Episode 048 – Doug Lipp, Part 1

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Stories of the Magic, Episode 48

 

 

Interview Guest: Doug Lipp

 

 

 

 

In this episode, we have the first of a 2-part interview with Doug Lipp. Doug enjoyed a unique career with Disney, from a marketing internship to Disneyland to Tokyo Disneyland to Disney University in multiple roles, and we touch on all of it. He also has great insights about leadership—whether you’re leading a multi-billion dollar corporation or your own family—and he had some amazing mentors.

 

In this episode, Doug talks about…

  • How he got started at Disney and what he did;
  • His internship with The Magic Kingdom Club;
  • His original goal, and how Disney sidetracked that…in a good way;
  • An early memory of going to Disneyland;
  • What brought him back to the Walt Disney Company after graduate school;
  • Combining his training skills and Japanese language skills to help with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland;
  • Two of his primary mentors: Van France (founder of Disney University) and Jim Cora (among other things, he was on Walt Disney’s team to open the Enchanted Tiki Room);
  • The origin of the terms onstage, backstage, cast member, etc. as they related to Disneyland;
  • What it was like to visit Tokyo Disneyland for the first time in 19 years;
  • The similarities he sees between Japanese culture and Disney culture;
  • Taking the opportunity to lead the training team at the Walt Disney Studios and what he did in that role;
  • A great, but brief, discussion about former Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook;
  • A rarely-heard quote from Walt Disney, and now one of my favorites;
  • How he met his wife, Pam, while working for Disney;
  • The transition of the Walt Disney Company to Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, and his experience giving them their name badges;
  • A memory of when he knew he was doing something truly special;
  • And more.

 

Find Doug Online:

 

Podcasts Spotlighted in this Episode: 

 

I want to hear from you, so please email me, leave a comment below, or call the Listener Feedback line at (734) 23-STORY.   If you call in, don’t worry about having to sound perfect. If you ask me to, I’ll edit out any mistakes so you sound as good as you possibly can. You’re even welcome to start your entire story over again and I’ll use the “take” you want!

 

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Music and voiceovers provided by Rick Moyer.

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