[Edu-sig] OT - Disney Learning - again

[Jason Cunliffe]

"Arthur Siegel" <ajs@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> A new ad/announcement for Disney Learning
> Partnership with a URL ref - www.disneylearning.com

..yeah..

OT++ anecdote:

I had a brush with EduDisney around 1993. An enthusiastic young project
manager Disney came to us [a group of 3 = programmer+designer+artist] to ask
for our ideas for amazing new Disney educational mega-scheme,. They wanted
ideas for interfaces, architecture etc.. Vague ambitious stuff.

Despite our basic suspicions of Disney it was fun to apply our creative
energies to the problem. Some meetings, some whiteboarding, more
brainstorming, background reading and research, some firming ideas and then
launched into 3D to model some avatar/agent 'characters' which they had
asked for a key part of the interface. Disney viewed it as giant publishing
media engulfing type project. We saw it as a challenging way to abstract and
focus functions, by developing them as if they were characters, but really
distinct modular Engines underneath embodying some powerful ideas about
learning, relationships etc... That was the exciting part. Nice to get paid
to dream and design about such things.

They liked [no "loved"] the first draft ["thes is gonna be great!! - you
guys are amazing..."] - some revisions, more seed money... another
presentation hastily prepared before our project manager flew to LA to pitch
it to his bosses. Some wired, slightly paranoid emails and phone calls
asking us to amplify certain ideas.. then embarrassed silence and later
demi-explanations. It emerged his boss[es] had hired several people like
him, all at the same time, all boosted to go on the same idealistic mission.
Then they let various factors including a big dose of politics resolve the
next selection. He was frustrated and chagrined. We were a little
disappointed, a little relieved, and not much surprised.

I have heard since that this is strategy Disney uses - to pitch project
managers against each other just like many ad-agencies do to keep everyone
hopping.. They are very skilled at hiring all kinds of talented people to
dream big.. later appropriate[rob] and merge[remix] among the guinea-pig
projects. The are also famous for shelving ideas as preventive insurance
against others.

As I remember, Alan Kay is brilliant..  I hope he thrives and survives his
Disney days.
Don't be surprised if he moves on before long.. especially  if the project
has been dangling  publicly like this.

./Jason