Matt Gorlick

Experience

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  The Walt Disney Company

  Jun 2004 - Dec 2012

  - Partnered across company to grow and sustain Disney Junior programming into strong network and company-wide franchises- Supported strategy development for existing franchises (e.g., Jake and the Never Land Pirates), as well as new franchises (e.g., Sofia the First) across both Disney Channel and Disney Junior 24-hour networks in the U.S. and abroad- Developed strategy communications and line of business plans for a cross-company audience- Provided review of content from business partners (e.g., Publishing), and presented proposals to creative executives Show less - Managed finances for business units; partnered with leadership to ensure financial accountability; consolidated monthly P&L- Maintained department budgets (totaling approx. $37M), and held executives accountable to meeting targets resulting in savings ofover $236K within the WDI P&L program for FY11- Partnered with division executives across WDI to develop and execute FY12 operating plans- Designed model and capital request for construction of new Imagineering building (approved by corporate in 2011) Show less - Led a team of 200+ with a focus on managing resources, partnering across lines of business, and balancing attention to detail andcorporate initiatives- Promoted and placed into competitive management training program after two years with company- Improved guest experience and safety by developing and streamlining department strategies and best practices for Toy Story MidwayMania! and Pixar Play Parade opening (process continued in Cars Land expansion)- Grew accountability through comprehensive training for new supervisors by co-developing and teaching leadership class- Spearheaded guest interaction-based training program for new cast members (FY10 launch, remains best practice)- Redesigned department’s workload guidelines to meet staffing needs, park attendance/hours, and annual operating plan Show less

  • MBA Intern, Franchise Management

    Nov 2011 - Dec 2012

  • Analyst, Walt Disney Imagineering

    Mar 2011 - Nov 2011

  • Guest Service Manager, Disneyland Resort Operations

    Jul 2006 - Mar 2011

  • Lead/Host, Disneyland Resort Operations

    Jun 2004 - Jun 2006
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  UCLA Anderson School of Management

  Jan 2013 - now

  I aspire to bring self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and leadership development to our MBA students. I partner with Full-time, Fully Employed, and Executive MBA students to help them maximize their potential during the transformational experience that is graduate school. We begin with self-awareness as a leadership competency and how to use it to build strong teams. This focus on effective, efficient, and psychologically safe teams continues throughout the entire duration of our team-focused MBA programs. I then have the privilege of leveraging the powerful personality tool, the WorkPlace Big Five, to support our students in more effectively leading and working across diverse teams and organizations. I’m also part of the team running our school-wide leadership development program, where I also act as an executive coach. Finally, I coach our students during their capstone consulting project on team dynamics, conflict management, and accomplishing their goals. Show less In this role, I had the privilege of supporting UCLA Anderson's co-curricular focus on self-awareness, leadership development, and team effectiveness in our Fully Employed and Executive MBA programs. This included partnering with students, staff, and faculty on creating and executing opportunities beginning with new student orientation all the way through their capstone master’s thesis. I helped our students grow their self-awareness and build trust on their learning teams through multiple modules, including the introduction of leadership assessments (e.g., WorkPlace Big Five, Birkman). Through partnership with my colleagues, I helped shape and grow our school-wide leadership development program. Show less

  • Executive Director of Student Development

    Aug 2021 - now

  • Director of Student Development & Executive Coach

    Dec 2016 - Jul 2021

  • Director of Admissions Operations

    Dec 2016 - Jun 2019

  • Sr. Assoc. Director of Student Development & Admissions Operations

    Sept 2015 - Dec 2016

  • Associate Director of Admissions

    Oct 2012 - Sept 2015

  • Teaching Assistant

    Aug 2012 - Sept 2013

  • EDGE Program Advisor

    Jan 2013 - Jan 2013
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  My Pet Hippo Productions

  Mar 2017 - now

  Co-founder | Executive Producer

  At My Pet Hippo Productions, we think the world is a far more diverse and interesting place than Hollywood blockbusters would have us believe. Our mission is to create high quality, exciting, and entertaining LGBTQ content featuring a universe where: - LGBTQ characters have leading roles that are never based on stereotypes - The main conflicts of our LGBTQ characters aren't created by their sexual orientation - Female characters have roles that go beyond mother, wife, daughter, and/or woman-in-jeopardy - People of color have roles that are never based on stereotypes - A limited budget does not mean a compromised productOur film slate includes ANALYSIS PARALYSIS, OUT OF BODY, and more in development. Show less