My brother sent me a message tonight about the passing of a Disney Legend. Marty Skylar is truly the definition of an Imagineer. There are few times in your life that a first meeting with someone you don’t know is so inspiring that you remember it for the rest of your life. I was a young designer at WED working on EPCOT Center in 1982 when I met Marty for the first time. He was a legend already in my mind as an original Imagineer and someone I knew was responsible for created much of the theme park magic of the Disney brand. He was speaking about the inspiration for World Showcase and how we must create the “guest experience” of the real destination we were emulating. That was the first time I heard the term Guest Expereince and heard Marty Skylar tell a story about what we were doing at EPCOT. He was a great storyteller and instilled that approach in many of us in still designing the Guest Experience today. I have to say Marty was truly a joy to work with and as I spent time in Art Direction at Disneyland I was able to walk the park with him on several occasions. Hearing him talk about designing the park was priceless and has provided me with great inspiration for everything I have done in my career. He inspired me with every step and with every word on what was important to telling the story and making the experience memorable. I last saw him while walking EPCOT as a guest with my family 15 years after leaving the company and he walked up and called me by name, it was the best feeling in the world to know Marty remembered you.
His inspiration will truly be missed but through his work will be enjoyed by millions of guests at the parks forever! He inspired others to Dream!
Thank you Marty for your words and inspiration.
