A CENTURY OF CREATIVITY

Over the last 100 years, Disney has built strong relationships with some of the most exciting and boundarypushing talent within the creative industries, from film and fashion to art and music. We want to celebrate those collaborations, past and present, while looking forward to the future, where the next generation of creators are just beginning to spread their wings.

at’s the impetus behind Disney’s partnership with Soho House. Just as Soho House o ers a space for creatives to feel inspired, Disney has inspired a century of creators through its iconic stories and characters. So why not join forces to spark something exciting for a new generation of creatives?

by Joss Hastings, VP for Global Marketing Strategy at

Disney

2023 marks 100 years of Disney. at’s a century of storytelling, a century of escapism and a century of wonder that all began when Walt Disney arrived in California in the summer of 1923 with a single film in hand – a cartoon of a girl called Alice’s Wonderland Disney set about finding a distributor for his series of “Alice Comedies”, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since then, Disney has been a pioneer of creativity in all its forms. Parks that bring a li le bit of magic to patrons the globe over; box o ice-smashing films, from Star Wars and e Lion King to the incredible phenomenon that has been Frozen; franchises that have expanded the Disney family and allowed for some incredibly exciting brand partnerships across just about every touchstone of the everyday. Fashion collaborations, boundary-pushing digital content, even stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Mickey Mouse and Minnie. roughout it all, creative collaboration has been fundamental. I see it in my role every day as VP for Global Marketing Strategy for our consumer products. Creativity is a powerful force. On a grand level, it’s the secret sauce for finding inspiration and pursuing new ideas. It’s behind the stories, music and art that connect with people in a universal way and bring us together. It’s also the thing that helps us find solutions to more mundane issues; approaching life’s many challenges with creativity might just make things that li le bit be er in the process.

As part of Disney’s anniversary celebrations, we’re launching Create 100: a global charity initiative to celebrate the power of creativity and bring together some of the world’s most inventive minds, both established and emerging, to help raise funds for Make-A-Wish. Each creator within the initiative has been invited to donate a one-of-a-kind product or experience celebrating their favourite Disney character or story, which will be auctioned o for charity.

In the spirit of paying it forward, we’ve nominated 30 of the rising talent participating in Create 100 for Soho House’s Future 100 list (p51), with the goal of spotlighting their talent to a global audience. In doing so, we hope to open the door for new creative collaborations with our brands while also allowing the next generation of artists, filmmakers and more to flourish. Our partnership doesn’t stop there. Throughout the rest of 2023, we’re curating member events that will give access to some of the incredible talent that have collaborated with us over the years. As far as see it, whether you’re just breaking into the industry or your name has been on the door for many years, there’s always space to learn from others – and I’m certainly looking forward to sharing inspiration, ideas and advice with some of the amazing creatives involved in this programming.

Creative storytelling has always been foundational to Disney’s success. It was the superpower Walt Disney held in his pocket as he arrived in California all those years ago. It’s what has driven the company for the last 100 years – and it will continue to do so for the next 100, too. e world has changed enormously in that time, and it’s inevitable that it will keep on evolving, but our focus will always remain the same. And isn’t that something worth celebrating?

Joss Hastings is a member of Soho House West Hollywood

Manchester, UK