Business Ops Intern Review

Supporting the planning, management and implementation of strategic initiatives for Disney+ [generally aimed at increasing revenue, subscribers, or improving business processes]. In a whole, for any project, this team was responsible for identifying key workstreams, tasks and milestones; identifying dependencies in project timelines; exec reporting on the launch; and mitigating and escalating risks. While the role varied greatly between launches, my responsibilities involved creating launch documentation and project trackers; liaising with key stakeholders to confirm launch scope, dates and details; updating launch materials with the latest information; and supporting my team in weekly cross-functional meetings by preparing agenda items and taking notes.

Although in the beginning it took a bit to get used to new ways of working, tools, processes, and terminologies, as soon as I felt comfortable my team started giving me more responsibility. I had some amazing opportunities to lead on my own projects and initiatives, and co-lead on some of the most important Disney+ launches in the past year. Sometimes it felt so scary as an intern to have so much visibility, but my team always made sure I had the right support and skills, so I learnt so much.

This internship made me grow SO much and I learned so much I don't even feel like the same person. I was constantly on my feet, having to pivot between changing priorities, responsibilities and projects, and for one year my team pushed me outside of my comfort zone constantly.
Although I had gained strong skills in some areas from my Uni degree, this placement year has made me develop really strong Project Management, Stakeholder Management, Change Management, Strategic Planning and Prioritisation, and Communication skills.

My team provided me with unwavering support throughout my internship. From the beginning, I was allocated a mentor in my team, who I met with bi-weekly, that helped me navigate any challenges I faced during the year, and supported me in diving into specific career, and personal and professional development topics. I also had weekly catch-ups with my manager, in which I had the chance to flag any blockers I faced or just chat through how I was feeling.

The Walt Disney Company has a lot of really fun clubs (called BERGs) that you can join, such as Disney Voices or Women @ Disney. As part of the employee perks, there are also free screening of upcoming movies in the office and external cinemas, and fun hangout events at the Hammersmith office. Having said that, it is very clear the company is going through a period of change, which causes a bit of uncertainty and stress within the teams. Also, given that it's such a big and fragmented company, working cross-segment is not very easy because people are very protective of their work. Overall a good company culture, but too big to be strong and prevalent, and has some serious aspects management needs to work on.

Although I wasn't the biggest fan of the company and the culture, the people at Disney and Disney+ are really talented and nice. I really enjoyed the experience provided by my team - I got to work in really exciting launches for Disney+, get pushed outside of my comfort zone a lot, create relationships with so many cross-functional team members, and developed so many skills I'm sure I'll take back to uni and to the rest of my career!

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