Disney Dream Chief Magic Official Top 20 finalist bios

So far, 13 of the Top 20 finalists in Disney’s Dream Chief Magic Official (CMO) contest have come forward in online chat rooms to announce their candidacies. (Vote in our Dream CMO online poll — 3,789 responses so far.)

The 20 Dream CMO finalists will be further winnowed to a Top 10 before the three-week voting window opens March 2. The Top 3 vote-getters travel to a Disney theme park in mid-April for a head-to-head competition that will be videotaped and voted on again by the online public. The winner serves as a goodwill ambassador at Disney parks around the world.

Below are profiles of 10 of the “Known 13″ Dream CMO finalists, including their favorite Disney movies, characters, theme parks and rides plus links to their video résumés.

David Driver II
Video: Mickey tears
Home: Nashville, Tennessee
Job: Special education teacher
Age: 36
Movie: “The Jungle Book” — “Great story, great characters, great songs.”
Character: Mickey Mouse — “As Walt Disney said, ‘Mickey is so simple and uncomplicated, so easy to understand that you can’t help liking him.’ “
Ride: Soarin’ — “It’s almost a spiritual experience.”
Park: Magic Kingdom
Reaction: “Zip-a-dee-do-dah!”

Karrie Dunkin
Video: Animated blue bird, pirate and dragon
Home: Englewood, Colorado
Job: Marketing director
Age: 36
Movies: “Mary Poppins” (classic) and “Monsters Inc.” (modern)
Character: Belle — “She is both a Disney princess and an intellectual ‘bookworm’ who doesn’t care about outward appearances and always takes care of those in need.”
Ride: Pirates of the Caribbean
Attraction: Turtle Talk With Crush
Parks: Disneyland and Disney World
Reaction: “I began jumping around with excitement in public cheering, ‘Woo hoo!’ Thank goodness my kids aren’t easily embarrassed.”

Amanda Flood
Video: Who Wants to be a CMO game show
Home: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Job: Makeup artist
Age: 23
Movie: “The Little Mermaid”
Character: Mickey Mouse
Attraction: The American Adventure
Park: Epcot
Reaction: “I nearly peed my pants! I kept saying to the woman on the phone, ‘Oh my gosh! Are you kidding? This is great!’ “

Daisy Francisco
Video: Bag of pixie dust
Home: San Diego, California
Job: Waitress
Age: 25
Movie: “The Little Mermaid”
Character: Ariel
Park: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Ride: Dinosaur
Reaction: “I screamed — a few times — and then definitely did a dance. I pretty much haven’t stopped smiling — or screaming for that matter. I never get picked for anything.”

Patrick Hurd
Video: Cut-out Disneyland rides
Home: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Job: Photographer
Age: 32
Movie: “Sleeping Beauty”
Character: Maleficent
Ride: Haunted Mansion
Park: Disneyland
Reaction: “It’s a good thing I got the news by voicemail, because I’m pretty sure I screamed like a girl.”

Eric Kidwell
Video: Pixie dust on shoes and shoulder
Home: Yorktown, Virginia
Job: Marketing director
Age: 39
Movie: “The Lion King”
Character: Tigger
Parks: Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Ride: Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Reaction: “I’m still nervous. Since that moment it’s been all nerves. It feels like a big weight in my gut.”

Nicole Lee
Video: Magic mirror
Home: Bronx, New York
Age: 22
Job: Magazine intern and college student
Movie: “The Rescuers Down Under”
Character: Eeyore
Park: Disneyland
Ride: Indiana Jones Adventure
Reaction: “Happy, excited and nervous.”

Justin Muchoney
Video: Crazy adventurosity vocabulary
Home: Seven Fields, Pennsylvania
Job: Church music director
Age: 28
Movies: “The Lion King” (classic), “Monsters Inc.” (modern) and “Remember the Titans” (live action)
Characters: Pluto and Sully
Ride: Splash Mountain
Parks: Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom
Reaction: “I was thrilled and very surprised. My wife got home later that night from a long day at work and could hardly stop jumping up and down when I told her.”

Andy Peterson
Video: Animated cannonball and poison apple
Home: Orem, Utah
Job: Animator
Age: 32
Movie: “Beauty and the Beast”
Character: Goofy
Ride: Indiana Jones Adventure
Park: Disneyland
Reaction: “I was immediately excited and told my wife, co-workers and the Inside the Magic forum.”

Tripp West
Video: Radio DJ
Home: Powder Springs, Georgia
Job: Radio DJ, Star 94-FM (WSTR) in Atlanta
Age: 35
Movie: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”
Character: Mickey Mouse
Ride: Pirates of the Caribbean
Park: Magic Kingdom
Reaction: “I was shocked and overjoyed. I am very humbled to have made it into the Top 20.”

Finalists Peter Yu, Meggin Weaver and Michael Szapkiw have yet to respond to requests for interviews. (Update: You can now find profiles of Szapkiw and Yu in the comment section below.)

Are you a Top 20 Disney Dream CMO finalist? Leave a message in the comment field and we’ll link to your video and post your bio.

Thanks to Kenny “The Pirate” White, Leanne “Tink” Little and Ricky “Inside the Magic” Brigante for their help in tracking down the finalists.

Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the
Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Image: Disney]

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This entry was posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 7:21 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under Disneyland, Family & Kids, San Diego, Southern States, Theme Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.