8 Women Pioneering Next-Generation Technology at Disney
The Walt Disney Company is always looking for ways to elevate how we leverage next-generation technology. Emerging technologies play an important part in creating memorable, unique experiences for guests, cast members and employees and contributing to Disney’s long history of innovation.
Meet eight inspiring women technologists from across the company who are pushing boundaries through technology.
1. Social Media & Technology
Alyssa had the opportunity to collaborate with a social media app to develop “Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories,” a unique offering exclusively for the Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary celebration. This experience provided guests the opportunity to virtually transform Cinderella Castle with their Disney PhotoPass photos.
Through close teamwork and ongoing testing, Alyssa helped refine the platform to make sure it could support the feature usage at peak crowd times – such as when guests are waiting on Main Street, U.S.A. for the nightly fireworks spectacular. “I am particularly proud of the boundaries we pushed as a team,” Alyssa shared. “Crafting the logic, testing the feature, and conceptualizing the solution was an unprecedented task.”
2. Bringing Characters to Life through Technology
One of the most exciting next-generation technologies Tiffany has worked on is a real-time character platform. This technology allows Disney to bring iconic animated characters to life in real time for live interactions.
“Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do,” she shared. “Our projects require input from a wide range of teams across the company, including filmmakers, animators, engineers, marketing, and product teams. Each group brings a unique perspective, and working together ensures that our technology not only meets creative and technical standards but also enhances storytelling in meaningful ways.”
3. Testing Outcomes for Emerging Technology
Brooke and her team provide support across the company, focusing on customer demand and market strategy. She is passionate about transforming data into a product or experience for both guests and cast members.
“It’s so exciting to be part of a pioneering effort,” Brooke answered when asked about next-generation technology. “Ensuring we are leveraging emerging technologies to improve the productivity of cast members is key to our success. We want to build the highest value, highest quality products we can.”
4. Letting Data Drive Toward Valuable Solutions
Sage’s work is completely data driven. One facet of her responsibilities is to take the data and surface it in a way that is easily digestible, allowing employees and cast members to make key decisions. She explained, “The data we work with can be dense and challenging to understand. We overcome it by spending time with our partners, getting to the heart of what they need.”
For Sage, working for a company as prestigious and beloved as Disney is such an honor. “To contribute to a brand that you’ve grown up your whole life with can be surreal,” she added.
5. Technology & World-Class Storytelling
Technology is always evolving, so it’s important to always be testing, iterating, and adapting. She evaluates software and hardware for the filmmaking pipeline – from on set to mastering and everything in between – looking for ways to make the workflow even better. Jacqueline is particularly interested in matting technology and is working on creating a modular workflow that gives the best results for various production use cases.
For Jacqueline, Disney is set apart from other technology companies because, “Disney integrates technology with world-class storytelling. Whether through theme park attractions, animation, or streaming, Disney’s tech supports the story alongside efficiency and functionality.”
6. Leading to Technology Success
Due to fast-paced technology changes, building scalable and high-quality technical products from the ground up is a critical challenge and demands innovative thought leadership. As a product leader, Debashree and her team build next-generation solutions for both technically advanced and non-tech business customers.
“Being a woman in technology brings me joy!” said Debashree. “The drive to build cutting-edge technology solutions to enable a better tomorrow fuels my purpose. Disney has unlimited options to build magic and has supported my passion with amazing opportunities and technical challenges.”
7. Technology on the High Seas
Brie’s most recent undertaking is the total experience and modernization of the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. This project leverages a user interface (UI) toolkit that supports mobile and web from a single code base and server-driven UI, which enables the tech teams to dynamically update the features in the app.
“What I’m most proud of,” she expressed, “is fostering an environment where our teams can take risks, work hard and be successful. There are so many unknowns when you are working with new technologies and processes. The key is to embrace the ambiguity, fail fast and pivot to another approach.”
8. Creatively Building Technology Solutions
In Taryn’s role, she builds solutions that analyze Disney’s vast catalog of digital content. Managing this expansive library is a challenge, and the solution model helps assure content is correctly labeled and stored.
“I think what sets Disney apart from other technology companies is the culture of creativity,” she mentioned. “At Disney, we are always striving to be data and logic-driven in our work while simultaneously opening the door to innovation by not being afraid to experiment and explore.”
When cutting-edge technology meets Disney’s iconic brands and storytelling, there are no limits to what can be developed. Interested in learning more about available technology roles? Visit Disney Tech!
