Ex-Disney World Employee Reveals Why You Should Never Post Videos Of Staff Online
Who knew a simple video could cause so many problems?
TikTok, s_bukley / Shutterstock An ex-Disney World employee warned viewers about the dangers of posting interactions with performers on social media.
Jill Beignet, who worked as a performer through the Disney College Program, posted a video to TikTok on Thursday about why posting such videos hurts the performers.
Disney employees can lose their jobs from social media videos.
Beignet explains how posting videos of performers can cause issues with management, or potentially cost them their jobs. She advised viewers to use a privacy setting if they must post videos of performers.
She then explains that Disney sees its performers as “pretty expendable.” She says that Disney characters are unionized, but the company knows there’s no shortage of potential actors.
“I mean, there are a million other people who would love to be doing that job,” Beignet said. “So, if you’re causing problems in any way for the company, you’re just not worth it.”
Beignet, who is now a travel agent, says that videos of actors doing anything besides their usual routine can cause trouble. The performer can do something fun, but management will still see it as out of character, regardless.
She then brings up a specific incident where a Disneyland performer lost their job after appearing in a popular video.
“There was this fantastic Peter Pan performer, and he went viral,” Beignet said. “As he got more and more internet famous, guests would come to the park and only want to see him as Peter Pan. So, if someone else was Peter Pan that day, they would get upset and complain.
“It became enough of an operational problem that he was either fired, or Disney insisted he quit or be fired, it’s not entirely clear.”
Beignet concludes by once again urging viewers to use a privacy setting if they post videos with characters online. She adds that she enjoyed her time working at the park, but constantly feared losing her job because of a viral video.
“If your family has an amazing meet and greet with Mickey or Cinderella, you can post it on social media, but make sure the privacy setting limits it to be seen by your friends.” Beignet said. “Because at the end of the day, all Disney cast members are people, they have lives and families, and these jobs are how they provide for them.”
Disney performers can also get in trouble for receiving tips.
Sarah Daniels, another ex-Disney employee turned TikToker, posted a video about her own experience as a performer in January. She focused on how guests tipping actors can cause problems for the performers.
“It seems that no matter how I answer this question in how many different ways, people can’t just accept that when you try to tip a Disney character, you are putting them in a horrible position,” Daniels said.
“Either you do it in front of guests and you hand someone some money, and then they have to figure out a way to get out of that situation in front of a bunch of guests and ruin the magic. Or, you tip them in a muffin or in a seashell or you hand them a water bottle that has the $20 in it, all of it is bad.”
Daniels says that performers who receive a tip are in a lose-lose situation. If a coworker sees the tip, the performer gets fired. If no one sees it, then it continues to weigh on their mind.
She then pleads with the audience to not give tips to cast members on the clock. She realize that the guests tipping mean well, but the risks outweigh the benefits for the performers.
“This is not a tipped position, you are not better than other people because you’re thinking about tipping them,” Daniels said. “Yes, they don’t make enough money. Yes, they also understand they’re not making enough money.
“But they’re there making magic for kids, they’re doing it willingly, they’ve accepted the job, they’re showing up and they’re doing their job. Please stop trying to put these jobs at risk.”
Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with his content.