Disney Chief: How AI Will Change Creativity Forever

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May 12, 2025 • 41 mins

Creativity is the key to staying competitive, so why do so many organizations struggle to innovate?

Today on Digital Disruption, we’re joined by Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney.

Duncan and his team helped Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney Parks to innovate, creating magical new storylines and experiences. Now a global keynote speaker and innovation advisor, he shares his unique Design Thinking approach to help organizations spark creativity, unlock fresh thinking, and embed innovation into their culture. A TED speaker and contributor to Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review, Duncan also teaches innovation Master Classes at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Edinburgh.

Duncan sits down with Geoff to explore how businesses can break down the barriers to innovation by tapping into their most powerful resource: human imagination. Duncan gives a look into the magic of Disney’s approach to creativity and explains how companies can design cultures that foster curiosity, risk-taking, and collaboration. From solving complex problems with simple questions to creating space for disruptive thinking, Duncan shares practical, transformative advice for leaders ready to think boldly and challenge the current workplace roles.

In this episode:

0:00 Intro

2:00 Time at Disney

5:40 Creativity is now the most in-demand skill

8:15 Barriers to innovation

11:30 Tools for creative thinking

14:45 Reframing problems as innovation

18:10 The power of naïve experts

21:00 Innovation at Disney

25:50 Tips for embedding in any organization

29:00 How leaders can foster innovation

32:00 Tools to think differently