Scott Wolf: Were you a Disney fan growing up?

David Gill: I always wanted to work in the park, since I was six years old. I actually came on my sixth birthday and I told my mom that I wanted to either sell balloons or cotton candy. Those were the two things that I wanted to do.

It was something that I always talked about and then when I was thirteen I kept telling people I was going to be the CEO of the company someday, so I kind of moved up from the balloons and the cotton candy.

I hired in to foods in 2003 and it's funny because foods is what I was originally talking about and there I was.

Where did you work?

DG: Bengal Barbecue which I plug everywhere I go.

I love Bengal Barbecue!

DG: It's my favorite food in the resort. Even on the radio if we go on the radio people say, "Where did you start?" and I always plug Bengal Barbecue. We have great sit down restaurants but I always have to plug Bengal Barbecue also.

I worked in foods for five years, quite a long time. By the time I actually got the application in and was writing down what I wanted to do, I wanted to drive the monorail, so that's what my big thing was then. I was seventeen years old, and when you're a minor you only have a couple options, entertainment, foods, so I thought I'll go with foods. It's a revenue producing side of the business. I was a business major and it's a good fit because then you can learn how the company brings in money and I could apply my business principles to Disney.

I worked my way up, I was a lead for two and a half years, went through our Emerging Leader program which is a great management training program and then from there got a temporary salaried assignment at Hungry Bear restaurant and then after about eight months, a permanent role at Village Haus. I loved it there.

Diane Killeen said that the chemistry between the chosen Ambassadors is very important. Did you work with Liz in particular during your training or have any idea that if one of you won that the other might win?

DG: We actually didn't meet each other until the end of the process during finalist activities. A week before the ceremony, all the finalists, four or five of them do activities with the current Ambassadors and we kind of follow them along, see what it's like to be the Ambassador. Diane comes out and it gives her a chance to kind of evaluate everyone, see what we're like out in the area. I had no idea who the other Ambassador was going to be.

It's so hard because you walk out of that last interview with Ed Grier and his executive team. I know for me I felt great walking out of that interview. I felt like, "Wow! This could not have gone any better." Then immediately you think, "I don't know how the others went." Theirs might have been phenomenal, too. Then you just don't know. There was an initial excitement when I walked out of that room thinking, "Oh my goodness, this could happen. I feel so good about this," but you just don't know for sure.

Did you get Ambassador the first time you applied?

DG: Yeah, the first time I applied. I had just graduated college. I was waiting and waiting because I couldn't do school and this at the same time. There's really no way. I had to finish school, apply, and here I am. It's been a wild ride.

You are the current 2008 Ambassador, of course. Since you were just a part of the ceremony to name the next Ambassadors, what was that like for you?

DG: It was such a surreal feeling being there on stage, being in the other shoes. Now you've got the job, you're about to introduce the new Ambassadors. It's exciting, it's really exciting because it brings back all those memories from the year earlier.

Did it?

DG: Definitely! That morning we arrived, Liz & I got there at 5am that morning to start preparing. We had a rehearsal and just the moment you arrive it's like I remember what song I was listening to on my way in here before. I remembered all these little details, how you felt... it was just amazing.

How did you feel? Were you nervous before you were named?

DG: I was very nervous. I think I was so stiff! People were saying, "Relax your shoulders!" I kept hearing that. "Relax your shoulders!"

Then there was something I think hadn't been done for a few years. We spoke at our ceremony and of course this year the finalists spoke as well. That adds another level of nerves. Obviously you've got to be ready for that in this role, so it's a great way to throw it right out there, but that morning, when you have no idea and you have to get up there and say a few words, that's a tough thing.

I would think so! Marva Dickson Thomas (1971) told me her first event was Disney's first live televised halftime show.

DG: I can't even imagine that!

The training part of the Ambassador program has developed over the years. I heard a lot of stories saying, "I was selected on a Friday and that Monday I had my first event." Now it's great because they have two months of training and so much fun because the worldwide team comes out to our park for one week. We all stay at the Disneyland Hotel together.

After you become Ambassador?

DG: Yes, after you become the Ambassador. This year it's going to be in November so everyone will fly out here in November and then the entire worldwide team will fly to Florida for a week, spend the week there together doing different types of training and then everyone goes back to their resorts.

Are you involved in that as well?

DG: We're involved in the portions here at our resort. The current Ambassador's responsibility is to plan the itinerary for worldwide training, so we'll plan ours here and then the manager of the Ambassador program at Disney World plans theirs. It's a little different but it's a lot of fun, they do all sorts of special activities, meet and greets with some of our top executives, they go up to the studio and do a day at the Walt Disney Studios, a day at Walt Disney Imagineering which is such a highlight because you go to the model room and the shop where they build all of this stuff and test all of this new stuff and it's great. You really feel like you're on the inside and they're giving you all the information you need.

The point of it is to educate you on what you'll be talking about throughout the year so the DCA (Disney's California Adventure) expansion, we're out there talking about and then "What Will You Celebrate?" (Disney's marketing campaign for 2009).

What were some of the big things for you this year?

DG: This year Toy Story Midway Mania or Toy Story Mania, we go both ways on that name, was our big focus this year. That was really exciting because I don't know anyone who hasn't enjoyed that attraction. It's just something else.

Then Tokyo (Disneyland) was having their 25th anniversary so I got an opportunity to go to Tokyo and celebrate with them.

I've been to Tokyo Disneyland but never to DisneySea.

DG: You absolutely have to go to DisneySea! It's just breathtaking.

When I was there I thought the Cast Members seemed so friendly regardless of any language barrier. Did you find that?

DG: As far as how friendly everyone is over there, it's just beyond belief because communication is definitely different because not a lot of people speak English over there, but it just shows in their mannerisms and how much they care and just the number of Cast Members that come out to greet you whether you're at the hotel or in the resort. It was just impressive.

With it being their 25th anniversary, one of the highlights was definitely the passion that the Cast Members had for the resort. I think I even said that on the day of the ceremony. Some of them were even crying. We had a huge ceremony on a float in front of Cinderella Castle and it was just unbelievable because there were 2,500 Cast Members out there, all of them with a flag that said "Tokyo Disney Resort 25th anniversary" and basically chanting "25! 25!" to this song. They actually had a play on the "High School Musical" soundtrack and added their own lyrics to it. It was just unbelievable, just the tears and the fireworks and then bubbles filled Main Street and streamers. At every turn it was unbelievable. It was the first time in about ten or fifteen years that the worldwide Ambassador team had been put together in Tokyo.

How often are you and Liz together for events?

DG: Surprisingly, with the demand for events we're split up a lot of the time. I would say we're split up about 40% of the time and we're together about 60% of the time. It's pretty close to 50/50, depending on what the week looks like and what the month looks like.

Did you get to some cross training?

DG: Yes. It's something really special to me to get out in the areas and meet all of our Cast Members because there's no better way to represent the Cast than to know what the Cast does and spend time with them. For me, they said, "Okay, we'd like the Ambassadors go out and do a cross utilization shift at least once a month," and I tried to get out there at least once every three weeks just because there are so many people to meet. So many different things.

Horticulture was one of my highlights, where we were up at 4am... 4am! Learning how we beautify these parks, and we stretch from here all the way out to the hotels. We went all the way out to the hotels, looked at the landscape of the hotels, everything from the food that needs to be fed to the plants to the pesticides to make sure that everything stays beautiful. We have a Cast Member who works on the trees. Her sole responsibility is all of the trees in the resort and she tracks all of the trees and their health. She has a spreadsheet for that and it was just amazing to see that because you never see that side of things.

That's when you really realize how many people, and how many different job tasks it takes to make this place work.

Another highlight was the parking team, Resort Transportation. They were just tons of fun. They're not inside the park so it's a little bit of a different dynamic for them, but they're out there and they're the first people that the Guests meet on a daily basis for the most part, unless you're staying at one of our hotels, but if you drive into the resort, they're the first people you meet. Their enthusiasm was great.

I also got to do a cross utilization with Custodial which was just a lot of fun. They're like a walking Guest Relations. Everywhere they go they're answering questions, and Guest Relations has their set location, but if you're Custodial, you're everywhere and everyone knows they can go to you for questions. That's why we call them Custodial Guest Services, that's their official title, because you are Guest Services as well. A lot of people don't recognize that. It's fun to point that out.

What are some of your favorite memories overall of being Ambassador?

DG: I think the best memory has been to be able to get out there and talk about how great this resort is because it's something that I've loved for so long, just being on the radio and talking about Toy Story Mania or being on TV and talking about Halloweentime, because I myself enjoy a pumpkin spice latte on Main Street.

I didn't know they had that. You just sold me on that one!

DG: There you go! When you enjoy something yourself you want to tell the world about it, so there's no better way than to be the Ambassador.

Some specific events, I loved working the merchandise events. I love Martha Blanding's events! They are so much fun.

She's in charge of merchandise events?

DG: Yes. I know the one freshest on my mind is the United States Postal Service released the new Disney stamps this year and we had a ceremony in front of the castle and it's just great. The entire event was just phenomenal. We had the CEO of the US Postal Service here. Marty Sklar was here from Walt Disney Imagineering. He's the Walt Disney Imagineering Ambassador. Great just to be able to hear his stories, and to get up there and announce these stamps which is really a testament to the Disney brand all over the world. The stamps will be traveling all over the place. Then meeting the artist who designed the stamps and accompanying them for lunch and then their signing. It was just very exciting. The entire event was exciting. Some people were even asking for my picture and autograph because I happened to be standing there and they saw me at the ceremony. I thought, "Well, I didn't design the stamps, but I'll be happy to take a picture with you."

So Martha's got great events, pin trading events, any special merchandise that we're releasing.

Our promotions people are a ton of fun, too, and they do all of our radio remotes. It's been just a blast working with them, too, because the people is what will keep you at any job and I used to say I love Food and Beverage the most because of the people I worked with. That even translates into the Ambassador role. It's one thing that you have all these great experiences, but then the people that you work with are great, whether it's the promotions people, the merchandising people, it's definitely been a highlight, working with some of those people.

Sometimes I stop and think about all the things that are going on at the resort at one time in a one hour period... oh my goodness! From two o'clock to three o'clock today, how many things were going on simultaneously to make this run? It's amazing.

How would you sum up your year as Ambassador?

I've been really blessed to have this role. It's something that I've wanted to do for many years and it's just incredible to represent this group of people. There's 20,000 Cast Members here and everyone does such a great job to make it happen. It's just been a blessing to represent all of those people this year. It's hard to sum up because there's so many emotions and so many experiences along the way.

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