The story of this blog goes back to the late-90s, when I worked as a Show Writer at Walt Disney Imagineering. It was there I developed my passion for and understanding of the ways Disney's theme park designers tell stories through the use of detail. Later, my wife Laurel and I would often volunteer our time, conducting classes and tours of the parks for Cast Members via Disney University. As the years went on, increasing responsibilities at work and home (our twin boys were born in 2005) meant those tours happened less and less. In 2009, I made a resolution to leverage technology and emerging social media to offer virtual storytelling tours.
I put up
my first post here March 9, 2009. Three years and 705 posts later, I have to admit I'm quite proud of the accomplishment and humbled by the audience it has attracted. I've heard from many of you in comments, e-mails, Tweets and in person. You've all been so gracious and provided me more motivation than you know to keep the content coming.
Alas, as they say, all good things must come to an end.
As we step into 2012, I find myself with exciting new challenges at work and an increasing desire at home to spend more of my available time with my family and capturing the memories of our twins' fleeting childhood.
The good news for fans of the blog is all the content will still be here, and much of it is evergreen. I invite you to explore the Topic links in the right side column. Go back and revisit a post or maybe even discover something you missed the first time around. I'll also still be fairly active on Twitter (
@disneyshawn for me,
@disneylaurel for my wonderful wife) and in
Google+, so don't be a stranger!
I've dearly loved sharing my passion with you over the years, and it's my fondest hope you'll take these stories and share them with your friends and family. It's only through being told that tales aren't forgotten.
So until we meet again (in a Disney Park, no doubt)... Aloha!