Today we put the spotlight on Max Lark, manager of editorial for Disney corporate, as part of our series to introduce the people who help shape The Walt Disney Company. Take a moment to read about Max’s experiences!
Full Name: Max Lark
First Day at Disney: April 11, 2005
Title: Manager, Editorial
Managing editorial for several Disney publications sounds like fun. Describe your role.
With considerable help from an amazing editorial team, I oversee editorial content appearing on multiple platforms — from the Company intranet and internal corporate publications toD23.com and Disney-twenty-three magazine — the official website and publication of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. I’ve also written several scripts to narrate short videos about Disney history, and I’ve worked closely with the Disney Archives creating content supporting exhibitions, including catalogs, wall text, an audio tour and archival documents.
On a typical day, what do you spend most of your time doing?
Not surprisingly, reading and writing — in that order. I am often the final editor to look at most of the writers’ work, and we write, publish or post content every day. As a manager, I relish the time spent with all the writers — making sure we work as a team, that we brainstorm together, that we solve problems together. Part of the Disney story is its reputation for teamwork — and I’m a firm believer that quality is a function of how strong of a team you have.
What is the best part of being a writer at Disney?
At Disney, unforgettable characters and stories are at the heart of everything we do. Writing for a company that prizes storytelling is a reward in and of itself, and if you think you’re a fairly good storyteller yourself, at Disney you’ll find ample opportunities to put your talent to work.
So far, what’s been your most memorable experience at Disney?
Too many to pick just one, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was pinching myself as I walked wide-eyed into the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage at the old MGM Studios — feeling like an imposter — to interview Randy Newman during the recording of the score forThe Princess and the Frog… or maybe interviewing Elton John and getting a call from him: “Hello, Max” (in his distinctive voice), “This is Elton.”
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Walt once said, “When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.” And I have been lucky enough to be doing very interesting things at this company for seven and a half years — a dream come true. Well, this is Disney, after all.