Orem, UT – February 20, 2020 – Suzi Brown, the Vice President of Communications for Disneyland Resort spoke to students from Utah Valley University’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter on February 20, 2020.
“We rarely write press releases anymore,” said Brown. “It is more common for us to break the news ourselves on our Disney Parks Blog. I challenge you to broaden your experience. Step out of the box, employers like to see diversity and creativity. Practice writing more blog posts and do all you can to gain experience in all outlets of the field.”
Brown related majority of her presentation to her behind the scenes experiences with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Her role was to manage all aspects of media during this intergalactic mission, by managing her internal, external, and executive units. Brown oversees seventy-five people in total for the communications department and works directly with editors in the community and other global media outlets. Brown shared many visuals and demonstrated how people in her department often job swap, which allows them to gather experience from their fellow colleagues.
At the end of the presentation Brown welcomed questions from the audience. One student asked what has the biggest shift in her role since she started working for the mouse. “Social media has caused the biggest shift in the way the park shares new magic. Everything gets posted immediately so timing is very important,” said Brown. Developing cast previews for the new attractions like Rise of the Resistance allowed guests to have an inside look since cast members we able to post pictures from the preview directly to their personal pages.
Brown spoke on several other strategies and ways her teams have communicated the Disneyland message to the public, but she concluded with a few pieces of advice. “Storytelling is everything at Disneyland, but it is also crucial for a career in public relations itself. Learn to articulate your skills. Use those stories and skills to make an impact on the world.”