Intro: 0:00

Please stand clear of the doors. Please stand clear of the doors. Please stand clear of the doors. Because this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness.

Alicea: 0:23

Hello, everyone. I'm Alicea. I'm Nathan. And I'm Rob. Welcome to episode 188 of Adventures and Mousecapades. On this week's episode, we are rolling out the red carpet for a true showbiz renaissance man. From puppeteering with Disney's finest to directing dolphins in Abu Dhabi, yes, actual dolphins, Rob Lott has done it all. He is a storyteller, a director, a marathon runner, a podcast host, and a Welcome, Rob. My goodness, thank you so much. Wow,

Rob: 1:03

that was a heck of an introduction there. Gosh, I would want to listen to this.

Nathan: 1:11

Well, hopefully you can live up to it, so

Rob: 1:12

we'll see. Yeah, I hope so. Golly.

Nathan: 1:15

So you've done a ton of work for and at Disney, and we'll get into a lot of that stuff. But where did your passion for Disney and storytelling come from? Was Disney a big part of your childhood?

Rob: 1:28

Yeah. Yes, for sure. My mother actually was a fantastic Tupperware lady in the 1980s. And if you have spent much time in the Central Florida area, you might know that there tucked into Kissimmee was the Tupperware headquarters. That was happening in Kissimmee every year, and the convention was two or three days, but we would stay for a week. And since the travel and the lodging had already been paid for, my family, my sister and I, my mom and dad, we would all come here and then spend the rest of the week going to the Disney parks.

Rob: 2:30

And back in the day, they would buy the seven, 10-day park hoppers that never expired, right?

Nathan: 2:39

Oh.

Rob: 2:39

And so they would buy them, and we would use two or three days at a time, then just tuck them away into an envelope and come back the next year and do it all over again and just use those.

Rob: 2:52

So as far as– I have always loved the Disney company, and I had a– I'm just now remembering. I had a picture on my bedroom wall, and it was Mickey dressed as like a live-action– Mickey dressed as like a businessman executive Mickey on it and I and that that might have influenced me a little bit of like oh yeah I could make this my job I could make this my work look somebody gets to Mickey goes to work and does a job this is what he does and so I just yeah absolutely we were visiting the Walt Disney we were visiting Walt Disney World regularly every summer as I was growing up and of course I grew up with the films I And loved those.

Rob: 3:42

And I was part of that Disney decade and that early 90s renaissance of, you know, late 80s, early 90s of Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and, you know. and Lion King and all of that, where it was like, it was just everywhere you looked, there was Disney stuff. And so it was okay and fun and cool to be a Disney kid, you know?

Rob: 4:06

And so I grew up with that. And then of course, pairing that with going to the parks regularly. My mother tells the story, we were sitting watching the parade and I turned and I looked up to her and I said, I wanna do this, this. I wanna work here, I wanna do this. And she filed that away and sure enough, Gosh, about 20 years later, there I am.

Nathan: 4:28

That's amazing. So speaking of all those things, I'm going to fanboy out here for just a little bit. Six Bits Slocum at Hoopy Doo. Marlon Finding Nemo the Musical. You're one of the leads in Dapper Dan's, which, okay, mind blown right now. You're at times the mime at the Sea Lion show over at SeaWorld. You've been crushed with Turtle Talking Crush. Way back in the day, you were Simba and or Scar at the Legend of the Lion King way, way back in Magic Kingdom time.

Rob: 5:04

Yeah, where Mickey's PhilharMagic is now.

Nathan: 5:06

You have done everything. I am in awe here. I'm just flustered. Alicea, you've got to take over!

Alicea: 5:17

Do I need to grab one of my little fanning things?

Nathan: 5:22

Yes, please.

Alicea: 5:22

One of those misters.

Nathan: 5:24

The vapors!

Alicea: 5:26

Oh my goodness...

Rob: 5:27

So here's what happened. I was all set and ready to go to Ohio State. I was going to study music, and I was going to go to Ohio State and see where that led me. Well, I graduated from high school, and a buddy of mine said, Hey, you know, they're having auditions down in Orlando. I just saw this thing. They're having auditions down in Orlando to work at Walt Disney World as a performer. Yeah. you know, like you've always said that, you know, you enjoyed visiting there and you might want to work there one day. You should go just like you're, you're freer today than you will be any other time in your life.

Rob: 6:04

So just go and see. So I, you know, I thought, okay, I'm going to go and I'm going to audition and I'm not going to put all my eggs in this basket, but I'm going to, I have a plan. I'm going to go to Ohio state and learn how to play the trumpet better.

Rob: 6:17

But I went to the audition, and my goodness, they... they said at the beginning of the, of the audition, uh, here's what we're looking for. And we are hoping to hire everybody today. And there was about, there was about 200 people at the, at the audition and they were looking for parade, parade performers and stage performers and, uh, puppeteers.

Nathan: 6:43

Yeah.

Rob: 6:44

And I'll tell you, I, I happen to be in the right place at the right time with the right talent. Um, and that is that I had grown up loving Muppet stuff. Um, and you know, and, and being able to, I'm a really good kind of a mimic. I'm good at emulating what I see I can see it and I can recreate it and so I would see how Kermit the Frog would work and would perform and so when the time came for the puppetry audition I was like okay I'll have a go with that and I did and they pulled me aside and said yeah we need you for Legend of the Lion King when can you start and I said well I don't live here I had grown up in Ohio graduated from Green High School there in Green Ohio where our colors were orange and black... We thought that one t

Rob: 7:29

hrough. And so they– Yeah, they said, we need you for Legend of the Lion King. When can you start? And I said, well, I need to move here. They said, okay, this was September. I said, can you give me a month? They said, actually, that works out perfect because we'll start you and get you all acclimated, get you through all of the training and everything to become a Disney cast member. You've got to go to Traditions. You've got to go to Once Upon a Time is Now. You're going to be at the Magic Kingdom, so you need to take the Magic Kingdom orientation. You'll be part of the character department, so you need to go and do full character training and And then in early November, we will start you in rehearsals for Legend of the Lion King.

Rob: 8:24

I was just thinking about this with a friend of mine who's still a friend of mine to this day. And I actually sent her a message, uh, the other day thanking her as much because she said, she gave me a couple of bits of advice. Um, she, when I, when I first got here, she goes, Hey, I can tell you're ambitious. I can tell that you want to do a and get kind of stationary at Walt Disney World. There's always new stuff coming. There's always new stuff happening. And it's really easy. The paycheck is every week. You can just get really comfortable and sedimentary. And I was like, okay. She goes, so here's the thing. That's not a problem. Just set yourself a time limit as to how long you're going to here.

Rob: 9:12

And I said, okay. And in my head, and I said it out loud later, In my head, I went five years. Five years. I'm going to do this for five years. But I had a little caveat. I said five years as long as I'm doing something new and interesting. If I'm doing something new and interesting within the company, then I will hit reset on that five years. But if I find myself doing the same thing over and over and over again and being stuck in the same place... for more than five years, then it's time to go. And here's the thing, is that I've hit reset on that five-year mark over and over and over again. And now I find myself a 25-year cast member at Walt Disney World.

Rob: 9:54

And yeah, it's true. I've gotten to do a whole bunch of different things and go to a whole bunch of different places. Got to work at Tokyo DisneySea for a little bit. But I've worked at all four parks and done shows and done all kinds of things at all the... with, with all of that, as well as beyond in central Florida, um, working in other places as well.

Rob: 10:15

You know, uh, we like to talk about with the, we put up a good show that the parks: Universal, Sea World, Disney, that we're all in competition with each other and we hate each other. Um, we don't, we really like each other. We believe that each other is worthy rivals. Yeah. And, uh, you know, Simon Sinek talks about, uh, he's the start with why guy. Um, And he talks about the, you know, find your worthy rival, find the rival that challenges you in a great way. And so we work together. What's good for one of us, you know, Epic Universe just opened and everybody's attendance went up, you know? And so we're good with that.

Rob: 10:55

Bring everybody into town. You do Epic Universe one day and when you're done with that, come on down the street and we'll be waiting for you. And then we'll open something new and everybody will come into town. And it goes all, we all like each other, help each other.

Nathan: 11:33

We're musicians. We've done auditions before. We've raised a little theater kid who just was in a multi-hour rehearsal this afternoon for Beetlejuice Jr. And he does a traveling, I always call it, it's like select soccer for musical theater. And we're traveling all over the West Coast and stuff like that. So we're in this and auditions are absolutely a thing. And to walk into an audition with a couple hundred other people and to have have the folks running it go, Hey, our ideal scenario is you all knock it out of the park and we hire everybody. Holy cow. Like what a freeing experience to reduce that pressure, which brings out the best performances and everybody. I love that.

Rob: 12:21

I agree a hundred percent. And I, yeah, the, there is a, for anybody who is looking to an interested in auditioning for the Walt Disney company, you know, American Idol put a bad taste in a lot of people's mouth when it comes to auditioning. They think that it's going to be those three judges on the other side of the table who are judgmental. And they think that that's going to be the case. But the reality is, this is for the most part true for auditioning really anywhere. But the reality is, when you walk in the room, they want you to be... their answer to their problem. They have a problem that they're looking to hire somebody to help.

Rob: 13:33

There's nothing better than that. And so I highly recommend anyone, everyone, if you've ever thought about auditioning for Walt Disney World or the Disney Company or they're on your coast over there at Disneyland or anything in between, I highly recommend it. It will be a good experience.

Nathan: 14:11

Excellent. Well, we're preparing for our retirement jobs. So I'm going to be the drummer in the little jazz quartet or quintet that walks around every once in a while.

Rob: 14:23

Yes!

Nathan: 14:23

In Disneyland, there's always the Disneyland Marching Band. Really tempting. Yeah, we have our eye on a few performing arts

Alicea: 14:31

I wish they had that in Disney World. Although it is really hot there, so I don't know. Which one? Which one? Say it again. The band.

Nathan: 14:37

The Disneyland Marching Band.

Rob: 14:39

I mean, we have the Main Street Phil. Yes. Which, yeah, they are, man, they can play. They are good. They are really good. They don't do the formations and stuff as much as the Disneyland band.

Rob: 14:51

The Disneyland band actually was in town. They were in Orlando a couple months ago.

Alicea: 14:55

Oh, cool.

Rob: 14:56

Yeah, and actually did a performance at Walt Disney World. Nice. And it was really cool. They made a special announcement and they were like, hey, the Disneyland band is here and if you go in front of the castle, they were doing a special couple of sets there. It was fun.

Nathan: 15:11

I would have been their drop of a hat!

Alicea: 15:14

Okay, so mime, puppeteer, vocal lead, your range is wilder than a jungle cruise line skipper spiel. What role is one that stretched you the most artistically?

Rob: 15:29

The most artistically and that yeah that last word is the that's because I I always say when it comes to performing at Walt Disney World, they're always looking for the triple threat. Classically speaking, the singer, the actor, the dancer, you got to have all three, right? But for the shows and the performers that perform at Walt Disney World and Disneyland for that matter, there's always that extra special skill. There's always that other thing, that fourth thing that they're going to kind of put on top of it where it's like, okay, yeah, we assume you know how to act, how to sing, and how to dance. But now we need you to do that while you're also doing this other thing. And so I think the role that was most– artistically challenging, stretched me the most, but also my favorite show, I would say, of all time at Walt Disney World was Finding Nemo the Musical. Finding Nemo the Musical still exists in a form at Animal Kingdom, but what it was in the before times, the classic version, Finding Nemo the Musical. I actually started on that show teaching the puppetry to the new performers coming in.

Nathan: 16:42

Oh, wow.

Rob: 16:43

And so the new performers would come in and we would walk them through the entire show. through the entire show and show them how to bring these puppets to life in order to tell the story that we were hoping to have told. But then the opportunity came for me to, again, kind of move from around the table and go to the other side of the room and pick up the puppets myself and become a performer in the show. So that's when I got to do Marlin.

Rob: 17:11

And that role, you know, it's a 37 minute, it was a 37 minute show. And Marlin was on stage for about 35 of those 37 minutes. 37 minutes you were always on and Marlon ran this gamut of emotion of being in love when the curtain first opens, being in love with his wife there. And then losing his wife and then realizing I'm a single dad I'm gonna need to figure that out. And then we jump ahead and now he's terrified and nervous for his son to send him off to school. And then well of course the worst thing has happened now I've lost my son and I need to go find him and so all of that. And then becoming friends with Dory and then being able to find the son and everything that goes with all of that and having the courage then to let him go to school again.

Alicea: 18:04

Yeah.

Nathan: 18:09

Yeah. Wow.

Rob: 18:29

But also, here, hold this eight-pound puppet over your head for the next 37 minutes. Also, we're going to put this harness on you and raise you up about 15, 20 feet over the deck of the stage and have you do some flips and turns and things while you're doing that. Sure, why not?

Nathan: 18:49

Yeah, why not? I mean, you trained...

Rob: 18:51

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Nathan: 18:53

Yeah, classically trained acrobat. We forgot to put that onto the resume

Rob: 18:58

But again, I will say um to their credit they recognize the walt i'm say Walt Disney World recognized nobody's coming in with the puppetry experience that that we need them to have and so they give you so much rehearsal time nobody's coming in with the aerial flight experience that we need them to have so we give you that rehearsal time and so uh yeah it's it's uh what you get with the Walt Disney Company is that they fully support their performers. They fully give them what is needed, called for, and necessary in order to be able to do and perform at the level that our guests are expecting.

Nathan: 19:38

I was actually going to ask that. How long does it take somebody to ramp up from zero to 100 and be able to get ready to go on stage and perform that show or just a show in general?

Rob: 19:50

Yeah, that show started when it first When it first opened, it was six weeks of rehearsal from day one to the final night before they stepped on stage the next day to essentially a final night of dress rehearsal and then stepping on stage the next day in front of guests. So that was six weeks.

Rob: 20:09

They whittled it down to four weeks for the principals and I think it's three weeks for the ensemble now. But yeah, it was an involved– it was certainly like, Mark, go ahead and take everything else off your calendar. This is what you're doing for the next six weeks. You're going to be busy for a bit.

Nathan: 20:53

From a performance perspective, like you said earlier, doing the same thing over and over and over and over, it gets boring. How do you make it your own? How do you keep energized? Keep yourself going?

Rob: 21:05

Well, I abide by, and this was some advice that was given to me, early on as a, as a new, fresh, young, green performer, I was going to be performing one day with a seasoned veteran of performing. And, and I was really excited. I was really excited to share the stage with them. And so we went out on stage and I was pulling out all the stops every, I just, I wanted to do every extra bit, every extra joke, every extra bit of, you know, just whatever we could do to just really, you know, I just really wanted to show, show them what I had.

Rob: 21:38

And it I came back afterwards and I sat down next to him in the green room. And I was kind of this young kid. I was like, hey, how'd it go? How'd I do? And he turned to me. He goes, hey, man, great show out there. Really, really fun. And I said, I would love to get any feedback if you have anything. And he said, yeah, you are really interesting out there. And I said, well, thank you. Thank you so much. And he goes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Next time we go out there, just as an experiment, why don't you try being interested?

Nathan: 22:18

Yikes.

Rob: 22:21

And it changed everything. Absolutely changed everything. And from that point forward, not only– in performance but also in life of approaching everything not from an how can I show up in the world and be the most interesting person but rather how do I show up in the world and be the most interested person and I do that as far as showing up on stage how do I show up and be the most interested that I can possibly be.

Rob: 22:48

I've seen time and time again with new young performers they show up And, you know, we were just, we were, before we pressed record, we were talking about, uh, the, the heat there in, uh, where, where you are. And we, we, we have some heat down on, down in Orlando.

Nathan: 23:06

Uh, we're familiar

Alicea: 23:07

Yeah.

Rob: 23:08

And so, uh, yeah, so it's, it's, it gets hot and that's not only outside, but also on stage. And so young performers, they get going and they're sweating and they're, and they're, as they're first starting, they're just, you know, they come off stage and, you know, need to change the entire costume because they're Yeah. Yeah. huh, why is that? You know what? I probably, you know what? I'm probably not working as hard. I'm probably, I've become lazy. You know what I need to do? I need to pump up the energy. I need to bump up the energy and just, I need to get back to that place where I come off stage soaked in sweat.

Nathan: 24:01

Yeah.

Rob: 24:02

And now they're all of a sudden they're just, it's this frenetic, crazy, weird, like, what are you doing? You're just doing so much that you don't need to be doing. Um, and it's, it's not a question of laziness. It's just, no, you've just gotten stronger. You've gotten stronger and you are acclimated to doing this work now.

Nathan: 24:22

Yeah.

Rob: 24:22

So yeah, you're not as out of breath anymore. You're not as, but here's what you don't need to do. You don't need to bump up your energy. What you need to do is keep your engagement 100% in check.

Rob: 24:34

Energy fluctuates from day to day, but engagement is pass-fail. Are you fully there? Are you fully engaged in the performance that's there that you are doing, that you are giving, that the performers around you are giving? Are you paying full attention to that? Are you fully engaged? Are you fully interested?

Rob: 24:51

If you're doing that, then I've actually learned shows fly by when I'm interested in the ones that I'm doing.

Rob: 24:58

It's when I start looking for... shortcuts, and how can I do this with the least amount of energy? And I've gone through those seasons where it's like, how can I do this with the least amount of preparation, the least amount of energy, the least amount of engagement, and get away with it? Well, then, actually, the shows become really long. Like, oh, we're only at this point in the show? Oh, I'm exhausted.

Nathan: 25:23

Right.

Rob: 25:24

Because... you're trying to find shortcuts as opposed to just being fully in it.

Nathan: 25:29

Right.

Rob: 25:30

And so that, when you ask the question, you know, how do you keep it fresh? That's, that's a long winded answer of saying, be interested, not interesting. Don't give full energy, give full engagement. And as far as, you know, Marlon certainly, Marlon is a, that's a, it is what it is.

Rob: 25:51

Marlon, everybody knows what, what Marlon is supposed to be like. And so that is, that is an energy that is, that is solid.

Rob: 25:58

Six Bit Slocum is great because it's not like an intellectual property character. So if anytime you go to the Hoopty Doo Review there at Fort wilderness and you go and you see, uh, the, the pioneer hall players, uh, they're on stage, it's, All of the characters are amplifications of the performers that are there.

Rob: 26:21

And so I always like to say Six Bits just wants to be a part of the show. He hasn't been to any rehearsal. He doesn't know any of the script, but he just wants to be a part of the show. Can he just please be included? And that's my take on that character. It's like, just please, Jim, Jim, Jim, just can I be in it? Can I be part of it? I just want to be a part of all of this.

Rob: 26:43

But then also with Dapper Dan's, it's... We use our real names. When I'm singing with the Dapper Dans, it's Rob. And I sing with my buddies going on down the line of whoever happens to be in that day. And we talk to each other by name and we introduce ourselves as ourselves. And again, it's an amplified version of us. It's a Disney-fied version of us, so to say. But at the same time, it is just us. And so, yeah, that's how

Alicea: 27:14

Well, and... You are creating all these immersive guest experiences. How do you balance structure that you have to stay with there with the spontaneity of the characters?

Rob: 27:28

So not much spontaneity with Finding Nemo

Nathan: 27:33

You're not improv-ing?

Rob: 27:34

Not so much. Once that show starts, it does not stop.

Rob: 27:38

But yeah, so with... Here's the reality is... So it's...

Rob: 27:44

You might have heard of the five keys right? We got safety, courtesy, inclusion, show, and efficiency. Right?

Rob: 27:56

And uh, now i pay most attention to the show uh to the show element but of course you know we we pay attention to safety we pay attention to courtesy but here's here's what it used to be: safety, show, courtesy... Inclusion wasn't on the list yet... but it used to be safety, show, courtesy, and efficiency.

Rob: 28:18

Well, what ended up happening was we were valuing show over efficiency, which on paper looks really good. But the reality is a lot of times they would go, oh, well, we need to cancel this show because we're missing this one element. This one element that is not necessarily– plot necessary this one element that it's not... You know, we have a... we have a part of the set that is supposed to move and it's not moving, but can you still do the show? Well we could, but it wouldn't be the show. It's not the best show possible so let's go ahead and cancel. But at the same, time people have been waiting out there for about 45 minutes

Nathan: 28:59

yeah

Rob: 29:01

yeah but it's not the show so we need to we need to we need to cancel it. S o, rightly so, there was a flip that happened where they said, okay, hold on. What is the courteous thing to do? As soon as we know we can't do the show, let's let everybody know as quickly as possible. But if we can do a show, it may not be the show, but if we can do a show, let's do that. And so then getting into the efficiency piece, efficiency is still on the list. It's last on the list, but it's still on the list. And so– For me, yeah, there is a recognizing the structure of how to do what we do.

Rob: 29:37

Especially I think of the timeline of the Pioneer Hall for the Hoop-Dee-Dee Review. It's about an hour and a half, two-hour experience for the guest as they come in.

Alicea: 29:47

Mm-hmm.

Rob: 29:50

Around that experience, there are bus schedules and there are other shows that night. There are also other cast members who are on other schedules that we need to work alongside the kitchen to make sure that food timing is coming out on time based on where we are in the show. Yeah, we have to pay attention to those things. And just quietly, don't tell anybody, but there's big, giant clocks on stage left and stage right that I can look over at any time. And there's benchmarks at any point in the show of going, this is where you need to be by this time. This is where you need to be by this time. This is where you need to be by this time.

Rob: 30:30

And one of our directors would say, well, we have had a couple of different directors over the 50 plus years that Hoop-Dee-Doo has been around. But a couple of the directors, one of the directors would say, you know, you have the roadmap. You have the roadmap of the script of the show. You can leave that roadmap, but make sure you know how to get back.

Rob: 30:52

And then another director, he would talk about everybody has a dollar to spend. You have a dollar to spend outside of the confines of the script at the Hoop-Dee-Do Review. And so... when we're talking about kind of those, when you, when you see the, and every show at, uh, the Hoop-Dee-Do review.

Rob: 31:10

And I also believe every show at, um, with the Dapper Dans, I always like to say like, let's prove that it's live. Let's prove that it's live. Um, let, let's do things for this audience that they know this is only happening for us right here, right?

Nathan: 31:26

Yeah.

Rob: 31:26

And so, um, I have a dollar to spend to prove that. And the other performers on stage have a dollar to spend. And now I can't spend... I might only need to spend 15, 20 cents in order to do my proving. But... as far as what I'm allowed to spend outside of the script. But I don't want to take away any of the dollar that the other performers have to spend. Let them also have their space to do what they need to do.

Rob: 31:56

And same thing then with Dapper Dan's, where it is... There's a big giant clock on Main Street USA, and it's not there just for the decoration. It's there for all of us to be able to glance at and make sure that we are staying within– because, all right, think about this...

Rob: 32:13

When somebody stops for a Dapper Dan show, especially this day and age, when somebody stops for a Dapper Dan show, they are– potentially um missing a fast pass somewhere they are potentially missing a or they might be late to a dinner reservation right or a lunch reservation so it is a high honor that they are stopping for us yeah and I used to say you know well my goodness um why is it such a bad thing that our 20-minute show became 22 minutes, became 23 minutes? Why is that so bad? The audience was there. They were having a good time.

Rob: 32:51

Well, because they're not here just for the Dapper Dans, Rob. There's other things to do. And if you take more than what we've asked for, it's a little bit selfish as a performer to want to hold somebody beyond what we've agreed to. And so... Sending them on their way to go and enjoy Space Mountain. That's okay, too.

Nathan: 33:12

So I have kind of a logistical question, and it's okay if you don't want to give the whole inside baseball answer, but I think we'd be okay. How many Dapper Dans are there, like on average?

Rob: 33:25

Yeah. So there's two full-time quartets.

Nathan: 33:27

Okay.

Rob: 33:28

And then they cross over on Wednesdays.

Nathan: 33:31

Okay.

Rob: 33:32

We actually, two full-time quartets, and on Wednesdays, one group does the AM up on the street while the other group is in rehearsal.

Nathan: 33:40

Okay, got it.

Rob: 33:41

And the Dapper Dans are always in a constant state of rehearsal because Dapper Dans are not only needed and necessary on Main Street USA, but they get called on a lot for special events and other things to be other places. And so there's a regular occurrence where, and there's also new guys coming in on a regular basis.

Rob: 34:01

We cycle through, every year we have a full rehearsal process and bring new guys in. There's always new material to learn and also old material to brush up on and just keep all of that good and steady in the book and in the rotation of music that we do. Two full-time quartets, but I am one of the subs that fills in for the full-timers when they want to go on vacation. People like to, even though they live in the vacation capital of the world, sometimes it's nice to leave town for a little bit.

Alicea: 34:32

Gotta take care of yourself.

Nathan: 34:33

Exactly. I have to admit that one of my Disney highlights is Alicea sprung on me a happy birthday dedicated to me from the Dapper Dans. Uh, I was, I think buying the photo pass. Our daughter was four and a half at the time. She's now 20. So this is a few years ago. And, uh, I was doing the, uh, the checkout at the, the, the counter after the photo session, after Bibbidi Bobbidi makeover and all the rest of that stuff. And, uh, All of a sudden, the Dapper Dans are behind me singing me happy birthday. And it was just the most incredible thing ever. It was great.

Rob: 35:16

You know, Dapper Dans is one of my most favorite things that I have. The legacy of that group. Some people know, not everybody knows, the Dapper Dans are one of Walt Disney's original ideas for Disneyland.

Rob: 35:31

And his favorite day of the year growing up in Marceline was July 4th. And he loved it because there was a parade there was fireworks and he goes wouldn't it be great if there was a place where every day there was a parade and every day there was fireworks and there was a barbershop quartet on the corner singing um you know just music from my childhood wouldn't that be great?

Rob: 35:57

And so that's what he created and so when and uh when When Magic Kingdom opened in 71, Dapper Dans, of course, were going to be a mainstay there.

Rob: 36:05

And so to be a part of that, it is really a super special thing. I recognize how special it is. First off, barbershop quartets... I am aware of the circle of barbershop quartets that exist in the world, but the idea that people are able to make a full time living and you can go to this place every day of the year and get to hear a barbershop quartet on the street corner every single day. Like that's cool. It's different. It's special, you know? And so to be a part of that, it's, it's an honor.

Nathan: 36:39

So that kind of, for lack of a better term, Americana and that essence, you know, the fireworks and the parade and the, and, and the, you know, the barbershop quartet. You take that and you've done, uh, I forget the name of the group over in, in, in Tokyo Disney, uh...

Rob: 36:56

The dockside porters.

Nathan: 36:57

That's it exactly. And you've done some other things over in Tokyo as well. Like how does that translate? Not just for the performances, but also for you as a performer, you're in a different culture. Like how does, how does that... What was your experience like doing that?

Rob: 37:14

Uh, my experience over there was amazing. I Right. Oh, my. They want American stature-looking people coming to the parks because that's what gives it its, for the Asian culture over there, it gives them, here is something different that we don't have here. Here's a different look and a different energy of a performer. So they wanted the Americans and the Australians come over there and be able to bring that. But then it was also like, but we need to understand you. So please, please speak in Japanese. So they would be given these binders of phrases and scripts and everything to learn.

Rob: 38:19

We worked in an area literally called the American waterfront at Tokyo DisneySea. And our director said, gentlemen, would it be okay if you mainly spoke English?

Nathan: 38:34

no.

Rob: 38:35

Okay, fine. Yeah. Oh, gosh. Okay, yeah. That'll be okay. We will make this sacrifice. So I will say, I didn't learn as much Japanese while I was over there as I could have and should have.

Rob: 38:50

But it's true. I mean, when you're in it, and you're surrounded by it you learn it and you learn the culture you learn the traditions and you learn how to be a member of this society and also before I went there I was 23 when I went and I was 25 when I came back. And before I went, a buddy of mine pulled me aside. He was about maybe 10, 15 years older than me, pulled me aside and he goes...

Rob: 39:16

Hey, you are about to become a member of a very small club of people. And it is the World Travelers Club. And all of a sudden... When you get back to the States, you're going to have a whole lot more patience for people who don't know the language. You're going to have a whole lot more patience for people who don't know how to move about and live in this world and this society and this culture that we have over here. You're going to realize literally how small the world is. And so enjoy it while you're over there, but also recognize when you come back, you will be a different person.

Rob: 39:52

And that has been 100% true where...

Alicea: 39:55

Yeah.

Rob: 40:17

What are the things that get laughs everywhere? What are the things that get smiles everywhere? What are the things that make couples just squeeze each other a little bit tighter everywhere? What are those things? And there are. There are things that just elicit smiles no matter what. No matter what you are, who you are, where you are, you learn what those things are. And it's great.

Alicea: 40:44

Okay, you're talking about doing a show that resonates across cultures by using humor and whatnot, and just things that just go over everything. You did this with Dolphin Island, which was in the UAE. Can you tell us a little bit about that show and how you designed it?

Rob: 41:00

Yeah, well, it was an interesting situation. So yeah, I got to work at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. And my area was in tropical ocean there at the SeaWorld Park there. And yeah, the Our marquee event that was there was Dolphin Island.

Rob: 41:19

So it was an interesting situation where the park broke ground, I want to say in 2020, 2021. And so you can imagine, think about like if we had trouble getting things delivered here, they got a little bit behind also there as far as getting everything on time to open the park on time.

Rob: 41:44

So what ended up happening was the production team that was in place to write and direct and create everything at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, they had other contracts. They had other things that they needed to do. So they basically– they wrote, created everything, but the park wasn't ready to open. It was still a hardhat area. Got it. just need to find some people to mount it, put it up, and get the show up on its feet.

Nathan: 42:20

Right.

Rob: 42:20

And so that was... So the creative team there in Abu Dhabi, they opened up their Rolodex of contacts and started calling all of the SeaWorld parks in the States and saying, okay, we need directors. We need directors. We need creatives. We need costume designers. We need set designers. We need all of these people to come in and help get this thing up and done and finished. Yeah. who do you got that is available? And I had just finished working on doing some consulting with the Dolphin presentation here at SeaWorld Orlando. And so they're like, oh, well, we got this guy, Rob. He just finished working on the Dolphin show here. Yeah, we can give him your contact info. So they called me up out of nowhere and they said, hey, we have this opportunity for you overseas. Are you interested and available? I was like, well, let's keep talking.

Rob: 43:13

So that's how I ended up going over there and doing that. And it was a Yeah. we went through a whole preview process of putting the show in front of lots of different kinds of audiences. And what ended up happening was we kind of realized, oh, there's some stuff that we thought was going to work and it didn't. And that's okay. We will repurpose it and reuse it somewhere else in the fleet of parks.

Rob: 43:51

But yeah, but those things ended up getting kind of changed and cut and adjusted to the UAE culture based on what what they resonated with. The idea of gathering in a theme park for a show was a little bit foreign to the United Arab Emirates as far as the parks. They have beautiful concert halls and beautiful theaters, but it's just a different culture. American musical theater is not as prominent, wouldn't you believe? It's not as prominent there as... as it is, say, in the West End or on Broadway or all around the country here. And so when we went over there, we kind of had to teach them, oh, here's how. Here's how you enjoy a show. Yeah, you're going to be sitting here for 20 minutes. And we're going to entertain you right here for 20 minutes. And you don't have to go anywhere. You don't have to do anything. Just relax. We'll take it from here. And we had to kind of teach them that, no, you can just kind of chill out. Relax. Lean back.

Nathan: 45:01

So we're talking about the experience of– seeing shows, of performing in shows, of staging shows all around the world, all these different cultures, like thinking about everything that you've built and been a part of and seen, like what's one moment or two moments of a theme park show that gives you goosebumps?

Rob: 45:24

Uh, that's a, Oh, that's a great question. Um, for multiple, multiple reasons, um, the voices of Liberty, um, at the American Adventure at Epcot still are thrilling to me. And partially because I may or may not have fallen in love with a certain first soprano.

Nathan: 45:51

Details.

Rob: 45:52

Yes, yes, that sung there with the Voices of Liberty. But at the same time, I was a fan of the group before she started singing with them. And when she started singing with them, somebody came up to me and was like, Rob, you're a fan of Voices of Liberty. They got this new soprano. You need to hear this girl. She is amazing. I'm like, okay.

Rob: 46:11

But at the same time, Voices of Liberty was created by a group by a guy named Derek Johnson and he arranged all of their music in the early days from the opening of the park for the first couple of decades that the park was around he arranged all of their music.

Rob: 46:30

And he had a pretty strong belief of we are not after what is relevant we are after what is significant and We are going to do this show musically. We are going to aim this show to the 10%. We can aim it at the 90% or we can aim it at the 10%. We're going to aim it at the 10% because if we can get the 10%, and when I say the 10%, what he would refer to, when he said the 10%, he was talking about people like you...

Nathan: 47:02

Yeah

Rob: 47:03

The music majors and the true appreciators of harmony, the true people who understand what it is to sing in a choir, to put a sound like this together.

Nathan: 47:15

How hard that is to do.

Rob: 47:17

How difficult that is. And we're going to make it look easy. We're going to make it sound easy. But that 10% of people are just going to go, what? We've never heard anything like this, not

Nathan: 47:30

Yeah, yeah.

Rob: 47:31

And so we're going to aim for that 10% because here's the thing. If you get the 10%, they're going to bring the 90% with them.

Nathan: 47:38

Yeah,

Rob: 47:38

yeah. And so, yeah. Whereas, now here's the thing. Dapper Dans, Dapper Dans, they're for the 90%. Nobody should walk away from a Dapper Dan show going, oh my goodness, those harmonies were impeccable. Now sometimes they do, but really what you should walk away from a Dapper Dan show is going, those guys love each other and they were having so much fun.

Nathan: 47:59

Yeah

Rob: 48:00

That's what you should walk away from a Dapper Dan show with. You should walk away from a Voices of Liberty show going, that was vocal excellence. That was musical perfection. And I've never heard anything like that before.

Rob: 48:14

And so... Yeah, that show still, if we're talking about goosebumps, God Bless America, Battle Hymn of the Republic, nothing beats it. Nothing is compared to that on Disney property. Okay, you got me.

Alicea: 48:34

And the acoustics in there...

Rob: 48:35

So good. The sound goes straight up and comes straight back down. You'll find the best seat is right here at the edge of the red

Alicea: 48:45

There's... Something magical about live park interactions. Are there any guest encounters that still make you grin years later?

Rob: 48:54

You know... Because of what I get to do, it really is an everyday occurrence. And that sounds like a cop-out answer, but I'll bring it around here in a second. It really is an everyday occurrence where you see people who are like, it's them. It's the Dapper Dans. It's the world. They're right there. I'm so excited. And you see those people.

Rob: 49:18

And then you see the other people who are going, wait, who are the Dapper Dans? Wait, what? What is this? I have never...

Alicea: 49:25

Yeah.

Nathan: 49:26

Yeah.

Rob: 49:44

People who are in the know, know. And we all talk about it. But for the most part, the ads and everything aren't really saying, look at the entertainment. What the ads are saying is, look at these new attractions. Walt Disney, of course, famously said, Disneyland is the star. Not any one attraction, not any one performer.

Rob: 50:07

Disneyland is the star.

Nathan: 50:09

Right, right.

Rob: 50:10

So... I think World, thinking of it the same way, World is the star. Walt Disney World is the star. Magic Kingdom is the star. And everything that's in it, that is the draw for most people. But then they get there, and I remind myself on a regular basis of going, not only is this...

Rob: 50:28

Marty Sklar was famous for saying, every day is somebody's first day at the Magic Kingdom. So we have to be great every day we have to knock it out of the park every day.

Rob: 50:40

But then also I like to think about it as not only are we doing this show for the first time for somebody, we could very well be introducing somebody to live theater for the very first time. To live performance for the very first time. Where they are coming from they just don't have it there and they're getting here and they're seeing it and experiencing it for the first time. And we might ignite something in someone that It has them go, oh, my whole life trajectory has just changed.

Rob: 51:09

This is what I want to do now. I want to surround myself with this kind of thing.

Rob: 51:14

But then to go back to answer your question a little bit, what's really fun, it is an everyday experience, but what's really fun is when they come back and again and again and again. And especially if it's...

Rob: 51:29

I saw somebody just last night, they go, hi, you don't remember me. And I go, I do remember you. I remember you. Back table at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review. That's where we first met. And it was in Orlando and she's now back as a college program person.

Nathan: 51:45

Yeah.

Rob: 51:46

But, uh, but I, I absolutely, I go, yeah, I absolutely remember you. Yeah. Because you said that this is where you wanted to be in this, what you wanted to do. And we had a great, good conversation about it. And it was partially, um, she was having a conversation with Six Bits, but really Six Bits / Rob Lott was also giving some advice as to how to get to do some of those things.

Rob: 52:05

But, uh, but yeah, but then she came back and I was like, yeah, I, I remember you. And that little twinkle in her eye of going, you remember me? Yes, I do. And those, when, when they come back and they bring their friends and they, you have that history with somebody.

Rob: 52:23

I think that that's something that is so special about the entertainment at Walt Disney World. It is that personalized experience. It's really hard to match up the timing to have the same bellhop at Tower of Terror that you had when you were eight years old to have them again when you're 18 to have them again when you're 28. It's not so difficult to find the same performers again when you were eight and now you're 18 and now you're 28 and you're bringing your own kids and introducing them, it's not so odd to find somebody who's been working at Walt Disney World in the same role doing that stuff. So that's what's super

Nathan: 53:04

That's so magical. And it speaks to kind of, you do a lot of your podcast and other things where you talk about creativity and leadership and how that all blends together. And, you know, speaking of this, you know, this young woman who's now back and, you know, do you, partly inspired her.

Rob: 53:28

She already had the motivation. It her idea, but I was like, oh, let me point you in the right direction.

Nathan: 53:33

In general, what advice do you give to that young artist on how to lead and how to pursue that vision that they have with heart and the creativity? What do you speak into those folks?

Rob: 53:49

My core message is start. Start. Begin.

Rob: 53:53

Yeah, but no, I don't... Yeah, start.

Rob: 53:55

Yeah, but I feel like maybe I just need to... No, start. Start.

Rob: 54:00

And... Not only start doing this thing that you want to do, just have a go at it.

Rob: 54:06

I started by copying other performers. When I first started at Disney, again, the same person who gave me the five-year limit to how long you're going to be here also gave me the advice and said, hey, you want to be great? Go watch everybody else's show.

Rob: 54:27

Watch everybody else's show and see what they do and you will learn what you want to emulate and do every show of yours, as well as oh don't want to ever do that.

Alicea: 54:38

yeah

Nathan: 54:39

yeah

Rob: 54:39

you know i just saw them do that on stage yep i want to make sure i never fall into that trap and do that.

Rob: 54:43

You will become great by watching everybody else yeah and uh and then bringing that into your own performance.

Rob: 54:51

But jumping in there and starting and doing it and just getting taking every opportunity for, especially if performance is what you're after. Taking every opportunity to just be in and around and on a stage.

Rob: 55:06

Don't listen to anybody who says you know hold out for lead roles. No, that's dumb. Get on stage. I don't care if you're running the spotlight. I don't care if you are handing off props in the wings. Be in it. Be around it. If that's the goal, if that's where you want to go and what you want to do and what every bit of experience is good experience, jump in find a place to do it now.

Rob: 55:29

If you can't find a place locally where you are... This is where the proximity principle comes into play. There's a guy named Ken Coleman, wrote a book called The Proximity Principle. And he'll be honest and say he didn't come up with it. He just wrote a book about it. But the idea is you do need to be in proximity to the people who are doing what you want to do. And you need to be in proximity to the work where it's happening. It's going to be really hard to have a career on Broadway living in Wyoming, right? It's just going to be really difficult to do that. Not saying it's impossible. Who knows technologically how we're going to be able to move forward in the coming years and decades, but it's just going to be really difficult.

Rob: 56:08

If Broadway is the goal, there's only one place you can do that. You need to go to New York and get yourself ensconced in that place.

Alicea: 56:17

Yeah.

Nathan: 56:18

Right.

Rob: 56:21

Yeah. Say yes to everything for the first five years, and after that, you'll be able to pick and choose.

Rob: 56:44

When you're first starting out and you're young, you have all the energy in the world, so you'll sleep later. Go ahead and say yes to everything. You'll figure it out on your calendar. Say yes to everything. and just get that experience, build your resume, and then after that, you'll be able to pick and choose.

Rob: 57:02

The other thing that will happen is you'll go, oh, I never want to do that again. I said yes, and I did it, and I followed through, but I never want to do that again. You learn in those five years what you're great at and what you probably should hand off to others.

Alicea: 57:18

If you could reboot any retired Disney show, what would it be, and would you do any reimagining to it?

Rob: 57:26

Couple come to mind. I loved, did you ever see the, I forget the name of it, but it was the Tijuana, oh, Tijuana Showboat Jubilee.

Alicea: 57:37

Oh, that sounds familiar.

Nathan: 57:40

Okay.

Rob: 57:41

It was on the Rivers of America, on the Mark Twain riverboat. The parade would start in Frontierland, and it was Tiana, and she had a brass band, and they would play this New Orleans-style music and have a parade, like a New Orleans-style parade that got them to the riverboat. Right. Right. with Princess and the Frog, that film coming out. And once that came out, then they never did it again. And I just thought, it was like, this is what you want. You want Magic Kingdom to be this kind of stuff all the time.

Alicea: 58:42

That would have been perfect for opening Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Rob: 58:47

Agreed

Nathan: 58:49

You know what? In true Disney style, though, no good idea ever gets completely put on the shelf because when Maleficent her... her conflagration a year or two ago in Disneyland...

Alicea: 58:58

Oh, that's right.

Nathan: 59:18

Tiana and a New Orleans jazz band on a float parked right there in the water. And it was amazing. And honestly, we doubled back and just parked and listened.

Rob: 59:30

So much fun. Yeah. Yeah. And I, you know, I, listen, I, I am all about, um, my personality type is just lends itself towards fun and excitement. And, you know, if it's not fun, I don't care to be a part of it. So, uh, so, so I'm just, I'm just always looking for those fun for the sake of fun type stuff. Yeah. And I feel like there's opportunity around every corner to create fun for people, right? So that's something.

Rob: 59:56

I would also, this is just me, I would also, I would take Finding Nemo the musical and bring it back to its full original 37-minute version.

Rob: 1:00:03

I just think it was the most creative, artistic, theatrically fulfilling show. Whether I would be a part of it or not, that's not it. I just think it was...

Rob: 1:00:16

Now what they have going on now is great. The people who worked on it and are working on it are fantastic. It's still a great show. I thought Finding Nemo the musical was a very special capsule in time of Disney creative entertainment.

Nathan: 1:00:35

This is going to be a rather difficult question, so prepare yourself. You've run seven marathons. What's harder, Mile 21 or Tech Rehearsal?

Rob: 1:00:46

laughter laughter I am built for tech rehearsal. Nobody, nobody is built for mile 21. No. Yeah. Yeah. My goodness. You know, the story goes, the first guy who ran a marathon, he died. So yes. So this is what we're doing. Why are we doing this?

Nathan: 1:01:11

Did you not get the hint thousands of years ago? What are you doing?

Rob: 1:01:15

But I'll tell you, you know what, what it was. My wife was working with, uh, with some people. a number of years ago and they were like hey let's all get together and go to the finish line of the princess half marathon let's go to the finish line and cheer for everybody. I was like well that sounds fun so yeah I'm in I'll go I'll do that.

Rob: 1:01:34

So I got up and I went and I watched these people finishing the half marathon and I saw the relief and the joy and the I did it I set a goal and I did it I saw that on their face and I turned to Kate and I said I want I feel like, I feel like I'm, I feel like I want to do that. I feel like that's something, that's something I want to do. And, uh, and she goes, okay.

Rob: 1:01:59

And before I knew it, uh, she had bought me a bib, uh, to do a half marathon. And I was like, okay, so here we go. I'm in it. We're, we're going. So, but yeah, it's addictive.

Rob: 1:02:17

And those Disney, the run Disney experiences, they were super fun. It has been a while since I've run a marathon. The last one I ran was in 2020. And they shut them down for a little bit. And then, you know, and when they brought them back, I said, hey, that was something fun that I did for little bit.

Nathan: 1:02:34

Well, speaking of torture, it's now time for Alicea's patented Disney torture test. But you're a professional. Okay. You've got this. But seriously though, good luck.

Alicea: 1:02:47

This is just your Disney favorites from under Mickey's umbrella. So like Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, all that. Okay. Who's your favorite character?

Rob: 1:03:01

Aladdin. Not Aladdin, but the genie specifically.

Alicea: 1:03:05

Your favorite movie?

Rob: 1:03:08

Mary Poppins. Yes.

Alicea: 1:03:11

Favorite ride?

Rob: 1:03:12

Can we get into classic or new? One of each, sure. Yeah, I love, if we're talking new, Cosmic Rewind. But if we're talking classic, I'm sorry, I'm copping out a little bit. I go back and forth between Pirates and Haunted Mansion.

Nathan: 1:03:38

No shade.

Alicea: 1:03:38

You're fine.

Alicea: 1:03:39

Disney World? Or Disneyland?

Rob: 1:03:44

Oh, man. You're making me choose between the happiest or the most magical. To visit Disneyland. Yeah.

Alicea: 1:03:54

Yeah. Out of all of the individual parks that you've been to, which one is your favorite?

Rob: 1:04:00

Epcot. Yes.

Alicea: 1:04:02

Good answer.

Alicea: 1:04:05

Do you have a favorite hotel or resort?

Rob: 1:04:08

The Polynesian. The Polynesian feels like vacation.

Nathan: 1:04:12

Yeah.

Alicea: 1:04:12

Yeah.

Rob: 1:04:12

All the other ones are fine and fun, but they don't feel like vacation. Polynesian feels like vacation. I love that. That's great.

Alicea: 1:04:22

Have you been on any of the cruises?

Rob: 1:04:24

Yeah.

Alicea: 1:04:24

Do you have a favorite ship? The Dream. The Dream. All

Rob: 1:04:29

I actually got to be a part of the christening for The Dream.

Nathan: 1:04:35

Oh, wow.

Alicea: 1:04:36

That's cool.

Rob: 1:04:37

And that was also a... They... I knew some people that were working on the christening. They were working on the production for that. And they realized about two weeks before the christening event was going to be, they realized, oh, everybody who is going to be there on the production side has a specific job. But we've never done this and we don't know what we're up against and we don't know what is going to go wrong or what is going to go not to plan. We need some people who don't have a job or a job title that are just around and available to do what needs to be done.

Rob: 1:05:13

And so me and three other people got called and we were– We only answered to one person who's the production manager for the entire christening event. And she would go, here's what I need for you to do. Here's what I need for you to do.

Rob: 1:05:28

And sure enough, we were hit with rainstorms. This was an outdoor event that was going to be televised on Good Morning America. And so this thing needed to be ready at 8.30 a.m. on this day. It needed to be ready. But we were hit with torrential downpours leading up to that. So they moved the rehearsals into the parking garage.

Alicea: 1:05:53

Okay.

Rob: 1:05:53

And we're doing everything there. And then finally that morning, everybody showed up real early.

Rob: 1:05:57

Well, I was there for about three days. And over the course of that time, at one point, I was sweeping the stage. And at another point, I was standing next to the director of the event taking notes for them. At another point, I was holding a banner for somebody who was about to pass out. I did all sorts of things. So the Disney dream has a special place in my heart.

Alicea: 1:06:19

Yeah.

Alicea: 1:06:21

Do you have a favorite Disney restaurant?

Rob: 1:06:24

We love Le Cellier.

Alicea: 1:06:26

Okay. Okay.

Rob: 1:06:27

Yeah. But yeah, it's, yeah, I wish I had a more interesting answer, but that's it. We love Le Cellier.

Nathan: 1:06:34

We'll allow it.

Alicea: 1:06:37

Last one. Favorite Disney snack.

Rob: 1:06:40

Oh, Mickey bar.

Alicea: 1:06:43

Okay.

Nathan: 1:06:43

Classic.

Rob: 1:06:43

Yeah.

Nathan: 1:06:44

Hey, you survived. Hooray! Congratulations. Where can people follow you? Is there anything you want to plug?

Rob: 1:07:16

am an actor and a director, and we are brother-sister artists. And so we have conversations about what we are reading about, writing about, thinking about, and speaking up about on that podcast, Let's Talk Soon. And then coaching, consulting, and creative development. That is what my company, Blue Trumpet Creative, does. And you can learn more about starting whatever it is that you are hoping to get off the ground. We can help with that. You can learn more at blue trumpet creative

Nathan: 1:07:44

dot Where can people follow you? Is there anything you want to plug?

Rob: 1:07:15

Yeah sure! You can find me on the socials @robalott. I also have a couple podcasts, one called the Leading Creative, and one with my sister. She's a teach and best selling author. I am an actor and a director, and we are brother-sister artists. And so we have conversations about what we are reading about, writing about, thinking about, and speaking up about on that podcast, Let's Talk Soon.

Rob: 1:07:27

And then coaching, consulting, and creative development. That is what my company, Blue Trumpet Creative, does. And you can learn more about starting whatever it is that you are hoping to get off the ground. We can help with that. You can learn more at blue trumpet creative

Nathan: 1:07:45

That's amazing.

Nathan: 1:07:46

Well, Rob, I have to say that not only are you interesting, but we are incredibly interested in whatever you do next. So thank you so much for being on with us tonight.

Rob: 1:07:57

Thank you so much. You two are a delight, and what an honor and what fun this has been speaking across the country.

Nathan: 1:08:04

Yes. Exactly. Thank you so much. Putting together podcasts is a lot of work, and it is conversations like the one we just had with Rob— that make all that time and effort and blood and sweat and a few tears completely worth it. That was so inspiring. I am ready to do another 200 podcast episodes right

Alicea: 1:08:29

I loved talking with him and just learning everything and hearing his stories. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Nathan: 1:08:35

It was so good. We hope you enjoyed listening to Rob. Please do go ahead and follow him on socials. And if you see Rob with the dapper dans or six-bit slocum hanging around the hoopty-doo, absolutely give him a shout out because he's one of the people that really makes the Disney magic happen. Yes.

Alicea: 1:08:57

Well, please remember we are not affiliated with Disney or their subsidiaries. These are personal opinions and suggestions based on our own experiences. We recommend working with a travel agent or contacting Disney directly to plan your perfect vacation.

Nathan: 1:09:11

If you have questions or suggestions or would like to be interviewed on our show to share your Disney experience, please send us an email to podcast at ourmousecapades.com.

Alicea: 1:09:23

You can follow us on socials. We are at Our Mousecapades. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube.

Nathan: 1:09:30

And please give us a rating and review in your podcast app. That's either Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever. You could do skywriting. You can do tattoos. Whatever you need to do, spread the word about us. That really helps the world find us.

Alicea: 1:09:49

And of course, do not hesitate to share us with your friends and fellow Disney lovers of all ages.

Nathan: 1:09:54

Thanks for listening. We'll be in your ears next week.

Nathan: 1:09:58

And maybe not a tattoo.

Alicea: 1:10:01

Yeah, don't do that.

Nathan: 1:10:03

Bye-bye.