What it does: The company, along with its subsidiaries, has operations in four main business segments: Studio Entertainment, Media Networks, Direct-to-Consumer and International, and Parks, Experiences, and Consumer Products.
Mission: ‘to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling’. The company’s mission reflects creative minds and innovative technologies.
Size and presence: Walt Disney Studios has around 190,000 employees and the total assets of the company as of 2021 are recorded at USD 203.609 billion.
Best known for: Its diversified presence across the globe in the form of theme parks, broadcast networks, resorts, and TV shows, and movie streaming.
The good bits: The company believes in providing a holistic and memorable brand experience through its operations. It attracts creative people from across the world and ranks high on Forbes’ list of the World’s Best Employers for 2018.
The not-so-good bits: The work environment at Disney is quite challenging as there is a lot to manage and its threats include stiff competition. Disney goes to great lengths to protect its brand and maintain a much higher standard than perhaps any other company.
The Walt Disney Company, also known as Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate founded on October 16, 1923. It was founded by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Before changing its name to the Walt Disney Company in 1986, it operated under the names the Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions.
Soon after its establishment, the company became a leader in the American animation industry and then diversified its operations into live-action film production, television, theme parks, and more. Today, the company is known for having several names under its Walt Disney Studios division including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Animation, 20th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Searchlight Pictures.
Moreover, Disney’s main business units include streaming media, broadcasting, consumer products, publishing, theme park resorts, and international operations. The company also owns and operates the cable television networks such as ABC broadcast network, Disney Channel, FX, Freeform, ESPN, and National Geographic.
It is known for the quality of its products and services, people management, social responsibility, and global competitiveness. The company still embraces the values of the best human qualities and inspires everyone to try harder. As the idea is to make things more innovative and magical, employees are expected to give their 100% and put themselves in the guest’s shoes.
Most Disney members are passionate about whatever they do as the company attracts people who love the company and what it does. However, such a close-knit and fun work environment also comes with a great responsibility to maintain the brand value of the company. Anything that reflects poorly on the company’s brand name is not at all tolerated.
A lot of people want to work at Disney because it is one of the most ethical companies out there. Here’s what to expect from the application process…
The first day of work starts with an introduction to the new employees at Disney University. All the newcomers are scheduled to attend Disney Traditions.
According to Disney Careers, the company values Innovation, Quality, Optimism, Decency, Community, and Storytelling. There are different career areas to apply for including Business Support, Guest/Customer Service, Marketing & Sales, Operations Support, Creative, Consumer Goods, Innovations, Technology & Sciences, and Production & Entertainment. There are many jobs under these main categories.
Candidates can search for jobs based on their skills, country, state, job level, and job type. The company also offers flexible timing to choose from such as full-time, work-from-home, or hybrid. Disney can be a great place to build a career as apart from satisfactory salaries it also provides many perks and benefits to its employees.
The average estimated annual salary at Walt Disney Company is $128,566 or $61 per hour. As of December 2021, the average Disney cast member got around $28,327 a year. However, the employees working at the highest level jobs are paid pretty well.
Talking about the highest level jobs, the Director of Product Management gets around $195,993 per year. The average hourly pay of Walt Disney Company’s employees ranges from approximately $10.00 per hour for an Agent to $38.00 per hour for CAD Drafter.
As per the 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, the company’s motto is to direct more than 50% of its annual charity to programs supporting underrepresented communities. It intends to spend around $1 billion helping such communities by 2024. The report details its efforts to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The company also supports environmental sustainability by taking actions to help protect the planet. The report also suggests the company’s commitment to investing in its employees and cast members.
Being one of the largest media corporations in the world, the Walt Disney Company has been the subject of many controversies. It has been under the radar from a wide variety of criticisms for its business practices and content. The company was also criticized for including the stereotypical portrayal of sexism, non-white characters, and alleged plagiarism.