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Friday, March 20, 2015

The Story of DISNEYLAND: Investing in the Magic


Walt Disney was getting closer to seeing his dream become reality. He had a plan, he had a location, but now he needed money. His company was finally onboard, but he would need to find more cash. Roy Disney took over the financial side of things, committing Walt Disney Productions funds to the project.




The project would need still more money, so Roy sought out investors willing to put cash into his brother's dream. Luckily, the company's rich history and creativity provided them with something to offer potential investors. Western Publishing Company, whose Little Golden Books are something found in virtually every child's bedroom, saw the potential of Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom, realizing that it would be a place every kid would want to visit. Those kids could dream of DISNEYLAND while paging through a Little Golden Book. The company invested in the park in exchange for publishing rights to DISNEYLAND and the Disney characters.





Another company approached by Roy was ABC. ABC was looking to become a bigger player in television and desperately wanted top quality programming from a Hollywood studio. They were uninterested in DISNEYLAND the park, but were extremely excited about Disneyland the TV Show. When they were told the only way to get the show was to invest in the park, they quickly signed up as a DISNEYLAND investor.




With the bulk of the financing on board, the Disneys turned to the bank who had always come through for them in the past- Bank of America. The bank not only provided construction loans, but it also became one of the first Disney sponsors, opening up a full service branch on Main Street's Town Square. For many years, it was the only bank branch in the country that was open on Sundays.




What had started as one man's dream was now becoming reality. DISNEYLAND the dream would soon become DISNEYLAND the place.