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00:00Thank you all. My name is Dana Lee. I am the Outreach and Engagement Director. I lead Disney
00:13on the Yard. So my tribe, right? Who is my tribe? My tribe is my family. They're right
00:19here. It's my mother's birthday today. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that. My tribe
00:25is the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Do we have any HBCU graduates in
00:31the audience? There you go. My tribe is also the lovely ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
00:38Incorporated. So we've got some of the, okay, Soror. So that's my tribe. So I'm going to
00:42ask these ladies, who is your tribe? And when you talk to your tribe, how do you explain
00:48to them these long titles and introductions of what you do with the Walt Disney Company?
00:53Let's have you all answer, but we'll start with Latondra. Okay. Hi, everybody. Can you
00:57hear me okay? Just want to make sure. All right. Well, I'd say my tribe, definitely my sisters.
01:04I have three sisters and two brothers, and my sisters are my tribe for sure. I can call
01:09them. They're my ride or die always. And then, but at work, I actually sort of seek out tribes
01:16in different scenarios. And matter of fact, Ms. Carmen here is a member of a group that we
01:21call the five heartbeats. And we created this. There are five women, five women of color who
01:26get together. We travel together. We call each other to complain about whatever, celebrate each
01:31other. And it's just a tribe that I don't know what I would, what I'd do without.
01:34The five heartbeats. I love that. Ms. Carmen.
01:39I would say similar. Good, good afternoon, everybody. I would say that, you know, my family,
01:44really, my sister and my brother, my parents have both passed, but we are just as tight
01:49as you can be. And they hear me on all levels, when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm angry.
01:55And again, I've got a five heartbeats. I have five incredible sisters that we can share just
02:00about anything, let our guard down and de-stress. So that's my tribe.
02:04Thank you. Jan.
02:05Yes. Well, I have to say that my tribe are the incredible women of Delta Sigma Theta,
02:10Sorority Incorporated. I see some of your sorrows in the audience.
02:14But I also have a tribe because I love to travel and I love to eat. I'm a foodie. So I have a tribe
02:19that I travel with. I have a tribe where we're always eating. And then I have a tribe at Disney
02:26that they're not my biological sisters, but they're my sisters just in faith. And we pray together,
02:33we cry together, we laugh together. So it's great to have these different combinations of tribes.
02:39So while you're saying that, how do you explain to your tribe what you do with the Walt Disney
02:44organization?
02:45Yes. I always like to tell people that I'm a brand storyteller and I like to find a narrative
02:52for a brand, whether it's a Nike or a Verizon Wireless or a McDonald's, and really look at
02:57how do we create that connective tissue to our storytelling. And the best example I can use
03:02is most recently, well, we have a corporate alliance deal with McDonald's, but we do all of their
03:07happy meals and bring that to life for families. So if we're in canto and turning red and light year.
03:12So I like to tell them that I'm the one that gets these brands to spend their advertising dollars
03:17on our theatrical releases, all of our films and theaters, and our Disney Plus content.
03:23Carmen, how do you explain to your tribe what you do at Disney?
03:26Well, after I go through the long title and they're sort of like, what, really and truly
03:31what it boils down to is, you know, my job is about influencing and creating stories that
03:38reflect the world that we live in. And when I tell my family that, I sort of use our most
03:42recent example, which is, as you heard, Tiana's Bayou Adventure. And one of my colleagues here,
03:48Sharita Carter is in the audience, who's the creative executive producer. And myself,
03:52I'm the creative executive oversight. And what my family realizes that, you know, the story
03:58is about how do we make people feel? And how do we let people know that we know them,
04:03that we understand them? And for me, they get it when I tell them it's all about being
04:07a really good storyteller and bringing everyone to the table.
04:10Thank you. Latondra.
04:12Well, I really think about my role as chief diversity officer on a couple of levels.
04:18So one is more of a practical level, which is really just, you know, working
04:23with our businesses to help ensure that we are authentically representing the world
04:28we live in. And whether it's through our content, our experiences that we create in
04:35our businesses, or just the culture that we establish inside our own organization,
04:39how it feels to work at the company. But on a spiritual level, I always describe it
04:46as sort of chief permission officer. And it's really this idea that I just believe
04:52in the goodness of people, and that people want to rise to their full potential,
04:57but you have to unlock it. And so I feel like I spend most of my time working with leaders
05:02and people around the company just unlocking their potential, because I can't know
05:06everything about everything. And it's really about letting them know that they already have
05:10inherent permission to strive for something better.
05:13I love that. I love that. You all, I'm low-key fangirling over here.
05:17I've been with Disney 15 years, and these ladies are what I strive to be.
05:21So I'm fangirling a little bit. So let me know which one of you would like to take.
05:26I would definitely want Jan and Ms. Latondra to answer this one.
05:29And how do you show up to your teams each and every day, to your peers?
05:34And why is that so important? That may be good for you too, Ms. Carmen,
05:37but why is it so important to show up?
05:40I'll take it. Go for it.
05:43You know, I think that for me, I have learned that listening to my team is very important,
05:49and I think it's a very underutilized characteristic.
05:53I think a lot of times as leaders, you feel like you have to show up and be the loudest person in the room
05:58and the one actually coming up with the solutions or problem solving.
06:01But I have learned to be a leader and show up for my team,
06:06just learning how to listen to what they're saying and what they're not saying.
06:10And a lot of times what that has done for my team is really teach them how to problem solve.
06:15So for example, they may come to me and say, well, Jan, what do you think we should do?
06:19And I'll turn it around and say, well, what do you think we should do?
06:22And really create that kind of muscle memory and get them into kind of this leadership role
06:27of learning how to have a voice, and they know that I'm listening to them.
06:31And it doesn't have to be the way that I do something.
06:34It could be the way you do it, and it works as well.
06:36So I like to show up for my team as a leader knowing that they know
06:41that I'm going to listen to them, and my way is not always the right way.
06:46I love that, Jan, so much.
06:48It's something I strive to do every day for sure.
06:52But, you know, I get this question a lot about authenticity.
06:56And I know it's an often used word and maybe overused word.
07:00But for me, what that looks like is I just try to be the same person wherever I am.
07:05So, and I wasn't always, in my 20s, I wasn't doing that.
07:09In my 20s, I think I had this image of this corporate executive wannabe
07:14and what role you're supposed to play and all of that.
07:18And the older I get, maybe I'm just tired, but the older I get,
07:22the more I realize that what people are looking for from leaders is just consistency.
07:26They want to know that if you're behind closed doors one-on-one,
07:29you're going to say the same things, do the same things,
07:32as when you're with a big group, no matter what the group is.
07:37And so I really work hard to try to show up the same way all the time in every situation.
07:45And I would just chime in.
07:46What I love about my team, because I look at them as all being superstars,
07:50you know, they do such great work with so much passion.
07:54And what I've learned is that is the art of listening,
07:56listening to what they have to say.
07:58I learn from them.
08:00And they keep me, they keep me honest, you know, they keep me on track.
08:04But I think more importantly, I try to be transparent.
08:07I try to let them know what's happening.
08:09And I let them know how important they are,
08:11because I think what's important about teams is that they realize
08:13that we're all connected and that they add value.
08:17And so I think when you encourage and share with them what they mean to not just the team,
08:24but to the company, it empowers them, and it gives them a sense of agency,
08:28that they're part of a bigger picture.
08:30You all, she's telling the truth.
08:32We sat and talked over coffee.
08:33I was like five, six years in, and she just listened and wanted to hear.
08:37And so she is telling exactly that is in the bones of Miss Carmen.
08:41Next question, you all, and we're getting closer to time.
08:44These things are going really quickly.
08:46So if you have questions for us, I believe there's a microphone somewhere floating around or in the middle.
08:51It would be lovely for you all to get prepared so we do not go over time.
08:55Mentorship and sponsorship are two very important but different things.
09:00What do they mean to you?
09:01I want to ask Carmen this question.
09:03Well, mentorship is, I've been in the business, it will be 40 years, November 1st.
09:09And I had breakfast last week with my first boss, 1978, Bob Martin.
09:16He was the producer of a show called Black News.
09:19And he taught me early on about mentorship.
09:22And the fact that 40-some-odd years later, actually we are still close.
09:25He still shares with me things that I need to think about and do.
09:29So mentorship, I think it never ends.
09:31But I think it's also important to make sure that we have some agency even in that.
09:36And we can select people that have the attributes, the skills that we want to have in our lives.
09:42And it's just sometimes making a phone call and having coffee.
09:47Having coffee, that's exactly what it is.
09:49So we are going to round out, I think we have about five minutes left.
09:53Didn't that go so quick?
09:54Yes, it did.
09:55You ladies, we're just having fun up here.
09:58What is your Disney why and what motivates you every day to do that work?
10:02Since we have five minutes, let's go down the line and everyone answers it.
10:07What is your Disney why and what motivates you every day to do that work?
10:12I came to this company from a completely different industry knowing no people at all because I
10:20started to understand how storytelling and stories really impact the way we see ourselves
10:26and the way we see everyone in the world.
10:29And I just wanted to play a small role in an organization that took that responsibility very
10:36seriously and wanting to represent the world and wanting to shape a world that maybe even doesn't yet
10:44exist today in its ideal form but really cared enough to say we're going to push the boundaries
10:50to represent this more ideal world.
10:55I would say my why is, I think at Wolf's Imagineering, our goal is to make people feel happy.
11:03And I feel like when I go to work every day, it's like being of service.
11:07And my why is, if a little child is laughing, if a parent is smiling, if a grandparent exudes
11:15a sense of joy, I've done my job.
11:21It's priceless.
11:22I mean, I think most of us who work at the Walt Disney Company, we find ourselves crying
11:25maybe once a day because we feel that we've made a difference.
11:29Yes, that's very true.
11:31Yeah, I would say my Disney why has to be connected to our storytelling.
11:36It's very exciting to work for a company that is reimagining and retelling these classic
11:43stories that we all have an emotional connection to.
11:45And I've worked for three studios and I always tell people, I'll work on a Toy Story 4 versus
11:51a Conjuring.
11:52Like I can do six sequels, that's fine.
11:55Because the storytelling, as Carmen and Ton said, there is just something very powerful
12:02about that, our storytelling and our characters and our themes and the retellings that we're
12:06going to have coming out like The Little Mermaid next year with Halle Bailey and, you know,
12:11Yara Shahidi reimagining Tinkerbell and there's just incredible content.
12:16And when I wake up every day and I get to work on that, it is very encouraging and also makes
12:21me want to bring people like us along for the journey within Disney.
12:28Thank you ladies.
12:29Representation matters.
12:30So my why is knowing that I one day could get to where you all are and thank you for
12:35your representation.
12:36Thank you for the love and all the passions, blood, sweat and tears you all put into the
12:41Walt Disney Company every day.
12:43Thank you all so much.
12:44That is our time.
12:45There will be some more information, QR codes and just different ways to stay in contact with
12:49us.
12:50At a later date, but we truly appreciate you being here and we thank you for the time.
12:54Thank you all.
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