On Friday, in an opening keynote address to the PubWest 2015 Conference, Joe Rohde, creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering made a case that narrative lies at the center of every human endeavor, not only publishing and other media.
“Narrative is human nature. It is the manner in which we ingest reality. We are what we tell ourselves we are,” Rohde declared. “It is why we have a higher affinity for fiction than data. Beyond what has happened, humans are able to imagine what might or could happen.”
Walt Disney Imagineering is the creative arm of the Walt Disney Company that designs and builds everything from cruise ships, theme parks, rides and attractions, hotels and infrastructure systems for the company’s theme parks and resorts worldwide.
Joe Rohde is a veteran of more than thirty years with the company, starting his career as a model designer on Epcot, and continuing with projects at Disneyland Park in California, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris Resort. He led the team that conceptualized, designed, and built Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. He continues today to oversee new attractions for that park, including the new Avatar project scheduled to open in 2017, and is also responsible for the creative design and content of Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, at Ko Olina, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i.
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