Disney At Work Podcast

Other than Walt Disney himself, there is in my mind no other individual who has made such a dent on what people know as the Disney theme park experience than Dick Nunis, whose passing has been made public today, December 13th, 2023. He is a Disney legend, and without his leadership, projects like Magic Kingdom and Epcot and Typhoon Lagoon would have never gotten to the finish line. His leadership was as impressive as any individual involved in the parks. And his leadership style--it was many times controversial. No one got results and made things happen like Dick Nunis. My colleagues spoke often of how he mentored the leaders around him and spoke so keenly about the guest experience. And yet others spoke of how he could verbally tear you apart like no other. Still, he is more than a Disney Legend. He is a force to be reckoned with. When Dick Nunis joined Disneyland in 1955, the Park employed 600 cast members. By the time he retired from his “summer job” 44 years later, Disneyland boasted 13,000 cast members a