VP, Creative & Advanced Development

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Disney Live Entertainment (DLE) is seeking a visionary and hands-on creative leader to serve as Vice President, Creative & Advanced Development. This role sits at the center of DLE's global creative delivery — shaping the creative vision and innovation pipeline behind the live entertainment experiences that define Disney's parks, resorts, and cruise line around the world.

Reporting to the SVP of Disney Live Entertainment, this leader is functionally responsible for the global creative team — including serving as the connective thread between site-based Creative Directors across the globe. The VP will guide creative direction and vision including the commissioning and development of major projects. They will also be responsible for leading Advanced Development, driving innovation in performance, immersive and experiential entertainment. This person is accountable for the creative quality of all of DLE’s productions and ensuring that creative decision making is aligned with business objectives.

This is a role for a leader with deep roots in live storytelling — someone equally fluent in the language of theatre, themed entertainment, and immersive experience design, who can champion bold creative ambition while building the processes, structure, and global community needed to deliver it at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Delivery

• Own the successful delivery of all creative content globally, including DLE capital and expense projects, events, major integrated WDI capital projects, new lands, ships, and gates
• Ensure provision of global treatment, script, and presentation review for site-based and all major productions
• Oversee content creation and creative direction across live entertainment in Disney parks and cruise line
• Guide creative for project review processes and regular global creative updates
• Contribute to DLE's global strategic planning as part of its leadership team
• Keep up to date with new industry trends and productions opening in the market in order to ensure DLE’s productions remain current and cutting edge
• Act as a key industry ambassador for DLE’s creative quality and output

Functional & Global Creative Leadership

• Provide functional leadership for the global creative team – including holding dual leadership accountability for site-based creative leaders worldwide

• Establish and lead a high-functioning global creative organization and community, elevating creative standards and alignment across all DLE sites

• Build and maintain credible, influential relationships with site presidents, site creative portfolio executives, WDI creative executives, and other senior enterprise leaders

• Act as the partner of choice ensuring the best possible entertainment creative is planned and delivered at every site

• Maintain a flexible, senior non-site-specific creative talent pool to meet site and enterprise-wide creative needs

• Guide performance management, talent development, and cast enrichment for a global pool of creative resources

• Partner with Regional VPs and site leadership on project casting strategy and creative resourcing decisions

Advanced Development (LEAD)

• Direct DLE's Advanced Development function (LEAD), empowering research and experimentation into emerging trends in performance and immersive/experiential entertainment

• Commission and oversee Advanced Development projects

• Partner with R&D, production, and technical teams to explore new business models and production approaches

• Champion discovery of diverse creative talent and new creative techniques

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive creative leadership experience in theatre, themed entertainment, immersive/experiential design, or live entertainment production

• Demonstrated success directing or overseeing large-scale live productions — such as theatrical shows, parades, spectaculars, themed attractions, or immersive experiences — from concept through delivery

• Proven ability to lead and develop creative teams and talent across multiple sites or geographies

• Strong background in creative casting, talent development, and performance management

• Experience partnering with production design, technical direction, and show production disciplines

• Excellent collaboration and influence skills, with a track record of building relationships across senior leadership, site, and enterprise stakeholders

• Entrepreneurial, solution-focused, and action-oriented leadership style

• Experience delivering creative solutions to meet business requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, Theatre, Design, or a related field required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience directing or contributing to an Advanced Development, R&D, or innovation function within a creative or entertainment organization

• Familiarity with emerging technologies as they apply to live performance and immersive storytelling

• Financial and business acumen, including experience managing budgets or evaluating new business/revenue models

• Global or multi-site operating experience within themed entertainment, cruise, resort, or live event environments

What Success Looks Like

The VP, Creative & Advanced Development will be measured by the strength and consistency of creative delivered across every DLE site, the health and cohesion of a truly global creative community, and DLE's growing reputation as a source of bold, innovative, and technologically forward live entertainment — all while cultivating an inclusive, high-performing creative culture.

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $236,000 to $316,500 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

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