Becky Cline joined The Walt Disney Company in 1989, and became a member of the staff of the Walt Disney Archives in 1993. Today, as director of the Archives, Becky is charged with collecting and preserving all aspects of Disney history and making the material available to researchers from all areas of The Walt Disney Company, as well as to historians, writers, documentarians, and fans around the world. Her many responsibilities include maintaining and conserving the Archives’ collections of historical documents, artwork, character merchandise, costumes, props, and memorabilia.Since the Archives was established at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, it has grown from a one-person department to its current staff of twenty-four, and has come to be recognized as a model among corporate archives in the country. In her position with the Disney Archives, Becky has also enjoyed participating in the research and development of many new and exciting programs and fan-based initiatives for The Walt Disney Company—most recently being a part of the development and operations team for D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.
Jeff Kurtti is a leading authority on The Walt Disney Company, its founder, and its history. He is the author of more than twenty books, a writer-director of award-winning documentary content, and a respected public speaker. A Seattle, Washington native, Kurtti worked as a production coordinator on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival, followed by two years as the assistant to the president of the California Institute of the Arts. For several years, he worked for Walt Disney Imagineering, the theme park design division of The Walt Disney Company, and then for the Corporate Special Projects department of Disney. Since 1995, Kurtti has enjoyed a career as an author, writer, and consultant in the motion picture, theatre, and theme park entertainment industries. He was creative director, content consultant, and media producer for The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and a producer of The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story, a critically acclaimed documentary about the famed songwriters.
MARCY CARRIKER SMOTHERS is the author of the fan favorite Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food (2018), a New York Times New & Noteworthy selection. A noted radio personality, she hosted several programs, including The Food Guy and Marcy Show with the Food Network’s Guy Fieri. She coauthored Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World (2021), and her love of all things Disney—especially Disneyland—inspired her to write Walt’s Disneyland: A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney (2021) and National Geographic: 100 Disney Adventures of a Lifetime (2022). In support of The Walt Disney Company's hundredth anniversary celebration, she also contributed stories to both Walt Disney: An American Original, Commemorative Edition (2023) and Delicious Disney: Disneyland (2023).
