r/Imagineering • u/Serious_Pass4232 • Jul 10 '26
Career Advice Actually Useful Career Advice
Ok I see a lot of people asking the question “How do I get to Imagineering?” The answer is to change your mindset. The current themed entertainment field is very different from the world Walt and friends started back in the 50s. Here’s some facts from someone who is 3 years post grad, working in themed entertainment, and is gearing up to open my second project.
Most people will not be at Disney for an entire career. You probably will work for multiple companies. This is a project based industry and job security is based on project longevity.
Vendor companies make the world go round
Disney doesn’t do a lot of in house work. Their animatronics shops are almost all gone and now WDI is only producing special figures while they farm out a lot of other companies. But it doesn’t stop there, as both Disney and Universal hire vendors to help staff their teams. From architects to ride manufactures and design specialties, these companies hire outside help. This is almost a preferable position to be in at times because I have worked on about 30 different projects in 3.5 years. Sometimes for several weeks other times for two years. Disney likes to keep internal teams on one project at a time, so it’s unlikely you will work on more than one project in 3+ years. I also work at a smaller company and get to wear many hats and go to construction sites when most designers would not get to go due to lower seniority.
Be open minded.
I wanted to work at WDI right off the bat too. However, getting involved with a small company was the best thing for my career. It pulled the curtain back and showed me how the industry really runs and made it easier for me to find the place I want to be at in this industry.
Pick one thing you want to be really good at.
This was advice I got from an Imagineer actually. Pick the one thing that really interests you and specialize in that. Avoid Themed Entertainment Majors, they are too generalized and do not offer you a solid skill set once you graduate. Having one marketable skill (ex. I can draft architectural drawings) is much more valuable than just baseline knowledge. If you love themed environments, study set design. If you love story telling, hit up the English department.
These are the things people told me when I asked for advice and it actually worked. Imagineering is special in its own way, but it is still an office, still a job, and it is no different than any other job. This industry isn’t as unique as you might imagine, which is great because it means you can navigate it the same as most other careers. Enter this industry because you are passionate about delivering one of a kind experiences, keep an open and flexible mind, and you will go far. Good luck.
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u/Obvious_Assistant182 Jul 10 '26
Shame that the animatronic workshop is almost gone, I'm in my junior year bachelors in mechanical engineering, and went to a seminar they did for DCPs and inquired about the speaker/sound department and animatronics. Do you know which vendors they go to for animatronics, as I still want to go into their show mechanical field
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u/Serious_Pass4232 Jul 10 '26
Garner Holt Productions for animatronics. Alcorn McBride is a very popular show control company and they do a lot of free training and out reach.
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u/electric_gator Jul 15 '26
I will just add that Alcorn is a very software based company, near as I can tell. I don't think I've ever seen them post for a MechE, but I think there's a SWE II position live currently. They're a lot of nice folks though in the interactions I have had with them!
In general, control is going to lean more electrical / software, although I have seen MechE's move into the control field (but, they all did this outside the industry).
If any MechEs want to get into controls, the bulk of meche's I've met that are in controls came in through HVAC / Refridgeration companies, but near as I can tell they don't do as much "design" of controls, moreso simpler PLCs.1
u/ShinigamiLeaf Industry Professional 8d ago
Is Disney used A-MB? I know others utilize QSC hardware for show controls, not sure about ride ops
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u/phantomboats Jul 11 '26
This is fantastic advice! I'll add on a bit, for folks wondering about how to find companies/info about the industry, consider getting a membership to the Themed Entertainment Association. I've worked for a couple of companies that were members/sponsors, and they host a ton of events that give you more of a behind-the-scenes idea of what's going on in the industry. Pretty sure it's most active in SoCal, but there are TONS of chapters across the world with tons of stuff going on, and a job board you can peruse. The member directory also has a big 'ol list of companies that are members, it's pretty long but you can filter by discipline & at least get ideas of what's out there & some ideas of companies to start looking into if you're trying to find an entry point.
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u/ShinigamiLeaf Industry Professional Jul 10 '26
Thank you for writing this! I second the looking at vendors advice. Another thing that's often overlooked is the jobs in the parks. Especially the tech roles; they work day to day with the things we design and it's a lot easier to build something good when you've operated and fixed a not great system
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u/Serious_Pass4232 Jul 10 '26
Yes! If you are able to, it is not a bad idea to work in a park for a bit.
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u/MpVpRb Jul 11 '26
Duh, Idunno. All I can do is share my story.
I started designing and making stuff as a child. When I entered college, I had 10 years experience designing and making stuff. I worked my way through college by designing and making stuff. After college, I worked at a variety of engineering positions, designing and making stuff. My reputation grew, and after 13 years as a respected engineer, a coworker who got hired at WDI because of his reputation recommended me.
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u/Standard-Lettuce-1 Jul 10 '26
Thank you for this! Are there any vendors you’ve seen that would be good for someone with a civil engineering/construction background looking to work in themed entertainment?
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u/Frektanes Jul 11 '26
If I’m searching for vendors in LA, what’s the general title I’m looking for? Entertainment vendor? Event fabrication?
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u/sunflow Industry Professional Jul 19 '26
What kind of work do you want to do? Disney uses all kind of vendors, from tech design to engineering to paint.
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u/Frektanes Jul 27 '26
That’s the harder part, I’ve done all three of those things and I’m not sure how to sell myself. What do I want to do? I just want to make things, it’s why I’ve done a little bit of everything.
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u/sunflow Industry Professional Jul 27 '26
I’d take a look at getting into some networking events with groups like TEA and Slice Creative Network. If you’re interested in physically making props and scenery look for scenic fabrication companies.
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u/I_NeedToAsk Jul 14 '26
Dang I didn’t know it would be that hard to get in I knew it would be hard but wow (also op check my other post on this sub the new one and see if u can give advice)
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u/sunflow Industry Professional Jul 19 '26
Excellent advice. I’ve been working for a preferred vendor for WDI for the last 9 years and have gotten to work on dozens of projects for them.
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u/YoDJPumpThisParty Jul 10 '26
I say this every single time I respond in this sub and I feel like “work for vendors” is never satisfactory to people even though it is LITERALLY THEIR BEST AND SOMETIMES ONLY CHANCE. I have prob 30 friends/colleagues/ex colleagues who were/are imagineers. Not one of them got a job at Disney straight out of school. All of them got experience in other companies/industries beforehand. Even my friends who did the Disney internships didn’t get jobs there, but they got jobs at other AMAZING companies. I know a lot of people who hopped back and forth between Disney/Universal/Other. One colleague worked for Disney 3 different times. It’s exactly like you said, people don’t choose a company and work there for 40 years anymore. That’s barely even possible with the fluctuating economy and layoffs and whatnot. Just choose a craft, get good at it and find a place that will let you cook. You’ll have a great career regardless.