Welcome to the final bi-weekly episode of “Dreamfinders.” With this episode, the podcast has interviewed 50 guests. It’s been quiet a ride and the fun is not over just yet! Rick Harper’s work for Disney has certainly left an…Impression. Starting in the model shop at WED, Rick soon moved his way up into the design department and then later was asked…

Hayden Evans loves to illustrate the soul of people and places. Through his use of bold lines and colors he attempts to capture the essence of what things are. In that way, it’s no surprise that Hayden loves a place that does the same thing for genres and stories – Disneyland. As a Cast Member, Hayden worked on such legendary attractions as the Jun…

For almost 30 years, Kevin Brassard beat up Nazis, stole ancient artifacts, and ran from explosions. Quite the day job. As the very first Indiana Jones at Hollywood Studios “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” Kevin was trained by film stunt legends and now teaches the next generation of actors who take up the fedora and whip. Kevin chats with Na…

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand why people love Disney, but, if you are one, it certainly can give you a unique perspective. Aerospace engineer Mary Kate Smith has worked for the likes of NASA and Lockheed Martin, but in her spare time you’ll find her flying through the stars over on Space Mountain. In fact, Mission Space even…

Brandon Kleyla, better know as Trader Brandon to fellow tiki lovers and friends, has always been obsessed with the intricacies of pop-culture and, over time, he’s become a part of it himself. From acting on Nickelodeon shows at Universal Studios Florida as a kid to creating a feature documentary on Indiana Jones fan culture, Brandon’s career has mo…

Attraction preshows are an interesting aspect of theme park storytelling. They’re the first act of a ride’s story, giving us the background and mood we need to know as we fill in all the available space and wait for our chance at adventure. And some of these become quotable favorites for generations. Today’s guest is uhhhh…one of these. Actor David…

Ray Spencer found out early on that his talent as a conceptual designer could be put to use, not for creating office buildings and shopping malls, but experiences. Since then he’s never looked back. With a career that spans decades of work, fleshing out ideas for places like the Field Museum in Chicago to Kennedy Space Center, Ray finally found him…

To love Disney parks is to also love good design. The immersive nature of the parks depend on it. But while many may just take it in without giving it much thought, others look at every detail. Today’s guests on Dreamfinders, Rob Yeo and Andy Sinclair Harris, are those kind of people. Both amazing designers and Disney nerds, Rob and Andy have found…

Randal Kleiser grew up with a poster of Disneyland above his bed. He knew every square inch and when he finally got to go, he knew exactly where everything was like he’d been there a thousands times. That passion for Disney eventually helped foster a love of filmmaking and, years later, Randal would have his own attraction at Disneyland that kids w…

A staple of the classic “Disneyland” experience, steam trains can take you anywhere from New Orleans to Toontown and its bell and whistle are a constant presence throughout the park.For many, their fascination with trains and theme parks are intricately linked, thanks in no small part to Walt Disney’s own love of both. Today’s guest, Michael Campbe…

When David Price was a child, he, like many of us, found himself playing about as his father worked elsewhere in the room. But what David didn’t realize at the time was that all those maps and plans hanging around the office were helping his dad, Buzz Price, determine the best place to construct a little theme park called Disneyland.Not only did Bu…

Shawn Rosell isn’t trying to be like every other vlogger who loves Disney and in fact, after moving away from Orlando, he knew his channel couldn’t just be park visits like so many others. These days, it’s a mix of short films, Disney opinions, thoughts on life and his unique perspective of being a black vlogger who began his Youtube journey in a t…

Gijs Van Winkelhof has always had an ear for a good Disney song. Having taught himself how to play piano at 3, Gijs has spent his life at the keyboard, plucking away at any song after listening to it once or twice. Like many of us, he’s found himself humming Disney theme park music long after leaving the ride, but, thanks to his creative talents, h…

We’ve all taken journeys to visit places that connect us with moments in history we love. For many Disney fans, that can include Walt’s home town of Marceline and, of course, his original theme park - Disneyland. But those places only bookend Walt’s life - leaving many experiences in between.That’s where Christopher Tremblay comes in. A Disney fan …

Adam Kreutinger makes magic one stitch at a time. Through his passion of puppet making, he has both created a slew of lovable characters and shared his creative process on his Youtube channel, even in real time, for all who have interest. But when Adam was tasked with creating a certain dragon of royal purple pigment, he connected with Disney nerd …

Whether for television, film, or theme parks, Kirk Hanson has used a pencil and a little ingenuity to create some of the most beloved stories of our time. As a story artist for Disney Feature animation, Kirk helped bring to life Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Hercules. He’s also found himself over at Imagineering fleshing out ideas for Pirat…

If there is one cultural touchstone that Disney theme parks might have helped bring back from obscurity, it’s Tiki culture. While the Enchanted Tiki Room was in response to the burgeoning craze of the late 50’s early 60’s, when all the bars and rum joints closed down over the years, the Tiki Room kept the culture around for later generations of fan…

From the mountains of China, to the plains of Kenya and even Moscow’s Red Square, filmmaker Jeff Blyth has focused his camera on all sorts of wonders of the world. Well…more like cameras... nine to be exact.Throughout his career, Blythe has directed six circle-vision films for Disney, including Portraits of Canada, Wonders of China, The Timekeeper,…

Skipper David John Marley used to sail the rivers of the world for the Jungle Navigation Company at Disneyland. Now a history professor, he's compiled "Skipper Stories" - two volumes of the best jungle cruise stories money can buy.Marley sits down with Nathan to chat about what it takes to be a great skipper, looking at the Jungle Cruise from a his…

There are Disney theme park megafans and then there are those that transcend the title to become pillars for what the entire fan culture sits upon. Martin Smith is one of those fans.Known worldwide as the “Ken Burns” of Disney parks history on Youtube and across the internet, Martin's documentaries about attractions, pavilions, and other park eleme…

Believe it or not, there was once a time where theme parks were rather humorless. Then artist and Imagineer Marc Davis came along and changed the game. If you like the dog holding the prison cell key in Pirates of the Caribbean or any of the gags on the Jungle Cruise, that's all Davis and it's safe to say that the whimsical tone of Disney theme par…

Evan and Britta Kasperzak have quiet the history of acting, dance, and Disney. Having met in college, the two’s journey led Evan to perform on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," and Broadway's Newsies while later acting as choreographer for Disney World. At the same time, Britta found herself training young Jedi at Hollywood Studios and discoverin…

In the late 70’s Mark Eades found himself juggling an internship with Disney productions while also working nights at Autopia in Disneyland. But his work paid off and soon he found himself helping on a little film called Tron and then joining the editorial team for Epcot Center.For Epcot, Mark worked in post-production on such favorites as Magic Jo…

For Scott Curtis, Disney fans hold a special place in his thoughts. Mostly because they’ve well… been in his head.As a child actor, Scott played both Bobby and the voice of Buzzy in Epcot’s much-loved, now-defunct Cranium Command inside Wonders of Life. After hearing of the theft of the Buzzy animatronic, Scott reached out to WDWNT, hoping to help …

In the early 1950’s Bob D’Arcy had just got back to California from playing in the Army Band and was looking for work. Fortunately his father had just been hired at a place that needed someone to tour big-wigs and celebrities around - a still under-construction Disneyland.From there Bob became the very first tour guide ever at a Disney park and spe…

Historian Andrew Kiste is the author of “The Historical Tour of Walt Disney World" Volumes 1-3 and in each he dives deep into how actual history surrounds our experiences in a Disney park, answering questions like "how accurate is Pirates of the Caribbean?" or "should we really should Thank the Phonecians?"Andrew chats with Nathan about how the WDW…

Last episode voice actor and impersonator Brian Hull came on the show. Well, after our chat he told me that a friend of his had mentioned he'd love to chat so here's a very special guest straight from Pride Rock!Make sure to check out his website brianhull.co and his Youtube channel.Contact Nathan Twitter – @somestuffisaid Instagram – @somestuffisa…

We all have our favorite Disney cartoon characters. Sometimes we wear them on shirts or put them backpacks - maybe even go to the parks and Disney bound as them. Well, Brian Hull likes to go to the parks as characters - just not like you and me. As a voice artist and impersonator, Brian has almost a whole Disney vault’s worth of voices he shares on…

Matthew Jordan Leeds always loved the music of Epcot. From an early age he found himself listening to the work of Bruce Broughton as it echoed through the cathedral like space of Ellen’s Energy Adventure and, from that point on, composing was something he wanted to do.Who would have thought years later he would have the chance to rearrange some of …

Comic book writer Jim Zub had tackled all sorts of stories. From sword and sandal epics to fun web comics, he’d created tons of worlds for people to enjoy, but then he had to use his imagination for something all about imagination.As writer of the Figment comic books series, Jim fleshed out a world theme park fans only glimpsed in the original Jour…

Tom K Morris, like many kids in the 70’s, saved up his money from a paper route. Unlike everyone else, he took that money and went to the opening of Disney World - by himself. That determination would serve Tom through the years as he joined Imagineering and found himself working on all sorts of memorable projects.Tom chats with Nathan about helpin…

Dan Viets wants to save Disney history. As president of the non-profit “Thank You Walt Disney,” Dan works to preserve and restore Walt's first professional headquarters - the Laugh-O-Gram Studios in Kansas City. Currently, the building sits empty and only known by those devotees who seek it out, but, with his organization Dan plans to make it a shi…

Kevin Rafferty started his Disney career at the bottom washing dishes at the Plaza Inn, but before too long he found himself over at WED assisting the first generation of Imagineers. But Kevin was eager to make his own mark and eventually, as a show writer and developer for Imagineering himself, he would certainly do that.Love the Tower of Terror? …

In 1994, David Koenig authored the book Mouse Tales - the first unauthorized account of the history and culture of Disneyland. With it, he ignited a whole generation of fans, who were just as curious as he was about what was happening behind the scenes at the happiest place on Earth. From there, David wrote several books on different aspects of Dis…

When J. Daniel Jenkins was a kid, he would make sand castles but never play with them. It was the building part he liked best. Years later, Daniel would be helping to build dreams into reality as Senior Project Design Manager for Imagineering.Daniel sits down with Nathan to discuss how to tell stories with architecture, how the 7 Dwarfs' Mine Train…

Youtube has a plethora of theme park content, but most of it is strictly educational. And then there’s Tony Goldmark. Tony has gained notoriety for his long running series “Some Jerk with a Camera,” which discusses everything from Captain EO to Steve Urkel going to Epcot while being primarily filmed in the parks - sometimes under the watchful eye o…

If you've seen Disneyland's Bert on Pinterest, there is a good chance it's Chris Hartwell. With experience as a face and costumed character, a Jedi trainer, and a member of the cast of Fantasmic, Chris knows what it's like to perform for Disney crowds.Chris sits down with Nathan to talk about his experiences in the park, what it takes to be a Disne…

Today’s guest isn’t a mystery to those who have followed WDW News Today over the years. The sites founder and CEO Tom Corless has been on the Disney parks beat for over a decade and he’s seen both the parks and how people cover it change dramatically in that time.Tom sat down to talk about how his family’s own love for Disney World rubbed off on hi…

Sophie Jo has a special way she celebrates her Disney fandom - poetry. Stringing words together, she finds pathos in Stinky Pete and showcases her love for Disneyland Paris. While sometimes maligned, Sophie has a passion for the French park and has written all about it in her poetry book “Kids Grown Up,” where she explores both her favorite areas o…

William "Sully" Sullivan started at the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland about a week and a half after the park opened and stayed with the company for the next 39 and a half years, finally retiring as the vice-president of The Magic Kingdom.Sully sits down with Nathan to chat about giving Walt private tours through the Jungle Cruise, keeping Small World…

Disney certainly has an ever evolving selection of beer and cocktails that have become pool-side favorites and World Showcase staples. But how to choose when you have so many options? Authors Daniel "Drunky" Miller and Rhiannon have written “Drinking at Disney - A Tipsy Travel Guide to Walt Disney World’s Bars, Lounges & Glow Cubes.”Drunky and Rhia…

If you’re a Disney parks fan and a bit of a bookworm, it’s highly likely you know Jeff Kurtti - author of such fan favorite Disney books as Since the World Began, The Art of Disneyland, Imagineering Legends, and 27 other Disney titles!But his writing is just the tip of the iceberg. Jeff sits down with Nathan to talk about answering fan mail for Ima…

Erick Kanter and his wife Marlene have a unique way to celebrate their love of the Disney parks. While some fans make shirts or create in-depth Youtube videos, the Kanters roast up their passion for Disney. Since 2014, they've been running Expedition Roasters - a coffee and tea company that brings to your kitchen a little bit of pop culture.Erick s…

Tammy Tuckey grew up with a passion for Disney World and now she's sharing it with us. She's not only the host of the Tiara Talkshow, where she's interviewed everyone from Imagineers to Debbie Reynolds, but is also the musical artist behind the new album "You'll Find Me on Main St." - a compilation of beloved theme park songs from attractions like …

Jason Lethcoe started his career in animation working on Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and his love of story continued as an author for young adult fiction, including "Zoom's Academy" which made into the film "Zoom." These days, Jason has teamed up with Disney publishing on "Tales from Adventureland" - a book series centered around the fabled theme…

Actor and writer, Ron Schneider is known by thousands as the Dreamfinder at Epcot Center, but his life experiences are more than you could imagine! Ron chats with Nathan about going to the first operating day of Disneyland, working with a lion at Magic Mountain and writing the first Halloween show at Universal Orlando. When it comes to theme park p…

Benjamin Lancaster, writer and director of "The Further Adventures of Walt's Frozen Head," chats with Nathan about his love for storytelling, how Nikita Khrushchev inspired his feature film, and what lead him to make the movie gorilla style in the Magic Kingdom.Dreamfinders is a podcast hosted by Nathan Hartman about the creative culture surroundin…

How Bowers has a history with Walt Disney World. From getting a tour as a child of the Magic Kingdom before opening to sneaking into MGM Studios while it was under construction, How has a long love of not only celebrating the parks, but archiving its elements as part of RetroWDW.com and its podcast. He's got stories and we're here to listen!Dreamfi…

Luis Garcia Rechani combined his love of Disney and photography just for fun, but now he has over 175,000 followers on Instagram under the handle disney_nutz! Luis chats with Nathan about his creative origins and offers some tips for those wanting to take amazing photos in the parks.Dreamfinders is a podcast hosted by Nathan Hartman about the creat…

YouTuber RobPlays joins Nathan to talk about his evolution as a Disney video creator, which all started with...Minecraft? That's right! He also chats about quitting his job to take on YouTube full-time and why he believes no attraction is sacred.Dreamfinders is a podcast hosted by Nathan Hartman about the creative culture surrounding Disney theme p…