D23 Head Steven Clark began the call by providing some background and inspiration on D23, talking about how the Walt Disney Company first got its start on October 16, 1923 (where the 23 comes from) by signing its contract to produce the Alice comedies.
Clark addressed concerns about why there hasn’t been a greater outreach by Disney to its fans in the past. He stressed that Disney has always reached out to its fan base in many different aspects but that they’ve always been at the hand of individual units. D23 represents the first time the company has formed a united front to bring that level of relationship to the Disney fan community. Clark defines D23 as pulling back the curtain, going behind closed doors, going backstage and meeting the cast members that make the magic every day, all summed up as the ultimate insider Disney experience.
