Eddie Sotto is a former Senior Vice President of Concept Design at Walt Disney Imagineering; whose work on such projects as Main Street at Disneyland Paris, Indiana Jones: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, The Encounter Restaurant at LAX, and so many more, will ignite the smiles of guest’s for years to come. Mr. Sotto currently owns and operates his own design studio in LA, developing immersive experiences such as retail stores, restaurants, and other assorted themed experiences to a wide array of clients.
When aspiring Imagineers and Disney park fans talk about Imagineering, there are many hot topics that oftentimes find their way to the forefront of the discussion. With 13 years experience with WDI under his belt, Former Imagineer Eddie Sotto kindly lent his time to us here at Imagineering Disney to give his own unique take on how he would tackle some of WDI’s most commonly discussed questions.
E.S: First off, this year marks a decade since I quit my job as SVP Concept Design at WDI. Much has changed since those "Eisnerian" years and it may seem presumptuous for me to spout off what I would have done or would do creatively as it it were some revelation or better idea, when in fact, better ideas no doubt have been discussed within the WDI "cone of silence", just never made public. Management would become deaf to the continual onslaught of creative ideas, often real breakthroughs became "cannon fodder" and got lost in the brainstorming shuffle. I read online suggestions many times that have a "why didn't they think of that" tone to them, when in fact, I laugh to myself knowing they did think of it, but as with most great ideas, they seldom see the light of day. So I'm doing this interview with the attitude that I don't know any more or any better than anyone else, but lend a perspective that might be interesting reading. Today's Imagineers have a tougher time of it given the economy, so it's to them and their endurance that my support lies.
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