Glancing up at Royce Hall 50 years ago, the former UCLA student
said he would never have imagined that five decades later he would
be speaking to another generation of Bruins about his work at
Disneyland.
Marty Sklar, the vice chairman and principal creative executive
of Walt Disney Imagineering, discussed his experience at UCLA and
his position at Disney at an event put on by the Campus Events
Commission in Ackerman Grand Ballroom on Thursday.
Sklar oversees the development and design of attractions in all
the Disney parks around the world and said his personal favorite is
Space Mountain.
“Anyone can dream, but Imagineers can make a dream come
true,” he said.
In 2001, he was honored as a Disney Legend for his work within
the company. Yet his initial involvement with Disney was
unexpected.
As the editor in chief of the Daily Bruin from 1956-1957, Sklar
always wanted to be a sports reporter for a respected newspaper. He
was also involved in student council and was a member of the Zeta
Beta Tau fraternity.
“The Bruin was like an anchor,” he said. “I
was very anonymous on campus, but I could always come back to the
Bruin and be surrounded by people who had the same interests and
goals as I did.”
Sklar was a third-year in May 1955 when he found a note on his
door that told him to call a man named Card Walker. Sklar ignored
the message, not knowing that Walker was offering him a job to work
as editor of Disneyland News.
Luckily, Walker, a representative from Disney, called Sklar
later and saved him from one of the potentially greatest regrets in
his life, Sklar said.
“I’ve learned that you should never turn your back
on something you don’t understand,” Sklar said. As he
started writing for the theme park’s newspaper, Sklar
realized how greatly his experience at the Daily Bruin helped
him.
“Not only did it teach me about editing skills, but it
taught me about discipline and deadlines,” Sklar said.
He also noted that the professors and people he met at UCLA
taught him lessons on the importance of serving other people. Sklar
still remembers the day former basketball coach John Wooden called
him in to ask him to be sensitive regarding an article about a new
17-year-old basketball player.
“He cared about his players as people, not just
athletes,” Sklar said. “I became more sensitive to
other people’s thoughts. I learned a lot about how to treat
people from him.” He said if there is one thing working at
Disneyland has taught him, it’s the importance of people
relations.
“Everything in life is about people,” Sklar said.
“The people you surround yourself with, the ones you depend
on.”
The connection between his UCLA experience and his career was of
particular interest to students.
“I enjoyed hearing about how going to UCLA helped him in
the Disneyland entertainment area,” said Kara Cutruzzula, a
second-year English student.
Sklar outlined what he called “Mickey’s Ten
Commandments,” which he said has become a standard within the
theme park industry. Sklar explained that these commandments
include knowing the audience, organizing the flow of ideas and
communicating with visual literacy.
Students interested in careers at Disneyland said they found
Sklar’s presentation very helpful.
“I think his commandments are so clever,” said
Monica DeLateur, a second-year psychology student.
“It’s amazing to learn what elements are needed to make
Disneyland successful, especially teamwork.”
After explaining the commandments in the question-and-answer
session, Sklar left the audience with advice to keep an open mind,
something he learned through experience.
“Learn as much as you can about as many things as you
can,” Sklar said. “You never know where the paths you
take will lead you. It’s hard to even imagine where I would
be now if Walker hadn’t called me. I know it sounds cliche,
but my advice is cliche because it works.”