Lou Mongello is a former attorney turned Disney enthusiast, founder of WDWRadio.com Disney podcast in 2005 (named Best Travel Podcast 9 consecutive years), member of the Podcast Hall of Fame, author, speaker, and business coach at LouMongello.com.
🏙️ Walt left a city unfinished...
Your Guide to Disney Parks & ExperiencesHello Reader, How is your week going... and how... HOW is it September already?!? I swear the space/time continuum gets wildly warped as we get older. But I digress... I’ve been thinking about one particular moment from the WDW Radio booth at D23, and it wasn’t one of the big announcements or reveals. It was former head of Imagineering Bob Weis handing Eric Robison a blank card and essentially saying, “OK... show me the future.” We had been talking about Walt Disney’s Progress City, his original vision for EPCOT, and the city he never had the chance to finish. Eric picked up the pen and started drawing, and I loved that moment because it felt like such a perfect reminder of how Walt worked: “What’s next? What if? Why not?” This week’s conversationThat became a big part of this week's episode, "Return to Progress City." We talked about everything from architecture and storytelling to the “chicken scratch” where ideas begin, what we might lose when we go straight to the computer, and yes... AI found its way into the conversation too. 😂 If you love Disney history and Imagineering, there’s plenty here for you. But I also think there’s a bigger conversation about creativity, where ideas come from, and whether making something easier to create necessarily makes it better. 🎙️ Listen to WDW Radio # 879: Return to Progress City Your turnSo let me hand YOU the blank page: If Walt asked you to add ONE thing to Progress City today, what would it be? Hit reply and tell me, because I really want to hear what you would build, change, solve, or dream up. I’m also bringing the question to 🔴 WDW Radio LIVE TONIGHT at 7:30pm ET, and we’ll talk through some of your ideas together. And, of course, the conversation can keep going anytime in the WDW Radio Clubhouse. Around the familyThere’s a lot coming up, so here’s a quick look at where we can see each other, travel together, and make some more memories. I keep everything updated at WDWRadio.com/Events so you don’t have to keep track of every announcement, social media post, email, carrier pigeon, smoke signal, etc. Join Us on an Upcoming WDW Radio Adventure:
And a few other places you can find me:
🎤 I also love getting to take the lessons we see every day in the Disney parks and share them with businesses, brands, and teams through my keynote speaking. It’s all about turning those ideas into better customer experiences, stronger communities, and more memorable brands, and you can learn more at LouMongello.com Come join the conversation...I’ve been sharing a LOT lately (D23 and Food & Wine will do that to you), but rather than give you a giant list of links, here are two conversations I’d love for you to jump into:
And yes, I really do read and reply to the comments, so don’t just click and lurk. 😂 Jump in and tell me what you think! One more thing...There’s another reason this week’s conversation connects with something that has been very personal to me lately. I created The Disney Interviews: Disney Legends Edition because I don’t want these stories, voices, lessons, and memories to disappear, especially knowing that nine of the Disney Legends whose conversations are in the book are no longer with us.
One of the things I love most about conversations like this is that they don’t really end when the podcast does. They keep going with all of you, in the Clubhouse, on LIVE, in the comments, and especially in the emails you send back to me. So I really do want to know: If you could add one modern idea to Walt’s Progress City, what would it be? Hit reply and tell me. I read and reply every email, and I have a feeling your idea is probably going to be much better than mine. 😂 And as always, thank you for being here, for listening, for sharing your thoughts, and for being such an important part of this little community we’ve built together over the years. I never take that for granted, and I’m grateful every single week that I get to do this with you. 💙 Choose the good, - Lou Mongello |
Lou Mongello - WDW Radio
Lou Mongello is a former attorney turned Disney enthusiast, founder of WDWRadio.com Disney podcast in 2005 (named Best Travel Podcast 9 consecutive years), member of the Podcast Hall of Fame, author, speaker, and business coach at LouMongello.com.
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Your Guide to Disney Parks & Experiences Hello Reader, First, I owe you a huge apology for going a little quiet here (my Catholic Italian guilt is off the charts!). The lead-up to D23 was insanely (yet wonderfully) busy, and I’m still playing catch-up in many ways, but I promise I’ll be getting back to more regular updates soon because I have a LOT I’ve been wanting to share with you! But first... this. Some of my favorite WDW Radio memories over the years haven’t happened in the parks at...