June 12, 2025 • 33 mins
What happens when you gather Disney's most passionate fans in one community? Michael Vargo, Senior Vice President of D23, Corporate Events & Walt Disney Archives, reveals the magic behind Disney's official fan club in this captivating conversation.
From its humble beginnings in 2009, D23 has evolved into a global phenomenon connecting Disney's most devoted fans—passionate enthusiasts who visit theme parks regularly, watch films multiple times, and build lasting friendships through shared Disney experiences.
The jewel in D23's crown is its D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event (formerly D23 Expo), which has transformed from a convention center gathering into a sprawling, week-long celebration across Anaheim. Here, fans dress as their favorite characters for the spectacular Mousequerade costume contest, get first access to exclusive announcements, and connect with Disney creators in intimate panel discussions. As Vargo explains, planning begins immediately after each biennial event concludes, with teams constantly asking: "How do we top what we did last time?"
What truly sets D23 apart is that no other brand has such a unique connection to its fans. Members receive first access to announcements, products, and experiences—a strategy that recognizes and rewards their dedication. This approach extends beyond Disney's California and Florida hubs through traveling events across America and international expansions to Tokyo and São Paulo, ensuring fans worldwide can participate in the magic.
Whether you're a Disney devotee or a brand looking to build stronger communities, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating authentic fan engagement that spans generations and continues to thrive after 100 years. Listen now to discover how Disney engages their fanbase through the power of community.
Recorded Tuesday, June 10th, 2025
Hosts: Kyle Fox, Account Group Director for Disney, Situation & Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation
Guest: Michael Vargo, Senior Vice President of D23, Corporate Events & Walt Disney Archives
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Innovation Advisor, Situation
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Peter Yagecic (00:05):
You're listening to Fandom Unpacked the podcast,
an audio version of our regularlive stream series where we
unpack modern fandom with someof the brightest minds in sports
and entertainment.
I'm producer Peter Yagisic, andjoining me for today's Q&A is
Situation CEO and founder,Damian Bazzadana, and account
group director for All ThingsDisney, Kyle Fox.
Bazzadana and Account GroupDirector for All Things Disney,
(00:26):
Kyle Fox.
Our guest today from the WaltDisney Company is Michael Vargo,
Senior Vice President of D23,the official Disney fan club.
Michael also oversees corporateevents and the Walt Disney
Archives.
Here's Damian to get us started.
Damian Bazadona (00:38):
So first off, michael, thank you for taking
the time to do this.
I know there's a lot going on,it's always busy but it means a
lot and obviously Disney is themecca of fandom and we could
tell we have a big audiencetoday.
We could see it from arts,sports, travel.
It's a really impressive listof folks so there's obviously
big interest in coming.
I just want to say up front,aside from the marketing
(00:59):
excellence that I know Disney isobviously amazing at, I just
also think it needs to be saidof how impressive I think the
organization is at large.
I've been in the business fortwo decades, so nowhere near the
Disney length of longevity, butthe folks at Disney have been a
top-notch organization at everytouchpoint we've had over the
years and you get a good checkof a character, of how people
(01:22):
behave when no one is watching,and I feel like all my
experiences in the Disneyuniverse is they focus on doing
the right thing.
And as a business owner in aspace and I've worked a lot with
the theater folks here, bothother divisions it's
heartwarmingly impressive to meBecause I will say, generally
speaking, the larger theorganization, I would say
usually it's kind of theopposite paradigm where the
warmth isn't there and it justremains extremely impressive to
(01:45):
me.
All the people that I meet andhow good they've been actually
to the community not just ourcompany, but just the
communities they play in I thinkis extremely impressive.
So I try to say that out loudevery time I can say that,
because I think it needs to besaid out loud.
So just thank you and Michael,thank you for taking the time.
Within minutes.
You responded and said how canI help?
Which is just very Disney.
So thank you, I appreciate ittruly.
I want to turn the mic over toKyle.
I think, kyle, I think it'd begreat for you to run point.
(02:05):
I know Kyle has a ton ofquestions.
You oversee a lot of our workin the Disney ecosystem.
I usually like to hog the mic.
I have a million questionsmyself, but I'm going to
respectfully pass the mic hereand be back later, kyle take.
Kyle Fox (02:19):
We're so excited to have you here.
We're huge fans of everythingthat Disney does.
Our project director, natalieAult, has been a member of D23
since the beginning.
She is a gold member and so butI would love to hear you know
from you, you know, what is D23all about and sort of what makes
(02:39):
it the ultimate fan experience.
Michael Vargo (02:40):
Yeah Well, first of all, thank you again for
having me Excited to be here,and I hope you do know what D23
stands for.
A lot of people really don't,and so the D is a given.
I hope I don't need to explainthat one.
But 23 is in reference to whenthe company was founded back in
1923.
So we're kind of harkening backto our origins of the company
(03:03):
and really celebrating the last100 years of the company with
D23.
So D23, we are a membership fanclub and it's more than just a
membership club.
It is truly a community of ourmost passionate fans.
These are the fans that want tobe a part of Disney every
(03:23):
single day of their life andthey wake up every morning.
They want to check out thelatest and greatest of Disney.
They go to our theme parks alot.
They love to take vacationswith Disney.
They love to go see our moviesover and over again with their
friends and family.
So these are our mostpassionate fans.
These are folks that just filltheir tank every day with Disney
(03:45):
and we're excited to be a partof their community as well, and
they're excited to be a part ofDisney's community.
Kyle Fox (03:51):
That's so great to hear, and I mean, it's such a
huge multi-generational fan base.
You know, I'd love to hear fromyou how does Disney nurture
that fan base, how does yourteam really celebrate them as
well?
Michael Vargo (04:05):
Yeah, you know what's so great about Disney?
We're not just a brand.
I like to think of us as alifestyle, in that there is
something for everyone, and youtalk about multi-generational.
I mean there's truly over 100years of great storytelling
across the Disney ecosystem, andyou think about everything from
not only our Disney pillars,but Star Wars, marvel, pixar.
(04:30):
You could love theme parks.
You could love Lilo and Stitch.
You know there's so manydifferent characters and so many
different avenues to go downwith your Disney fandom and
that's what we love to do iscelebrate everything Disney and
everything that falls in theDisney enterprise.
Kyle Fox (04:50):
Yeah, I mean so much has been added to.
You know what constitutesDisney these days, and I'm sure
that means that the fan base hasreally evolved.
You know, how has the inclusionof things like Marvel, star
Wars, how has that changed?
Michael Vargo (05:04):
D23?
It's really been great.
Actually, it's a nice synergy.
I mean, we find this incrediblecrossover of fandom across
these different properties ofDisney and they come and
celebrate these at our events.
Not only do Disney events, butwe do really fun branded events
(05:25):
for our Star Wars enthusiasts orMarvel fans or theme park fans,
so there really truly issomething for everyone and we
really lean into the fandomthat's out there across the
universe.
Kyle Fox (05:37):
Yeah, you know I want to go back a little bit too, and
you know what were the originsof it, what really started it?
And I know that the Expo is ahuge part of this too, and I'd
love to hear how that started aswell.
Michael Vargo (05:48):
Yeah, absolutely Well.
D23, we actually created backin 2009.
Really wanted to be a—reallyget our fans together and make
them feel part of the company,and that's what we heard from a
lot of our fans and guests isthat they really wanted to be
part of Disney.
What we heard from a lot of ourfans and guests is that they
really wanted to be part ofDisney and we wanted to be the
(06:12):
truth of Source if you will beauthentic and really communicate
with our fans so they can hearfrom the Source and not through
other fan blogs or things thatwere really prevalent at the
time.
So really got everyone aroundthe company together to create
this incredible fan club, theofficial Disney fan club and
really celebrate our fansconstantly throughout the year
and around the world fan eventlike no other.
Kyle Fox (06:48):
That started in Anaheim, california, and it has
wow really spiraled and growninto great proportions ever
since, and I know a ton of hugeannouncements come out of that,
a ton of great content comes outof that.
You know how is the planningfor that?
I imagine that it's years inadvance.
Knowing that it happens everytwo years, it is yeah.
Michael Vargo (07:05):
And last year's event was unlike any other.
We actually rebranded the event.
It's no longer a D23 Expobecause it's so much more than
an Expo.
We now call it the D23, theultimate Disney fan event, and
it is truly a week-longcelebration of our fans.
We've actually outgrew thevenue that we were in.
(07:27):
We basically took over theAnaheim Convention Center, as
you mentioned every other year,and it has grown beyond that.
We're now at the Honda Centeras well, which is a huge arena
here in Anaheim where theAnaheim Ducks play.
We did an Angel Stadiumtakeover.
We did D23 night at the Angelgame.
We had a D23 day at Disneyland,where we celebrated everyone at
(07:51):
Disneyland with a specialparade and giveaways.
I mean, it has really justgrown into this week-long
celebration and it's prettyincredible Full of announcements
, full of panels andpresentations, an incredible
interactive show floor and lotsof shopping, which we know our
fans love to do.
So it's really a great eventunlike any other and only
(08:13):
something really truly Disneycan do and only Disney can
deliver.
Kyle Fox (08:17):
Yeah, certainly, and I know that you know.
Even our partners at DisneyTheatrical Group have a presence
there every two years as well.
That's really exciting to see.
I mean, do you have anyfavorite moments from the
planning or even from the exposin general?
Michael Vargo (08:30):
Yeah, Well, you mentioned, we actually start
planning the next one the dayafter the other one finished.
We might take a day off, but wepretty much start right away.
So it is quite an undertakingto pull together.
(08:52):
So it is quite an undertakingto pull together, but we have
incredible partners and everyonearound the entire Walt Disney
Company really gathers together.
It's one of their favoritethings to Disney on Broadway, as
you mentioned, so many parts ofDisney are a part of this
incredible fan convention.
I have to say I love the one ofmy favorite parts of this whole
(09:13):
event is the mouse parade thatwe do.
This is a fan costume contestthat we put on and it is truly
for the fans and put on by thefans, which is pretty unique and
special.
These fans create theseincredible costumes by hand and
recreate these incrediblecharacters that they actually
(09:37):
develop and showcase at thisevent and it's like a fashion
show, but it's a costume contestand it's so great to see the
fans just celebrate theirfavorites.
It's pretty incredible to puttogether and to see come to life
on stage.
Kyle Fox (09:53):
I love that.
That's so great.
I mean, I know it's someaudience questions.
I just want to ask one morebefore we get into them.
But so much is announced, somuch is shown.
How do you sort of, what arethe rules of the road for how
you decide what fans get accessto, what is a priority for them
over the rest of your audiences?
Michael Vargo (10:14):
Yeah, you know that's what's so unique about
D23 is we really want to be thefirst for the fans, so they are
the first to hear about could bea special announcement or a
project or an upcoming filmslate that we're putting out
there.
We want the fans to be engagedand really hear about what's
coming to Disney, because that'swhat we hear they want from us,
(10:35):
and really take a look behindthe curtain and give them a deep
dive into what creates ourincredible stories from films
and theme park attractions.
So we engage a lot of creatorsaround the company, from our
Imagineers, animators, writers,filmmakers, you name it.
(10:57):
They all want to be a part ofthe storytelling and really give
the fans a deep dive into thebackground of some of these
incredible stories.
Kyle Fox (11:06):
That's great, Peter.
Peter Yagecic (11:07):
I know we have some questions from the audience
, so I'd love to hear whateveryone's thinking
(11:31):
opportunities have you found inengaging Disney fans beyond
California and Florida, where somuch of the Disney
infrastructure is?
You talked a little bit aboutwhat you do in Anaheim, what you
do in the parks, but what areyou doing nationally and
internationally to include thefans who aren't in one of those
areas?
Michael Vargo (11:44):
Yeah, you know it's a great question.
We have fans all over the world.
They're not just concentratedin California and Florida where
our domestic theme parks are,and we really try to lean into
our fandom celebrationthroughout the year and
throughout the country andthroughout the world a live,
(12:13):
interactive way to engage withour fans across the world and
they get to experience a D23event and be a part of the D23
event experience.
We do a lot of traveling eventsas well throughout the country
and we've actually brought D23Expo, which we had called it
previously, to Tokyo.
We have been to Japan threetimes and then, most recently in
November of last year, we tookD23, the ultimate Disney fan
(12:37):
event, down to Sao Paulo, brazil, which was quite an experience
really, to, you know, have a fun, interactive experience with
our fans in South America and itwas really incredible.
So, yes, we definitely knowthere's fans everywhere and
we're really excited to bringmore of D23 to them.
Peter Yagecic (12:57):
Did you do the Mouse Garade in Sao Paulo as
well?
Because my brain is puttingthose things together and I bet
that was amazing.
Michael Vargo (13:05):
You know we did not do Mouse Garade the official
contest, but the cosplay thatcame out in Brazil and in
Anaheim at our biannual event isunlike any other.
I mean folks come dressed up intheir favorite Disney
characters and really get intothe character stories.
It's really fun to watch.
Peter Yagecic (13:25):
Well, maybe we have time for one more audience
question.
Then I'll kick it back to you,Kyle.
So this is from Julia, formerJungle Cruise skipper, who's
loving this conversation.
When you're planning a D23activation surrounding a
specific property, how do younavigate, working and
collaborating with multiplelines of business?
And maybe you can tell us alittle bit about the other hats
that you wear, Michael, inaddition to overseeing D23.
(13:47):
Does that help?
Michael Vargo (13:48):
Yes, Thank you to overseeing D23.
Does that help?
Yes, Thank you.
Yes, D23 is everything Disneyacross the entire Walt Disney
Company.
So we work very closely with alot of our partners around the
company to do some engagingcontent, create some incredible
event experiences for the fans,and they are just as excited to
be around it as well.
(14:09):
We talk about priorities thatare coming up throughout the
well, we talk about prioritiesthat are coming up throughout
the year.
We think about, you know, Liloand Stitch release, or the
Fantastic Four from Marvel'scoming out this summer, or
Freakier Friday all these Disneyfan favorites and really want
to rally behind them in a bigway.
And then not only that, butcelebrate these incredible
anniversaries and milestonesthat we know our fans love
(14:29):
throughout the year.
We're celebrating a GoofyMovie's 30th anniversary this
year with a big D23 activationtaking place across the United
States.
You can go to these differentmovie theaters and have a really
fun in-person fan experience tocelebrate a Goofy Movie, which
this nostalgia and looking backat some of these Disney
(14:52):
properties are what fans reallycrave and what they really love.
So we want to do more of thatthroughout the year and working
across the company to engage ourpartners with.
That is pretty incredible.
And, yes, I also oversee notonly D23, but our corporate
events group as well as the WaltDisney Archives, and it's an
incredible synergy ofdepartments that work hand in
(15:14):
hand to help support one anotherand leverage a lot of our
content and our staff to reallydeliver some great experiences,
not only for our D23 fans, butmaybe some of our Disney
employees as well and some ofour other partners and the
archives.
We can just go on and on aboutthat.
It's a treasure trove ofincredible assets and
(15:35):
collections over the past 100years of the company.
Kyle Fox (15:39):
Yeah, I know there are probably a ton of people on
here that could listen to youtalk for hours about what's in
the archives, and I love thesort of synergy of the archives
meeting together with corporateevents to really serve as fandom
too, you know, do you find thatanything you discover in D23
actually makes its way into therest of the Walt Disney Company?
(15:59):
Does it affect you know the waythat studios look at movies or
that any of the other businessesreally look at their products?
Michael Vargo (16:08):
Absolutely.
I mean, that's first andforemost.
We listen to our fans andthat's what's so great about D23
.
It provides a platform for usto really engage with the fans
and hear from them firsthand.
You know we know the moviesthey love because they go see
them over and over again.
You know we actually send themonto the red carpets at times or
(16:28):
we invite them to some of ourHollywood premieres so they
really get to be a part of thatwhole experience.
And our partners always arelooking to D23 to say, hey, how
can we get this out to the fansfirst?
We want them to be the first toyou know, have a look at this
new product that's making itsway onto the shelves and have
them an opportunity to purchaseit first.
(16:50):
So there's some really greatopportunities that we put across
the whole company to our fans.
Kyle Fox (16:56):
There's so much care that it seems like is taken with
your relationship with fans.
Are there any big no-no's whenit comes to fan engagement, like
things that you avoid or thingsthat you really keep in mind?
Michael Vargo (17:09):
You know, I think , first and foremost, we never
want to neglect or ignore ourfans.
I think it's so important tohear their voice and keep them
engaged with the companythroughout the year and really
look at all of our content andall of the experiences that we
do from the fans' perspective.
What are they looking for?
Give them more of what theywant.
(17:30):
We want to really go bigger andbetter and deliver on what the
fans' perspective.
What are they looking for?
Give them more of what theywant.
We want to really go bigger andbetter and deliver on what the
fans are craving.
So I think listening to thefans is so important and we
never want to go back on beingauthentic.
Peter Yagecic (17:46):
Fandom Unpacked is brought to you by Situation,
an award-winning marketingagency built for live
entertainment that champions thepower of unforgettable shared
experiences around the world.
We offer full marketing andcreative services for
experience-based brands in liveentertainment, attractions,
theater, sports, arts andculture, and more.
Check us out atSituationInteractivecom.
(18:07):
Now back to our Q&A.
Kyle Fox (18:13):
I want to talk a little bit about partnerships.
I know that there are a ton ofpartnerships, and, you know, not
just within the Walt DisneyCompany but outside too.
You know how do you collaboratewith other brands.
You know, still staying true tothe Disney legacy.
Michael Vargo (18:25):
Yeah, so I mean Disney.
The whole Walt Disney Companyhas had a long history, back
when Walt originally founded thecompany, with some incredible
partnerships that he establishedwith especially with Mickey
Mouse bringing it into the world, really created some great
partnerships with differentcompanies and lines of
(18:46):
businesses, and still holds truetoday.
I mean we just announced agreat partnership with Formula
One, which is pretty exciting todo, and lots of great
partnerships and licensees thatwe do with a lot of different
brands and characters throughoutthe year.
And D23 is great to be thethroughput for some of those fan
(19:07):
engagement opportunities,especially at our Ultimate
Disney Fan Event.
We have a lot of our partnersshowcased there as well for
folks to look at, shop purchaseand celebrate their fans in
different ways with differentpartnerships.
Kyle Fox (19:23):
Yeah, peter, I want to also give a chance for you to
give us any audience questions,damien, if you have anything as
well.
Peter Yagecic (19:32):
I got one more from the audience.
This is from Caitlin and it'svery diplomatic the way she
phrased this.
With your passionate fan base,you inevitably get fans who
express that passion through akeen eye and sometimes
resistance to change.
How do you balance nostalgiaand innovation?
Michael Vargo (19:50):
Yeah, you know, nostalgia is so important for
D23 and for the Walt DisneyCompany when you think about all
the different milestones andanniversaries that we have
throughout the year.
We want to celebrate those in abig way with our fans.
We actually just did a D23event this past weekend to
celebrate Cinderella's 75thanniversary.
So when you have a property anda franchise that has such great
(20:14):
legacy, such as Cinderella's75th, it's important to
celebrate it with the fans in abig way.
And, as I mentioned, a goofymovie earlier and we want to
celebrate these incrediblethings.
Disneyland's 70th is happeningright now.
These incredible thingsDisneyland 70th is happening
right now.
It's a big anniversary year forus.
So we do really want to hearkenback to what our fans love
about.
You know their childhoodmemories.
(20:35):
What was your first Disneymoment?
We love to lean into that andbring more of that to the fans.
I mean, I remember that's whatI want and that's what our team
wants to deliver here, and we'reexcited to do more of that with
the fans.
Damian Bazadona (20:51):
What's your advice for holding it all
together?
And I ask that just in thesense of hey, I'd say you guys
make it look easy In a way.
I know you're going to sayobviously it's not easy, but I
think for a lot of the otherbrands that are on here right
now, there's a fair number ofpeople here that are responsible
for fandom in theirorganizations.
How do you manage, like, how doyou think about even with your
team, managing the priorities?
(21:12):
It's like no plan survivesfirst attack in fandom.
We know this and the amount ofreleases and announcements and
expectations of your fans alignthat with the disney
expectations, because I thinkpeople expect excellence with
disney, which you guys have tocarry that.
How do you just i'm'm curious,how, with your team, and how you
guys think about that?
What's the special sauce?
If you were to kind of think ofa special sauce, you think you
(21:34):
guys do really well.
Michael Vargo (21:35):
Yeah, a couple things on that, you know.
I think first and foremost, wereally want to create some
bespoke experiences that onlyDisney can deliver, and we have
very high bars that we need touh, to overcome and we want to
deliver that to the fans in abig way.
We don't only want to meet, butwe want to exceed their
(21:56):
expectations with everythingthat we do and create some
incredible content for them andexperiences.
And you know and I think it allstarts with our team we are
true disney fans and you knowthat's a big important part of
this and how all this comestogether is that we're a
department of Disney enthusiastsourselves with varying
(22:17):
backgrounds and varying Disneyfandoms across the department.
So we love to hear about whatsome of our own team members
want to experience and see andgo back to some of their
childhood memories.
Some are fresh out of schooland some of us, like myself,
have been here for over 30 yearsat the Walt Disney Company, so
(22:38):
we know what is true to ourhearts and how we can bring that
out to the Disney fans.
That's great.
Kyle Fox (22:47):
Michael, do you have a favorite memory from D23?
Over the years, I mean, you'vebeen going 16 years strong now,
so there's got to be somethingyou've really.
That's really you know youreally love.
Michael Vargo (22:58):
Yeah, so many remarkable experiences, you know
it is hard to identify just one.
I have to say, my favoritething every time we do a D23
event and especially at ourUltimate Disney Fan event that
we do in Anaheim is when thedoors first open to this
convention center and you havetens of thousands of fans
(23:21):
pouring into the event, into theshow floor, with such
enthusiasm, big smiles on theirface.
They're all dressed up in theirDisney best and they are just
there to have fun and reallyhave a great time.
And all this hard work thatwe've been putting into this
event or this project we'redoing it for them, and if it
(23:44):
wasn't for them we wouldn't behere.
So you know, they're the reasonwhy we do what we do and it's
so great to see their excitementas they enter a Disney
experience for the first timemany of them, which is really
special.
I have to say that's one of thehighlights of my job.
Damian Bazadona (24:03):
How do you measure success?
And I know there's some obviousones right of how many
registrants, like how long theystay on, but are there other
measurements that you look at?
Kind of going all right?
How do we know if we're doing agreat job?
Michael Vargo (24:14):
Yeah, you know we always talk about are we
connecting with our fans and ouraudience?
You know, really, are wecreating some really great
content?
Is this really what the fanswant?
And we hear from them and weget their feedback.
They're a very vocal group ofDisney enthusiasts, so we love
to hear from them and we look athow do we continue to build our
(24:36):
community.
You know, as we grow the fanclub, as we grow D23 and grow
our fan engagement, we thinkthose are incredible important
markers to hit throughout theyear.
Kyle Fox (24:47):
Peter, do we have any uh questions from the audience
that we want to bring?
Peter Yagecic (24:50):
up.
We've got a couple more I'dlove to to tee up.
Um, this one was from emma,which I thought this was really
a great question, and that Ithink we have a lot of marketers
who are on the live streamtoday.
So I think this is one thatwe'd love to hear your thoughts
on.
How do you think about thecadence and volume of news,
events and products that you'resharing with fans?
Is there such a thing as toomuch or too often?
(25:15):
And you know we get thatquestion a lot on behalf of our
clients.
Michael Vargo (25:16):
So Michael, I'd love to hear your thoughts on
that.
I'm sure you know not for ourfans.
Our fans want it every day, sowe could deliver something
really great a Disney fanexperience and news and
announcements for them all thetime.
Really great Disney fanexperience and news and
announcements for them all thetime, and I don't think it's
never enough.
We have found the good recipefor our ultimate Disney fan
event is every other year.
It does provide us a greatwindow, if you will, of time to
(25:41):
announce some incredibleprojects that might be coming to
our theme parks, some of ourpartnerships, that we're having
new announcements there, ourupcoming film slate from across
the Disney universe as well.
We feel that two-year cadencereally works well for us for
that event and we do lots ofthings, though, throughout the
(26:01):
year too.
That provides a great platformfor announcements and such.
We have Destination D23 comingup to Walt Disney World at the
end of August that we do kind ofin our off years of the bigger
event, and it really againprovides a great, you know,
platform for some exciting fanengagement and announcements as
well.
Kyle Fox (26:21):
What does the future look like for D23?
You've got so much going on.
What do you sort of see?
Michael Vargo (26:26):
the output is yeah, yeah, just more and more.
You know again, we we reallywant to um exceed our fans uh
expectations and deliver more ofwhat they want.
And that's what we constantlygo back and look at um each
event.
And how do we top what we didlast time, how do we do more and
how do we do better?
And that's so important for us.
(26:48):
And you know, last year'sultimate Disney fan event was,
like I said, unlike any otherwe've ever done before and it
was the biggest fan event inDisney's history.
So how do we even top that thenext time we go out?
And that's always somethingwe're challenged with, but love
to do it, we love to be a partof that whole exercise, and
(27:09):
engaging with the fansthroughout the year is so
important because it reallyhelps us craft what we want to
do next time.
Peter Yagecic (27:17):
This question was from Graham and it kind of
relates to the last one fromEmma on some level, because you
said there's never enoughcommunication for fans.
Graham says I love that you putfan in the name of what was the
D23 Expo.
How are Disney fans differentfrom Disney guests?
Do you delineate between thetwo or what are some things that
(27:38):
you see as different betweenyour amazing guests who join you
in the parks or on the cruisesand then that fan?
Is there any language you useto differentiate?
Michael Vargo (27:46):
Yeah, I think you know it's a great question.
I think Disney fans areeverywhere and they're part of
Disney every day.
We have some I think I want tocall I don't know if I'll label
anything a Disney casual fan,but you look at that versus the
D23 members, which are on adifferent level level, we have
(28:06):
very highly engaged, highlypassionate, highly motivated
fans, um, that are that wantdisney every day in their life,
and I think that's a bigdifferentiator, where you have
more of a casual fan that mightgo to a theme park with their
family once every few years.
Our d23 members go to the themeparks daily, weekly, monthly,
um.
(28:26):
As I mentioned earlier, they gosee the movies over and over
again with their friends andfamily, and D23 has been really
an incredible community of fansin that they've established
lifelong friendships together.
They now take cruises together,they go on vacations together,
they go see these moviestogether.
So it's really a community ofDisney fans unlike any other,
(28:49):
where I think it's on adifferent level than someone who
might go see a Disney movie nowand then or visit our theme
parks.
Peter Yagecic (28:58):
Great, we got a question from Daniel as well,
which is kind of forward-looking.
So the next big D23 is in 2026,right A year from now.
Michael Vargo (29:09):
Well, we haven't announced what we're doing with
the next big Ultimate Disney fanevent.
More to come.
Our next big D23 event is atDestination D23 in Walt Disney
World at the end of August, gotit?
Peter Yagecic (29:20):
Not trying to make you break any news here,
I'm just putting together theevery other year.
Blame me if you have anycomplaints.
All good, all good.
But Daniel's question is moregeneric, about looking into the
future.
With fan expectations evolvingrapidly which we see in a lot of
the conversations we have andplanning years in advance, how
do you anticipate and adapt toemerging trends in fandom or
(29:42):
digital engagement?
You talked about some virtualfan events, anything that you're
kind of really excited about inthat space of what fandom could
look like two, five years fromnow.
Michael Vargo (29:52):
Yeah, it's a great question.
I think when we established D23back in 2009, think about what
has evolved in the world andtrends ever since then we did
not have influencers in 2009like we do today.
Social media was not asprevalent in 2009 as it is today
, and that's what our fans loveso much is to share their fandom
(30:14):
with others, and this gives usa platform to do that with, and
I think we're staying on top ofwhat fans really want.
Technologies are emerging allthe time and we see a lot of
that at our company here, ofcourse, and we're really leaning
into that in big ways.
So, yes, we're staying on topof it.
(30:35):
I think that's so important forthe future growth of not only
D23, but our entire company isto stay abreast and on top of
these new emerging technologiesand how do we apply those to our
fans and have our fans reallyinteract with us in different
ways.
So being relevant is soimportant for all of us to be
(30:56):
successful.
Peter Yagecic (30:58):
Speaking of innovation, I saw the Disney
panel at South by Southwest thisyear, where the droids came out
on stage, which was just trulythat was amazing, mind-blowing,
Kyle.
Any final thoughts, or Damien,before we wrap up?
Kyle Fox (31:12):
we're getting close to time, yeah no, I mean, it's
just I love what you said thatthese are people who want Disney
in their life every single day.
And just sort of thinking aboutyour day, I mean, what does
that look like?
What does your day-to-day looklike?
What does your team'sday-to-day look like?
I imagine there's so muchdetail involved in that
apartments every single day.
Michael Vargo (31:32):
No, two days are ever alike.
For me, anyway, it's chock fullof meetings and lots of
brainstorming and creativediscussions about what we're
(31:55):
doing with D23, with the WaltDisney Archives, and new event
ideas that we're puttingtogether for our employees and
some of our internal events.
So lots of great opportunity,and we have so many different
things happening throughout thecompany throughout the year.
No day is the same.
(32:16):
It is something special everyday.
That's what I love about events.
That's what I love about D23,is that you can have something
fresh and new every single day,every single week.
It's really great.
It's not your typical nine-tofive job.
I'll just say that.
Kyle Fox (32:31):
Yeah, I'm sure everybody on this webinar is
excited to see what happens next.
Yeah, amy, and I'll kick itover to you if you have a last
question.
Damian Bazadona (32:38):
Yeah, no, actually I don't.
I feel like you've.
I think.
I just want to say thank you,michael.
I think it's been incredibleand I think, opening for the we
have a great turnout today asobviously a lot of interest in
the topic um, and I justappreciate how quickly you came
to the table and would justoffer to do this.
It's great.
I'm actually going.
I'm going to the Disneymusicals in schools program at 2
30 today, so building, buildingnew fans every day, which is
(33:01):
just, I think, another amazingprogram by Disney.
Um, but thank you, michael.
You're listening to Fandom Unpacked the podcast,
an audio version of our regularlive stream series where we
unpack modern fandom with someof the brightest minds in sports
and entertainment.
I'm producer Peter Yagisic, andjoining me for today's Q&A is
Situation CEO and founder,Damian Bazzadana, and account
group director for All ThingsDisney, Kyle Fox.
Bazzadana and Account GroupDirector for All Things Disney,
(00:26):
Kyle Fox.
Our guest today from the WaltDisney Company is Michael Vargo,
Senior Vice President of D23,the official Disney fan club.
Michael also oversees corporateevents and the Walt Disney
Archives.
Here's Damian to get us started.
Damian Bazadona (00:38):
So first off, michael, thank you for taking
the time to do this.
I know there's a lot going on,it's always busy but it means a
lot and obviously Disney is themecca of fandom and we could
tell we have a big audiencetoday.
We could see it from arts,sports, travel.
It's a really impressive listof folks so there's obviously
big interest in coming.
I just want to say up front,aside from the marketing
(00:59):
excellence that I know Disney isobviously amazing at, I just
also think it needs to be saidof how impressive I think the
organization is at large.
I've been in the business fortwo decades, so nowhere near the
Disney length of longevity, butthe folks at Disney have been a
top-notch organization at everytouchpoint we've had over the
years and you get a good checkof a character, of how people
(01:22):
behave when no one is watching,and I feel like all my
experiences in the Disneyuniverse is they focus on doing
the right thing.
And as a business owner in aspace and I've worked a lot with
the theater folks here, bothother divisions it's
heartwarmingly impressive to meBecause I will say, generally
speaking, the larger theorganization, I would say
usually it's kind of theopposite paradigm where the
warmth isn't there and it justremains extremely impressive to
(01:45):
me.
All the people that I meet andhow good they've been actually
to the community not just ourcompany, but just the
communities they play in I thinkis extremely impressive.
So I try to say that out loudevery time I can say that,
because I think it needs to besaid out loud.
So just thank you and Michael,thank you for taking the time.
Within minutes.
You responded and said how canI help?
Which is just very Disney.
So thank you, I appreciate ittruly.
I want to turn the mic over toKyle.
I think, kyle, I think it'd begreat for you to run point.
(02:05):
I know Kyle has a ton ofquestions.
You oversee a lot of our workin the Disney ecosystem.
I usually like to hog the mic.
I have a million questionsmyself, but I'm going to
respectfully pass the mic hereand be back later, kyle take.
Kyle Fox (02:19):
We're so excited to have you here.
We're huge fans of everythingthat Disney does.
Our project director, natalieAult, has been a member of D23
since the beginning.
She is a gold member and so butI would love to hear you know
from you, you know, what is D23all about and sort of what makes
(02:39):
it the ultimate fan experience.
Michael Vargo (02:40):
Yeah Well, first of all, thank you again for
having me Excited to be here,and I hope you do know what D23
stands for.
A lot of people really don't,and so the D is a given.
I hope I don't need to explainthat one.
But 23 is in reference to whenthe company was founded back in
1923.
So we're kind of harkening backto our origins of the company
(03:03):
and really celebrating the last100 years of the company with
D23.
So D23, we are a membership fanclub and it's more than just a
membership club.
It is truly a community of ourmost passionate fans.
These are the fans that want tobe a part of Disney every
(03:23):
single day of their life andthey wake up every morning.
They want to check out thelatest and greatest of Disney.
They go to our theme parks alot.
They love to take vacationswith Disney.
They love to go see our moviesover and over again with their
friends and family.
So these are our mostpassionate fans.
These are folks that just filltheir tank every day with Disney
(03:45):
and we're excited to be a partof their community as well, and
they're excited to be a part ofDisney's community.
Kyle Fox (03:51):
That's so great to hear, and I mean, it's such a
huge multi-generational fan base.
You know, I'd love to hear fromyou how does Disney nurture
that fan base, how does yourteam really celebrate them as
well?
Michael Vargo (04:05):
Yeah, you know what's so great about Disney?
We're not just a brand.
I like to think of us as alifestyle, in that there is
something for everyone, and youtalk about multi-generational.
I mean there's truly over 100years of great storytelling
across the Disney ecosystem, andyou think about everything from
not only our Disney pillars,but Star Wars, marvel, pixar.
(04:30):
You could love theme parks.
You could love Lilo and Stitch.
You know there's so manydifferent characters and so many
different avenues to go downwith your Disney fandom and
that's what we love to do iscelebrate everything Disney and
everything that falls in theDisney enterprise.
Kyle Fox (04:50):
Yeah, I mean so much has been added to.
You know what constitutesDisney these days, and I'm sure
that means that the fan base hasreally evolved.
You know, how has the inclusionof things like Marvel, star
Wars, how has that changed?
Michael Vargo (05:04):
D23?
It's really been great.
Actually, it's a nice synergy.
I mean, we find this incrediblecrossover of fandom across
these different properties ofDisney and they come and
celebrate these at our events.
Not only do Disney events, butwe do really fun branded events
(05:25):
for our Star Wars enthusiasts orMarvel fans or theme park fans,
so there really truly issomething for everyone and we
really lean into the fandomthat's out there across the
universe.
Kyle Fox (05:37):
Yeah, you know I want to go back a little bit too, and
you know what were the originsof it, what really started it?
And I know that the Expo is ahuge part of this too, and I'd
love to hear how that started aswell.
Michael Vargo (05:48):
Yeah, absolutely Well.
D23, we actually created backin 2009.
Really wanted to be a—reallyget our fans together and make
them feel part of the company,and that's what we heard from a
lot of our fans and guests isthat they really wanted to be
part of Disney.
What we heard from a lot of ourfans and guests is that they
really wanted to be part ofDisney and we wanted to be the
(06:12):
truth of Source if you will beauthentic and really communicate
with our fans so they can hearfrom the Source and not through
other fan blogs or things thatwere really prevalent at the
time.
So really got everyone aroundthe company together to create
this incredible fan club, theofficial Disney fan club and
really celebrate our fansconstantly throughout the year
and around the world fan eventlike no other.
Kyle Fox (06:48):
That started in Anaheim, california, and it has
wow really spiraled and growninto great proportions ever
since, and I know a ton of hugeannouncements come out of that,
a ton of great content comes outof that.
You know how is the planningfor that?
I imagine that it's years inadvance.
Knowing that it happens everytwo years, it is yeah.
Michael Vargo (07:05):
And last year's event was unlike any other.
We actually rebranded the event.
It's no longer a D23 Expobecause it's so much more than
an Expo.
We now call it the D23, theultimate Disney fan event, and
it is truly a week-longcelebration of our fans.
We've actually outgrew thevenue that we were in.
(07:27):
We basically took over theAnaheim Convention Center, as
you mentioned every other year,and it has grown beyond that.
We're now at the Honda Centeras well, which is a huge arena
here in Anaheim where theAnaheim Ducks play.
We did an Angel Stadiumtakeover.
We did D23 night at the Angelgame.
We had a D23 day at Disneyland,where we celebrated everyone at
(07:51):
Disneyland with a specialparade and giveaways.
I mean, it has really justgrown into this week-long
celebration and it's prettyincredible Full of announcements
, full of panels andpresentations, an incredible
interactive show floor and lotsof shopping, which we know our
fans love to do.
So it's really a great eventunlike any other and only
(08:13):
something really truly Disneycan do and only Disney can
deliver.
Kyle Fox (08:17):
Yeah, certainly, and I know that you know.
Even our partners at DisneyTheatrical Group have a presence
there every two years as well.
That's really exciting to see.
I mean, do you have anyfavorite moments from the
planning or even from the exposin general?
Michael Vargo (08:30):
Yeah, Well, you mentioned, we actually start
planning the next one the dayafter the other one finished.
We might take a day off, but wepretty much start right away.
So it is quite an undertakingto pull together.
(08:52):
So it is quite an undertakingto pull together, but we have
incredible partners and everyonearound the entire Walt Disney
Company really gathers together.
It's one of their favoritethings to Disney on Broadway, as
you mentioned, so many parts ofDisney are a part of this
incredible fan convention.
I have to say I love the one ofmy favorite parts of this whole
(09:13):
event is the mouse parade thatwe do.
This is a fan costume contestthat we put on and it is truly
for the fans and put on by thefans, which is pretty unique and
special.
These fans create theseincredible costumes by hand and
recreate these incrediblecharacters that they actually
(09:37):
develop and showcase at thisevent and it's like a fashion
show, but it's a costume contestand it's so great to see the
fans just celebrate theirfavorites.
It's pretty incredible to puttogether and to see come to life
on stage.
Kyle Fox (09:53):
I love that.
That's so great.
I mean, I know it's someaudience questions.
I just want to ask one morebefore we get into them.
But so much is announced, somuch is shown.
How do you sort of, what arethe rules of the road for how
you decide what fans get accessto, what is a priority for them
over the rest of your audiences?
Michael Vargo (10:14):
Yeah, you know that's what's so unique about
D23 is we really want to be thefirst for the fans, so they are
the first to hear about could bea special announcement or a
project or an upcoming filmslate that we're putting out
there.
We want the fans to be engagedand really hear about what's
coming to Disney, because that'swhat we hear they want from us,
(10:35):
and really take a look behindthe curtain and give them a deep
dive into what creates ourincredible stories from films
and theme park attractions.
So we engage a lot of creatorsaround the company, from our
Imagineers, animators, writers,filmmakers, you name it.
(10:57):
They all want to be a part ofthe storytelling and really give
the fans a deep dive into thebackground of some of these
incredible stories.
Kyle Fox (11:06):
That's great, Peter.
Peter Yagecic (11:07):
I know we have some questions from the audience
, so I'd love to hear whateveryone's thinking
(11:31):
opportunities have you found inengaging Disney fans beyond
California and Florida, where somuch of the Disney
infrastructure is?
You talked a little bit aboutwhat you do in Anaheim, what you
do in the parks, but what areyou doing nationally and
internationally to include thefans who aren't in one of those
areas?
Michael Vargo (11:44):
Yeah, you know it's a great question.
We have fans all over the world.
They're not just concentratedin California and Florida where
our domestic theme parks are,and we really try to lean into
our fandom celebrationthroughout the year and
throughout the country andthroughout the world a live,
(12:13):
interactive way to engage withour fans across the world and
they get to experience a D23event and be a part of the D23
event experience.
We do a lot of traveling eventsas well throughout the country
and we've actually brought D23Expo, which we had called it
previously, to Tokyo.
We have been to Japan threetimes and then, most recently in
November of last year, we tookD23, the ultimate Disney fan
(12:37):
event, down to Sao Paulo, brazil, which was quite an experience
really, to, you know, have a fun, interactive experience with
our fans in South America and itwas really incredible.
So, yes, we definitely knowthere's fans everywhere and
we're really excited to bringmore of D23 to them.
Peter Yagecic (12:57):
Did you do the Mouse Garade in Sao Paulo as
well?
Because my brain is puttingthose things together and I bet
that was amazing.
Michael Vargo (13:05):
You know we did not do Mouse Garade the official
contest, but the cosplay thatcame out in Brazil and in
Anaheim at our biannual event isunlike any other.
I mean folks come dressed up intheir favorite Disney
characters and really get intothe character stories.
It's really fun to watch.
Peter Yagecic (13:25):
Well, maybe we have time for one more audience
question.
Then I'll kick it back to you,Kyle.
So this is from Julia, formerJungle Cruise skipper, who's
loving this conversation.
When you're planning a D23activation surrounding a
specific property, how do younavigate, working and
collaborating with multiplelines of business?
And maybe you can tell us alittle bit about the other hats
that you wear, Michael, inaddition to overseeing D23.
(13:47):
Does that help?
Michael Vargo (13:48):
Yes, Thank you to overseeing D23.
Does that help?
Yes, Thank you.
Yes, D23 is everything Disneyacross the entire Walt Disney
Company.
So we work very closely with alot of our partners around the
company to do some engagingcontent, create some incredible
event experiences for the fans,and they are just as excited to
be around it as well.
(14:09):
We talk about priorities thatare coming up throughout the
well, we talk about prioritiesthat are coming up throughout
the year.
We think about, you know, Liloand Stitch release, or the
Fantastic Four from Marvel'scoming out this summer, or
Freakier Friday all these Disneyfan favorites and really want
to rally behind them in a bigway.
And then not only that, butcelebrate these incredible
anniversaries and milestonesthat we know our fans love
(14:29):
throughout the year.
We're celebrating a GoofyMovie's 30th anniversary this
year with a big D23 activationtaking place across the United
States.
You can go to these differentmovie theaters and have a really
fun in-person fan experience tocelebrate a Goofy Movie, which
this nostalgia and looking backat some of these Disney
(14:52):
properties are what fans reallycrave and what they really love.
So we want to do more of thatthroughout the year and working
across the company to engage ourpartners with.
That is pretty incredible.
And, yes, I also oversee notonly D23, but our corporate
events group as well as the WaltDisney Archives, and it's an
incredible synergy ofdepartments that work hand in
(15:14):
hand to help support one anotherand leverage a lot of our
content and our staff to reallydeliver some great experiences,
not only for our D23 fans, butmaybe some of our Disney
employees as well and some ofour other partners and the
archives.
We can just go on and on aboutthat.
It's a treasure trove ofincredible assets and
(15:35):
collections over the past 100years of the company.
Kyle Fox (15:39):
Yeah, I know there are probably a ton of people on
here that could listen to youtalk for hours about what's in
the archives, and I love thesort of synergy of the archives
meeting together with corporateevents to really serve as fandom
too, you know, do you find thatanything you discover in D23
actually makes its way into therest of the Walt Disney Company?
(15:59):
Does it affect you know the waythat studios look at movies or
that any of the other businessesreally look at their products?
Michael Vargo (16:08):
Absolutely.
I mean, that's first andforemost.
We listen to our fans andthat's what's so great about D23
.
It provides a platform for usto really engage with the fans
and hear from them firsthand.
You know we know the moviesthey love because they go see
them over and over again.
You know we actually send themonto the red carpets at times or
(16:28):
we invite them to some of ourHollywood premieres so they
really get to be a part of thatwhole experience.
And our partners always arelooking to D23 to say, hey, how
can we get this out to the fansfirst?
We want them to be the first toyou know, have a look at this
new product that's making itsway onto the shelves and have
them an opportunity to purchaseit first.
(16:50):
So there's some really greatopportunities that we put across
the whole company to our fans.
Kyle Fox (16:56):
There's so much care that it seems like is taken with
your relationship with fans.
Are there any big no-no's whenit comes to fan engagement, like
things that you avoid or thingsthat you really keep in mind?
Michael Vargo (17:09):
You know, I think , first and foremost, we never
want to neglect or ignore ourfans.
I think it's so important tohear their voice and keep them
engaged with the companythroughout the year and really
look at all of our content andall of the experiences that we
do from the fans' perspective.
What are they looking for?
Give them more of what theywant.
(17:30):
We want to really go bigger andbetter and deliver on what the
fans' perspective.
What are they looking for?
Give them more of what theywant.
We want to really go bigger andbetter and deliver on what the
fans are craving.
So I think listening to thefans is so important and we
never want to go back on beingauthentic.
Peter Yagecic (17:46):
Fandom Unpacked is brought to you by Situation,
an award-winning marketingagency built for live
entertainment that champions thepower of unforgettable shared
experiences around the world.
We offer full marketing andcreative services for
experience-based brands in liveentertainment, attractions,
theater, sports, arts andculture, and more.
Check us out atSituationInteractivecom.
(18:07):
Now back to our Q&A.
Kyle Fox (18:13):
I want to talk a little bit about partnerships.
I know that there are a ton ofpartnerships, and, you know, not
just within the Walt DisneyCompany but outside too.
You know how do you collaboratewith other brands.
You know, still staying true tothe Disney legacy.
Michael Vargo (18:25):
Yeah, so I mean Disney.
The whole Walt Disney Companyhas had a long history, back
when Walt originally founded thecompany, with some incredible
partnerships that he establishedwith especially with Mickey
Mouse bringing it into the world, really created some great
partnerships with differentcompanies and lines of
(18:46):
businesses, and still holds truetoday.
I mean we just announced agreat partnership with Formula
One, which is pretty exciting todo, and lots of great
partnerships and licensees thatwe do with a lot of different
brands and characters throughoutthe year.
And D23 is great to be thethroughput for some of those fan
(19:07):
engagement opportunities,especially at our Ultimate
Disney Fan Event.
We have a lot of our partnersshowcased there as well for
folks to look at, shop purchaseand celebrate their fans in
different ways with differentpartnerships.
Kyle Fox (19:23):
Yeah, peter, I want to also give a chance for you to
give us any audience questions,damien, if you have anything as
well.
Peter Yagecic (19:32):
I got one more from the audience.
This is from Caitlin and it'svery diplomatic the way she
phrased this.
With your passionate fan base,you inevitably get fans who
express that passion through akeen eye and sometimes
resistance to change.
How do you balance nostalgiaand innovation?
Michael Vargo (19:50):
Yeah, you know, nostalgia is so important for
D23 and for the Walt DisneyCompany when you think about all
the different milestones andanniversaries that we have
throughout the year.
We want to celebrate those in abig way with our fans.
We actually just did a D23event this past weekend to
celebrate Cinderella's 75thanniversary.
So when you have a property anda franchise that has such great
(20:14):
legacy, such as Cinderella's75th, it's important to
celebrate it with the fans in abig way.
And, as I mentioned, a goofymovie earlier and we want to
celebrate these incrediblethings.
Disneyland's 70th is happeningright now.
These incredible thingsDisneyland 70th is happening
right now.
It's a big anniversary year forus.
So we do really want to hearkenback to what our fans love
about.
You know their childhoodmemories.
(20:35):
What was your first Disneymoment?
We love to lean into that andbring more of that to the fans.
I mean, I remember that's whatI want and that's what our team
wants to deliver here, and we'reexcited to do more of that with
the fans.
Damian Bazadona (20:51):
What's your advice for holding it all
together?
And I ask that just in thesense of hey, I'd say you guys
make it look easy In a way.
I know you're going to sayobviously it's not easy, but I
think for a lot of the otherbrands that are on here right
now, there's a fair number ofpeople here that are responsible
for fandom in theirorganizations.
How do you manage, like, how doyou think about even with your
team, managing the priorities?
(21:12):
It's like no plan survivesfirst attack in fandom.
We know this and the amount ofreleases and announcements and
expectations of your fans alignthat with the disney
expectations, because I thinkpeople expect excellence with
disney, which you guys have tocarry that.
How do you just i'm'm curious,how, with your team, and how you
guys think about that?
What's the special sauce?
If you were to kind of think ofa special sauce, you think you
(21:34):
guys do really well.
Michael Vargo (21:35):
Yeah, a couple things on that, you know.
I think first and foremost, wereally want to create some
bespoke experiences that onlyDisney can deliver, and we have
very high bars that we need touh, to overcome and we want to
deliver that to the fans in abig way.
We don't only want to meet, butwe want to exceed their
(21:56):
expectations with everythingthat we do and create some
incredible content for them andexperiences.
And you know and I think it allstarts with our team we are
true disney fans and you knowthat's a big important part of
this and how all this comestogether is that we're a
department of Disney enthusiastsourselves with varying
(22:17):
backgrounds and varying Disneyfandoms across the department.
So we love to hear about whatsome of our own team members
want to experience and see andgo back to some of their
childhood memories.
Some are fresh out of schooland some of us, like myself,
have been here for over 30 yearsat the Walt Disney Company, so
(22:38):
we know what is true to ourhearts and how we can bring that
out to the Disney fans.
That's great.
Kyle Fox (22:47):
Michael, do you have a favorite memory from D23?
Over the years, I mean, you'vebeen going 16 years strong now,
so there's got to be somethingyou've really.
That's really you know youreally love.
Michael Vargo (22:58):
Yeah, so many remarkable experiences, you know
it is hard to identify just one.
I have to say, my favoritething every time we do a D23
event and especially at ourUltimate Disney Fan event that
we do in Anaheim is when thedoors first open to this
convention center and you havetens of thousands of fans
(23:21):
pouring into the event, into theshow floor, with such
enthusiasm, big smiles on theirface.
They're all dressed up in theirDisney best and they are just
there to have fun and reallyhave a great time.
And all this hard work thatwe've been putting into this
event or this project we'redoing it for them, and if it
(23:44):
wasn't for them we wouldn't behere.
So you know, they're the reasonwhy we do what we do and it's
so great to see their excitementas they enter a Disney
experience for the first timemany of them, which is really
special.
I have to say that's one of thehighlights of my job.
Damian Bazadona (24:03):
How do you measure success?
And I know there's some obviousones right of how many
registrants, like how long theystay on, but are there other
measurements that you look at?
Kind of going all right?
How do we know if we're doing agreat job?
Michael Vargo (24:14):
Yeah, you know we always talk about are we
connecting with our fans and ouraudience?
You know, really, are wecreating some really great
content?
Is this really what the fanswant?
And we hear from them and weget their feedback.
They're a very vocal group ofDisney enthusiasts, so we love
to hear from them and we look athow do we continue to build our
(24:36):
community.
You know, as we grow the fanclub, as we grow D23 and grow
our fan engagement, we thinkthose are incredible important
markers to hit throughout theyear.
Kyle Fox (24:47):
Peter, do we have any uh questions from the audience
that we want to bring?
Peter Yagecic (24:50):
up.
We've got a couple more I'dlove to to tee up.
Um, this one was from emma,which I thought this was really
a great question, and that Ithink we have a lot of marketers
who are on the live streamtoday.
So I think this is one thatwe'd love to hear your thoughts
on.
How do you think about thecadence and volume of news,
events and products that you'resharing with fans?
Is there such a thing as toomuch or too often?
(25:15):
And you know we get thatquestion a lot on behalf of our
clients.
Michael Vargo (25:16):
So Michael, I'd love to hear your thoughts on
that.
I'm sure you know not for ourfans.
Our fans want it every day, sowe could deliver something
really great a Disney fanexperience and news and
announcements for them all thetime.
Really great Disney fanexperience and news and
announcements for them all thetime, and I don't think it's
never enough.
We have found the good recipefor our ultimate Disney fan
event is every other year.
It does provide us a greatwindow, if you will, of time to
(25:41):
announce some incredibleprojects that might be coming to
our theme parks, some of ourpartnerships, that we're having
new announcements there, ourupcoming film slate from across
the Disney universe as well.
We feel that two-year cadencereally works well for us for
that event and we do lots ofthings, though, throughout the
(26:01):
year too.
That provides a great platformfor announcements and such.
We have Destination D23 comingup to Walt Disney World at the
end of August that we do kind ofin our off years of the bigger
event, and it really againprovides a great, you know,
platform for some exciting fanengagement and announcements as
well.
Kyle Fox (26:21):
What does the future look like for D23?
You've got so much going on.
What do you sort of see?
Michael Vargo (26:26):
the output is yeah, yeah, just more and more.
You know again, we we reallywant to um exceed our fans uh
expectations and deliver more ofwhat they want.
And that's what we constantlygo back and look at um each
event.
And how do we top what we didlast time, how do we do more and
how do we do better?
And that's so important for us.
(26:48):
And you know, last year'sultimate Disney fan event was,
like I said, unlike any otherwe've ever done before and it
was the biggest fan event inDisney's history.
So how do we even top that thenext time we go out?
And that's always somethingwe're challenged with, but love
to do it, we love to be a partof that whole exercise, and
(27:09):
engaging with the fansthroughout the year is so
important because it reallyhelps us craft what we want to
do next time.
Peter Yagecic (27:17):
This question was from Graham and it kind of
relates to the last one fromEmma on some level, because you
said there's never enoughcommunication for fans.
Graham says I love that you putfan in the name of what was the
D23 Expo.
How are Disney fans differentfrom Disney guests?
Do you delineate between thetwo or what are some things that
(27:38):
you see as different betweenyour amazing guests who join you
in the parks or on the cruisesand then that fan?
Is there any language you useto differentiate?
Michael Vargo (27:46):
Yeah, I think you know it's a great question.
I think Disney fans areeverywhere and they're part of
Disney every day.
We have some I think I want tocall I don't know if I'll label
anything a Disney casual fan,but you look at that versus the
D23 members, which are on adifferent level level, we have
(28:06):
very highly engaged, highlypassionate, highly motivated
fans, um, that are that wantdisney every day in their life,
and I think that's a bigdifferentiator, where you have
more of a casual fan that mightgo to a theme park with their
family once every few years.
Our d23 members go to the themeparks daily, weekly, monthly,
um.
(28:26):
As I mentioned earlier, they gosee the movies over and over
again with their friends andfamily, and D23 has been really
an incredible community of fansin that they've established
lifelong friendships together.
They now take cruises together,they go on vacations together,
they go see these moviestogether.
So it's really a community ofDisney fans unlike any other,
(28:49):
where I think it's on adifferent level than someone who
might go see a Disney movie nowand then or visit our theme
parks.
Peter Yagecic (28:58):
Great, we got a question from Daniel as well,
which is kind of forward-looking.
So the next big D23 is in 2026,right A year from now.
Michael Vargo (29:09):
Well, we haven't announced what we're doing with
the next big Ultimate Disney fanevent.
More to come.
Our next big D23 event is atDestination D23 in Walt Disney
World at the end of August, gotit?
Peter Yagecic (29:20):
Not trying to make you break any news here,
I'm just putting together theevery other year.
Blame me if you have anycomplaints.
All good, all good.
But Daniel's question is moregeneric, about looking into the
future.
With fan expectations evolvingrapidly which we see in a lot of
the conversations we have andplanning years in advance, how
do you anticipate and adapt toemerging trends in fandom or
(29:42):
digital engagement?
You talked about some virtualfan events, anything that you're
kind of really excited about inthat space of what fandom could
look like two, five years fromnow.
Michael Vargo (29:52):
Yeah, it's a great question.
I think when we established D23back in 2009, think about what
has evolved in the world andtrends ever since then we did
not have influencers in 2009like we do today.
Social media was not asprevalent in 2009 as it is today
, and that's what our fans loveso much is to share their fandom
(30:14):
with others, and this gives usa platform to do that with, and
I think we're staying on top ofwhat fans really want.
Technologies are emerging allthe time and we see a lot of
that at our company here, ofcourse, and we're really leaning
into that in big ways.
So, yes, we're staying on topof it.
(30:35):
I think that's so important forthe future growth of not only
D23, but our entire company isto stay abreast and on top of
these new emerging technologiesand how do we apply those to our
fans and have our fans reallyinteract with us in different
ways.
So being relevant is soimportant for all of us to be
(30:56):
successful.
Peter Yagecic (30:58):
Speaking of innovation, I saw the Disney
panel at South by Southwest thisyear, where the droids came out
on stage, which was just trulythat was amazing, mind-blowing,
Kyle.
Any final thoughts, or Damien,before we wrap up?
Kyle Fox (31:12):
we're getting close to time, yeah no, I mean, it's
just I love what you said thatthese are people who want Disney
in their life every single day.
And just sort of thinking aboutyour day, I mean, what does
that look like?
What does your day-to-day looklike?
What does your team'sday-to-day look like?
I imagine there's so muchdetail involved in that
apartments every single day.
Michael Vargo (31:32):
No, two days are ever alike.
For me, anyway, it's chock fullof meetings and lots of
brainstorming and creativediscussions about what we're
(31:55):
doing with D23, with the WaltDisney Archives, and new event
ideas that we're puttingtogether for our employees and
some of our internal events.
So lots of great opportunity,and we have so many different
things happening throughout thecompany throughout the year.
No day is the same.
(32:16):
It is something special everyday.
That's what I love about events.
That's what I love about D23,is that you can have something
fresh and new every single day,every single week.
It's really great.
It's not your typical nine-tofive job.
I'll just say that.
Kyle Fox (32:31):
Yeah, I'm sure everybody on this webinar is
excited to see what happens next.
Yeah, amy, and I'll kick itover to you if you have a last
question.
Damian Bazadona (32:38):
Yeah, no, actually I don't.
I feel like you've.
I think.
I just want to say thank you,michael.
I think it's been incredibleand I think, opening for the we
have a great turnout today asobviously a lot of interest in
the topic um, and I justappreciate how quickly you came
to the table and would justoffer to do this.
It's great.
I'm actually going.
I'm going to the Disneymusicals in schools program at 2
30 today, so building, buildingnew fans every day, which is
(33:01):
just, I think, another amazingprogram by Disney.
Um, but thank you, michael.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.