During my career as a Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering I lived in different countries during the course of a project to provide support and creative leadership. So that’s the reason why and how I found myself living in Shanghai China on the day the Federal Presidential election was held.
The project office was named the “Toy Box” which was fitting because the project teams for Toy Story Hotel and Toy Story Land occupied the two floors of the building. I shared my office with my associate who spoke perfect Chinese which only made sense because Zoe was Chinese by birth. In our office decisions were made and meetings held on issues regarding both projects and we made every effort to deal with the unforeseen.
What no one foresaw was the result of the Presidential election eight years ago. Sitting at my desk I had my iPhone tuned to CBS news steaming for the results that all of the team in Toy Box assumed would quickly be over, but as it turned out things turned out differently. Within a short time, the Ride Engineering group produced a bottle of Baijiu.
Baijiu is a clear grain alcohol that resembles (in color) other East Asian liquors like South Korea’s soju. The main difference between baijiu and these liquors is the former’s strength — a typical baijiu might exceed 110 proof (55 percent alcohol content). This drink is not to be taken lightly but times were desperate. Since I had drawings to mark, I sat at my desk and focused on my work which proved to be the distraction that I required.
Once I turned and watched the parade floats roll by and thought how quickly things change and how unexpected the changes can be. That day was an election that I will never forget but I can’t say the same about others.
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