My Dinner With Quinn, Wednesday, December 10th 2008

For two years running now it seems that, for some inexplicable reason, every December requires me to make a business trip to our banner office in Fullerton, California which is a ten minute drive from “The Happiest Place on Earth”. As those of you who were with our Adventures by Disney Hollywood Backstage Magic tour last June can probably guess, I wind up in Disneyland. Well, what am I supposed to do, sit in my hotel room all alone and watch “Hulk Hogan’s Championship Celebrity Wrestling”? (Actually I do watch this as I am fascinated by how far the edge of the envelope has been pushed for the celebrity/reality show genre; but I’m not going to do this when I am a scant ten minutes from my favorite place in the world.)

I can tell you from my experience last year that going to Disneyland without your family is just not the same. You can have a good time, especially during the Christmas season when the park is at its magical peak, but not being able to share it with your loved ones does take some of the enjoyment out of it and I guess it should since Walt intended this to be a place for families. One of the other things I realized was that it was also not going to be the same without all of you fellow adventurers along and how would I find my way around the park without Quinn leading the way with the ABD sign?

Two things happened to make the visit more enjoyable. The first was that my boss asked if she could come along on the business trip. I told her that it was alright but….”I know,” she interrupted “one night we’ll have to go the Disneyland”. So now I had someone to share the experience with and, although she had been to Disneyland before, she hasn’t been there since 1975. (I must say that I am very proud of the way that I was able to get her in the Disney spirit; by the second night she bought herself a Disneyland jacket for thirty dollars and $250.00 worth of collectible pins.) The second thing that happened to make the trip more enjoyable was Quinn Shurian himself, tour guide extraordinaire and Ambassador-in-training. I contacted Quinn and asked if he might be able to come out and say “hello” and Quinn stated that if he was there he would. At that point I asked if he could join us for dinner and he agreed. From there I escalated the proposition and asked if he would allow me to interview him for my blog as I thought that many of you would like to know more about Quinn and what he is doing. Once again Quinn graciously agreed. I was about to ask him for a platinum plated VIP lifetime fast pass but decided to quit while I was ahead.

So, on Wednesday December 10th at 5:30 PM, Quinn met us at the Café Orleans to break bread (or break Monte Christos—and I must say that Quinn was courageous to eat this powdered sugar covered sandwich wearing a dark suit) and tell me about his personal journey at Disneyland. Please note that I did not audio record this interview and, although I might try to give you an exact quote from Quinn, I will be working off of my notes and the quotes more accurately will be a paraphrase of what Quinn told me. I welcome and actually encourage Quinn to clarify anything that I might have omitted or misrepresented. Also please note that I truly appreciate Quinn sharing his valuable time with me. He did not have to do this and I don’t know why he did but I was certainly honored by his company; especially in light of the fact that he had to get home and pack for a trip to Northern California the next morning. Thank-you Mr. Shurian!

After ordering our meal I asked Quinn what made him decide to make a career with Disneyland. Walt used to say that it “all started with a mouse” but for Quinn, it all started with a letter. “In eighth grade we were assigned to write a report of any subject of our choosing. I selected Walt Disney as my topic and wrote a letter to the Disneyland Resort asking for information. I was impressed with the quantity and quality of the material that they sent me. They made sure that I not only had all of the correct biographical material but also provided me with enough fun facts to make sure that my report was not only factual but also entertaining. That sealed the deal.” I wish now that I had the presence of mind to inquire as to the grade he received on this report.

Quinn related that he began his life at Disneyland working on attractions in Fantasyland:

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

Storybook Land Snow White’s Scary Adventure And Casey Jones
From there he moved over to Tomorrow Land working on the People Mover and Circle Vision.

After working on attractions he moved up to duties in Guest Relations and as a Tour Guide

eventually winding up in Guest Communications where one of his responsibilities was to handle correspondence from the public. It was interesting to note that he found that he was listed in the Guest Communications database from the time that he requested information about Walt for his eighth grade report. Many of you may not know that during this time Quinn designed a Disney collectible pin. This pin features Lilo and Stitch dancing a tango to promote ABC television’s celebrity-reality program “Dancing with the Stars”. This pin is extremely rare and all attempts by me to locate one have so far been unsuccessful.

From Guest Communications Quinn’s next assignment was in Cast Communications where he worked on the employee newsletter and the internal cast website. Quinn stated that after a while he grew tired of writing about what was happening in the park and wanted to get back in park operations so in 2007 during the “Year of a Million Dreams” (which by my recollection has lasted at least two years) he joined the “Dream Squad” which was a roving band of cast members who randomly selected unsuspecting guests and bestowed some type of gift, special privilege, or other honor upon them such as a special pass to ride the “Finding Nemo” attraction which was not yet open to the public.

I then asked Quinn what made the biggest impression upon him coming up through the ranks and caused him to stay with Disneyland. “People come here because of the Disney reputation and the quality experience that we provide at Disneyland” Quinn replied. “It is that quality of the product that makes you proud to be a cast member and has kept me here for 15 years. It is enjoyable and rewarding to make sure that guests are having a happy time.” All of us who participated in the Hollywood Backstage Magic tour can attest to these statements and how well Quinn embodies them.

As many of you know, soon after our tour Quinn hosted an Extreme Home Makeover family on an Adventures By Disney excursion in the Canadian Rockies. I asked Quinn what impressions of that experience have stayed with him. “The family was very nice, very humble, and were very complimentary toward Ty Pennington and his team” he told me. “It was fun and interesting to see how the camera crew interacted with the family. It was their job to film the entire event but they were very respectful that the family was on vacation.” He was struck by the fact that “although they had to do some different takes or retakes of the same thing the crew never told the family what to say or how to react”. What we saw on the program was the family’s genuine feelings about their experience.

I am also sure that many of you have heard that Quinn was chosen to be one of two Disneyland Ambassadors for 2009. I asked Quinn what prompted him to become an Ambassador. He explained that when he joined Disneyland 15 years ago he would never have imagined being an Ambassador. He told me that three years ago when he was in Cast Communications he was assigned to promote the Ambassador program. In order to do that he had to learn more about the Ambassador’s role and that sparked his interest. He also had friends and other cast members who told him that he would be perfect for the program (a sentiment that I think we all would agree with). So, with a little trepidation, Quinn applied in 2007 to become a 2008 Disneyland Ambassador. His goal at the onset was to become a semi-finalist and Quinn explained that the vetting process was both strenuous and stringent. The interview process was thorough and included the panel giving the candidates different scenarios in which they might find themselves as Ambassadors and each candidate was evaluated on how well they handled each situation. Quinn found that the more challenging the process became the more he really wanted to be Disneyland’s Ambassador. Although he became a finalist, surpassing his original goal of being a semi-finalist, he was ultimately not chosen for the program. Quinn promised himself that when the time was right he would reapply and go through the process one more time. So, in 2008, instead of being an Ambassador Quinn became an Adventures By Disney Guide for the Hollywood Backstage Magic Tour which was very lucky for all of us. Quinn then began training for the Canadian Rockies tour and was set to begin leading lucky adventurers through that experience when he heard that the Disneyland theme for 2009 would be “What Will You Celebrate”. Quinn knew that 2009 would be a great time to be an Ambassador and, as you all know, his second attempt attained his goal.

Quinn went on to explain that there are already some events lined up for him next year. He will be conducting a marketing tour of the western third of the country visiting Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Fresno. 2009 will also mark the 40th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion and Quinn will be a part of the official anniversary ceremony on September 9th, 2009 as in 09/09/09 as in 999 as in nine-hundred and ninety-nine happy haunts (but there is always room for one more…). Somehow I am sensing that I will be needed at another business meeting in Fullerton that week!

Quinn also explained that when Ambassadors are not busy fulfilling official duties they cross train on other jobs in order to be able to better represent those cast members. Although it has not been decided, Quinn is hoping to cross train on the Pyrotechnic Team (let’s hope he is not the cast member who has to peer down the muzzle of the pyrotechnic launcher to see if all of the fireworks went off) or train with the Resort Enhancement group.

I then asked Quinn what he would like to do once his Ambassadorship is over in 2010. “Park Operations,” Quinn replied, “or maybe an Adventures By Disney operations role involved in the planning of the trips and supporting the Tour Guides when they encounter a problem.” “A problem like the Hollywood Boulevard Soda Shop not being prepared for the tour’s breakfast and the El Capitan theatre not ready for the behind the scenes tour?” I asked. “Exactly,” Quinn replied. “At least in Hollywood there are other things to look at, like the celebrity handprints in front of the Chinese Theatre, but think if you were the Tour Guide in Switzerland and you hit a snag.”

As we were winding down I wanted to know what Quinn’s dream job at Disney would be. “Well Disneyland Ambassador,” he stated without hesitation. “But since I have attained that I will have to figure out what my new dream job would be. I think it would probably be in the Resort Enhancement group. Those are the folks that plan the décor of the park with their amazing attention to detail”.

For my final question I asked Quinn if he had any words of wisdom for Maria Chrzanowski, one half of the Disney Duo from Baltimore, before she begins her new adventure as a part of the Walt Disney World College Program. “Yes.” Quinn said immediately, “Have fun with the experience, but remember people save for years to make this trip and one cast member can make all of the difference in their vacation. Maria has a great personality, she won’t have any problem.”

And so dinner was finished; there were no more anecdotes to relate, no more jokes to crack,
And Quinn solemnly strode up the stairs to the New Orleans Square train track,
He lingered for a moment just barely within sight,
And then like a Dickens “Christmas Carol” specter Quinn crossed the tracks and disappeared into the night.

Full Moon at the "Nightmare Before Christmas" Mansion

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