in 2014 and I made 7.83 per hour. My first job was in 2007?ish as a civil war recreationist and I made $8 an hour then. So this was literally the lowest paying job I ever had and I Told him exactly what I thought. Break rooms, the price of the subway underground (it’s more than a regular subway), the issues with trying to cross be road in the parade and getting to the parking lot during fireworks for cast members.

As much as Pete calls out Disney. There is a video of me explaining the way I lived In 2014 as a cast member. How I slept in my car because I left work at 2-3am after extra magic hours and needed to be back the next morning to get the ride open. How I lived in a crack den by the parks because that’s all I could afford to live in back then and Pete fully blocked the video because it sounded like I ‘hated Disney’ - I don’t hate Disney but the topic was about what it’s like to work there and that was my real experience and he just told me to stop sharing it so I did. But it truly was the worst job I’ve ever had….and we all know the kinds of work I’ve done in my past.