Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Caselnova.
Hi Tony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My enthusiasm for all things Disney all started when my parents took our family to WDW for a vacation. My first trip was at age 13 in the summer of 1976.. Since that first time, I have made a trip to WDW almost every year from age 13. As far as I knew there was only one place to vacation!
My fascination with WDW began on that first trip. I wanted to know how things at WDW operated and what made it so magical. I wanted to know details like how many people worked there and the length of the monorail track. It is that fascination that fueled my interest in WDW. Each year that my family vacationed at WDW, I learned more about WDW as they built more parks and added more attractions.
I am not the average fan; I want to know all the details and I love researching the facts of WDW. I research facts through the Internet, books and DVDs. To me, the best part is to conduct research trip at WDW.
After college, my father was transferred to Orlando and I moved with my parents. Seeking employment, I applied for a job at WDW. I passed the first rounds of interviews and was proud to join the Disney family as a security cast member!
The job was great. It included Disney-specific training and security training before assuming four duties: driving a security vehicle, standing a post, working in a resort or walking a park or other area. Sometimes I even had special duties like working the Epcot Christmas Processional. I would escort the celebrity guests from backstage to onstage. Interestingly, every cast member is given a WDW fact book monthly to aid in answering guest questions. The pocketbook contained great Disney facts that added more fuel for my thirst of Disney facts.
I decided one day to start documenting all the facts I collected. When I had plenty of facts and information collected I decide to get them published which I did. I published a book called Disney By The Numbers (can be found on amazon) or get it from my website www.disneybythenumbers.com.
After moving to Orlando, I met a fellow Disney fan, and we started the Disney Parks Podcast. We grew this audience slowly and through grass roots marketing. We started 10 years ago and we are celebrating that anniversary this year April 20. We have interviewed many Disney legends and just love to talk about Disney, You can follow us for free at www.disneyparkspodcast.com or for the really good content got to https://www.patreon.com/disneyparkspodcast.
Well, all good things must come to end so we moved back to NJ. In the summer of 2010, I moved back to Florida I am now living in Orlando less then 15 minutes from WDW and living the dream and have fun along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
NO it took a long time to find someone to help publish the book but I finally did and now I wish I self published to reap more of the profits. I hope in the future when I have more time I can a Disneyland book and up date the WDW book and self publish all of this and more.
The podcast when we started we had an audience of 0, but we published on iTunes and another platform that would allow a podcast. We published on other website if they would let us. We struggled long and hard to gain our following and audience and we are still not done with that task. We are always looking for new way to improve.
When we started the technology was NOT where it is today and we are always looking for new technologies to make it better.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What we do is we enjoy Disney and help others know about the ever changing information about how to make your trip better and easier when you go to a Disney park. We provide lots of information about the parks and what is coming and what will be closing. We provide our own opinion we are not sponsored or an invited guest of Disney, we use our own money and time and provide you with information of what we liked and did not like and let you formulate your own opinion when you come.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success is happiness, if I am happy with what I am doing and how I am doing it and people enjoy it then that is success!
Pricing:
- $1
- $5
- $10
Contact Info:
- Email: mail@disneybythenumbers.com
- Website: http://disneybythenumbers.com
- Instagram: DBTN
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DBTNpage
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DBTN
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkd3soXLWNTc6qPdlCS3exw
- Other: http://disneyparkspodcast.com
