DIS Unlimited Podcast Disney Virtual Roundtable Discussion Episode #1

[OKW Lover]

Im sure the unconscious bias of being personal friends with the people on camera and knowing them in real life will make a difference in how you view the show.

No doubt it does. Does that invalidate the opinion? Is it any less valid than those who base theirs on what they see on the weekly podcasts?

 

[TPG0235]

I think there is a bigger elephant in the room that is being ignored! How old are Corey / Ryno / Craig and is that the new middle-aged? And John and Kevin are elderly???? Crap, what does that make me, a near 50 year old!?!?!? Ah, never mind. I gotta run to the store for some Centrum Silver and prune juice. Maybe grab me a cold sarsaparilla on the way home. While I'm gone, stay off my damn yard you young whipper-snappers!!!

 

[dayma]

I am a long time listener, but also was not aware of all the "behind the scenes" stuff going on with Pete and others. Honestly, I probably would not have even known if it was not for how this show opened. It opened in such a weird way that it forced me to go to other sites to understand why the rebrand and absence of some panelists was occurring.

For those that don't spend a lot of time on forums the start of the show was very weird and disjointed. Now that I know what's going on, I wish they would have a better stance and communication on it. Yes, there are ways to acknowledge things without getting into legal issues.

Anyway, I will keep listening and hoping that things settle down somehow.

 

[hertamaniac]

I think there is a bigger elephant in the room that is being ignored! How old are Corey / Ryno / Craig and is that the new middle-aged? And John and Kevin are elderly???? Crap, what does that make me, a near 50 year old!?!?!? Ah, never mind. I gotta run to the store for some Centrum Silver and prune juice. Maybe grab me a cold sarsaparilla on the way home. While I'm gone, stay off my damn yard you young whipper-snappers!!!

You get the award for best post in this thread. Where can we send the Depends gift box?

 

[ChristmasJay83]

I say this with all love and hope for a brighter tomorrow after the pain of the last few months... This episode was awkward and cringe-worthy too many times. I tried listening for the first 20 minutes, then I just had to stop, delete the episode, and move on to my next podcast. Awkward interruptions and side tangents made it really hard to feel a flow.
I'll give it a few more episodes, but this wasn't not a good start

 

[ChristmasJay83]

i say this with peace and love:

Ignoring the elephant in the room was an odd choice. I don't expect specifics of things that happened to be recapped in detail, but just acknowledging stuff could go a long way. Not every listener/viewer is chronically online, so they dont know ANYTHING about all this.

Also, all this build up, especially with talks of a new physical studio, and the episode is another zoom show? Another misstep.

And i'm someone who will watch Craig and Ryno read the phone book, because I like their chemistry all these years, so its not like i'm clamoring for Disney talk necessarily.

I don't know why people get so hung up on needing a physical studio. I listen to plenty of well-produced and excellent content podcasts that all do their shows remotely. Doing a quick glance at my podcast feed, I don't think a single show I listen to has a studio, every single one of them is done remotely. You don't need a physical studio to put on a good podcast.
So, to the hosts of DIS Unlimited, I would suggest not worrying about a physical studio, just work on fixing the chemistry and flow of the show.

 

[rotlex]

I don't know why people get so hung up on needing a physical studio. I listen to plenty of well-produced and excellent content podcasts that all do their shows remotely. Doing a quick glance at my podcast feed, I don't think a single show I listen to has a studio, every single one of them is done remotely. You don't need a physical studio to put on a good podcast.
So, to the hosts of DIS Unlimited, I would suggest not worrying about a physical studio, just work on fixing the chemistry and flow of the show.

I never understood the studio thing either. I have been a listener for 15+ years and just listen as a podcast. I have enough trouble watching any TV or entertainment that I do in the first place. No reason to "watch" a podcast. Never understood the need for video in a "studio" for this type of thing.

 

[Mexacajun]

My apologies - if you've read it and/or are a member of a historically oppressed racial group, then I am even more perplexed / confused by your accusation of racism to the previous poster.

Changed my mind. Deleted my post. Not discussing this.

Show had issues but I loved the folks being back, even if it was a bunch of “middle aged white men”.

Keep the shows coming. I appreciate getting something out there. And look forward to the studio.

Thank you team.

 

[JD80b]

I never understood the studio thing either. I have been a listener for 15+ years and just listen as a podcast. I have enough trouble watching any TV or entertainment that I do in the first place. No reason to "watch" a podcast. Never understood the need for video in a "studio" for this type of thing.

As someone that does podcasting, a lot of people prefer to watch on Youtube whether it's sit on the couch or have on in the background.

Also they do a live show, so Youtube is a great platform for that.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

As someone that does podcasting, a lot of people prefer to watch on Youtube whether it's sit on the couch or have on in the background.

Also they do a live show, so Youtube is a great platform for that.

Agreed, I pay for a Patreon subscription for a podcast because they do the video version as Patreon exclusive which are ad free. The audio version on podcast platforms has ads. The hosts film it in their house, either at their dining room table or sitting on the sofa. Its 2 friends chatting and while they do have notes and a set topic or topics each week, the conversation just flows. Its informal, casual but at the same time, the content is great. They don't have a professional studio set up. This is really what Dis Unlimited need.

The way people consume content has changed, Its no longer necessary to be formal, like a corporate tv program.

 

[dachsie]

Ok, first off I’m gonna say that I’m elated that the Tuesday show is back and glad to see we’re back in a routine here. I say everything I’m about to say with love and an eagerness to see y’all succeed in the new era.

At the risk of being an “Armchair Producer”, here’s some feedback:

- At a high level, I think each person on the panel needs to take ownership of their own segment of the show, instead of a sole moderator throughout the whole show. Break it out into 10-15 minutes apiece and make sure each segment is a topic that individual actually cares about and has a passion for because…

- …For example, I don’t think anyone other than John or a Dreams travel agent needs to deliver news about travel deals. I don't gather that Ryno could care any less about the new hotel offers and what not. Like, that’s just not his “department”. And that’s okay. However, John runs the travel agency side of things, and therefore he (or an agent) is the SME on that subject. That kind of news needs to come from someone who’s actually in the weeds on the agency side.

- Craig and Corey would be great for delivering the more general and “harder” Disney Parks news. They have great chemistry that lends itself to being great “anchormen” for the show.

- Ryno and Erica can be the folks that deliver the lighter-fare, feel-good stories. “DIS On Your Side”, if you will. Lol. Cool merch, new food options, maybe a brief glimpse into some in-park sights and what not. I think they have a liveliness that’s perfect for this kind of content. It shows when they do the more in-depth in-park videos and that spirit would carry over into the Tuesday show quite nicely.

- I had to step away for a meeting at work so I missed most of the end of the show, but if there was still a “rapid fire” section, I say scrap it altogether and give that time to longer discussion. It always just came off as a “everybody, think of something to talk about and mention it right quick” for the sake of having something to mention right quick kind of thing. Like, just roll that type of thing over to Craig and Corey’s headlines and that would flow better to me.

- Also, I do agree that there was some awkwardness happening early on in the episode, but I would attribute that to a combination of “atrophy” from having not done a Tuesday show in a hot minute, and frankly nerves from waiting for the other shoe to drop (IOW folks showing up in the chat trying to start some mess), and things loosened up some when that didn’t really happen. I do think y’all would’ve benefitted from a rehearsal/“unaired pilot” to shake off the cobwebs.

- I’m actually not bothered by the Zoom thing at all, as I think that was done pretty successfully during the pandemic, and there are plenty of podcasts that do excellent work via Zoom. While it’d be nicer to see y’all back in the same room sooner than later, you gotta do what you gotta do in the meantime.

Yeah, but just keep on keepin on and I’m sure y’all will do great things! Relax, have fun, pay the haters dust, and you’ll do great! I’m rooting for y’all!

I really like this suggestion of segments being assigned to what works for the person skill set.

My thoughts:

1. I like the new intro and design. It feels like a fresh start.
2. I do think you need more diversity, that just may not have been available this week. I would suggest hiring another "personality" to come and help with the flow.
3. Zoom has its limitations so it will be better when you can get in a studio of sorts -I think it's easier to feel more relaxed when you are in the same room.
4. There was a sense of uncomfortableness with you all, but i attribute it to being away from it for so long and starting new again.
5. I would try to cut down on the promotion part - I realize it's part of why you do it, but don't spend quite as much time on it as you do.

Overall, I would say it's a good start and things will improve as you go along.

 

[pdarrah]

Given there seems to be a lot of negativity, I just wanted to post a more positive viewpoint. I don't watch the show on video, I listen to the audio. I have been listening to the show since almost the very beginning.

Yes, the first part of this show was a little awkward and disjointed, but it certainly wasn't unlistenable. It just felt like people who had been away for a while (which for John, Kevin & Corey was far more than just this few months since they were rarely on the Tuesday show in recent history). After a while, it began to flow better and the final section when they were talking about the article about saving money, it seemed perfectly fine to me.

I assume they would have found that flow sooner if they were all in the same location, but since they've had trouble finding a location for a new studio, I'd rather have a slightly rough podcast than no podcast at all. Maybe it would help if some of the people could be at the same location even with using Zoom- Maybe Craig & Ryno at one of their offices and John & Kevin together would help.

As far as the "News" segment - I agree that just having John talk about the discounts would make sense. I don't think the news needs to be always be totally just covering todays breaking news. Not all of us are always checking the boards or daily news and telling us important information from the last week or two (or in this case the last month or two!) wouldn't hurt. It wouldn't be necessary to go into depth, but mentioning important news would be great. I only found out that all the trams are back because Craig mentioned it as an aside. I had missed this and thought they were still missing from 2 parks! Maybe when the news is "slow" they could mention a couple "older" stories that weren't covered at the time and direct listeners to the website for more in-depth information.

Actually, I understand plugging Dreams travel, but it would also be nice to push the website and the boards a little more. It often seems like it is assumed that all listeners/viewers know about them and I don't think they all do. If people find the podcast first, pointing them to the website and boards is a good thing. As an example, a possible "News" story could have been all the new merch collections that were just announced. No one wants to just describe all the merch, but Ryno could have mentioned the various collections (Hanukkah, Holiday, WISH, etc.) and maybe enthused over which was his favorite and then directed everyone to look at the website for details and pictures.

 

[Evinrude21]

Is Erica not going to be on the show anymore? I know they thanked her at the start for being on the older shows.

 

[dachsie]

Would it be possible to have a "kitchen table" discussion? Have a few of you around a kitchen table with the camera on you and then add a couple via zoom as you need. That might help the flow better. Just a thought i had

 

[Lisann]

Logo is amazing!!

 

[ChristmasJay83]

As someone that does podcasting, a lot of people prefer to watch on Youtube whether it's sit on the couch or have on in the background.

Also they do a live show, so Youtube is a great platform for that.

One of my favorite podcasts is one that I watch on YouTube everyday, and they don't have a studio. They're all remote from their own houses. The studio is not a requirement for a good video podcast. A studio is not a requirement for a good video podcast.

 

[Gusey]

Is Erica not going to be on the show anymore? I know they thanked her at the start for being on the older shows.

She is part of the rotating cast, she is in today's video with Ryno that they posted

 

[Evinrude21]

She is part of the rotating cast, she is in today's video with Ryno that they posted

cool thanks!

 

[BigEeyore]

That show was a hot mess. I was expecting so much more, as the videos that Craig, Ryno and Erica have been putting out since Pete's departure have been so great.
John's presence on the show only served as a reminder of his inadequate (massive understatement) response to what happened with Pete. He should not be a part of the podcast anymore.
Kevin couldn't even pronounce Oogie Boogie - that was just cringey.
The technical issues were just unprofessional - they have had months to get ready for a comeback. Between the audio issues, the disjointed conversation, and the lack of a studio the whole thing was a train wreck (minus the highlight of Ryno discussing the boy with cancer being treated like a celebrity in the parks).
I will give them another chance in the hopes that it gets better.
But man was that disappointing.

 

[JD80b]

One of my favorite podcasts is one that I watch on YouTube everyday, and they don't have a studio. They're all remote from their own houses. The studio is not a requirement for a good video podcast. A studio is not a requirement for a good video podcast.

Studio is a loose word. For almost everyone on youtube it's someone's garage or room with a portable backdrop. Zoom calls are fine for regular podcasts, but once you get to a certain level you need polish imo.