Interview: Arthur Levine, About.com

We grizzled old-timers remember the uber-popular About.com in its original form as The Mining Company. The site was re-branded 'About.com' in 1999 - yes, that long ago.

Whatever you call it, the purpose has always been the same: use expert 'guides' to compile and create topic-specific content about, well, almost anything. And that includes Disney.

(Bob's self-serving side-note: back in the late 1990s, I had the grand idea of competing with The Mining Company. I got to the point of attracting investors, hiring legal counsel, and bamboozling my old Harvard classics professor to impart scholarly shine to my concept of using "Ariadne's Thread" as the site's theme. Then I remembered to register 'ariadne.com'. Of course, someone else already had it, wouldn't sell it, and well, that fell apart pretty fast.)

But About.com - and Arthur Levine, the current Theme Parks guide - definitely went somewhere.

Arthur has been covering theme parks for About.com since 2002. He updates his section regularly (again just today, in fact!) and his content about the Disney Parks is substantial and growing. The information, as is typical for About.com, is well-organized but not flashy. Arthur puts no spin on what he writes, and his clear, polished prose is a pleasure to read.

Arthur was kind enough to share with me what he does for About.com, how he came to speak at a Disney Imagineers event, and what he perceives as Disney's biggest challenges in the future.

See if you don't agree with me that Arthur's section of About.com is worth your daily click.

What does the job of Theme Parks Guide for About.com entail?

Arthur: By writing features, park profiles, ride reviews, and other content, I help users plan their vacations and day trips to destination theme park resorts, amusement parks, water parks, and other out-of-home entertainment experiences. I shoot and publish photos and produce videos as well. I also track parks-related news, trends, and info in my ongoing About.com blog posts. The focus is on average consumers, although I also have a healthy contingent of ardent park fans as well as industry professionals who read and interact with my site.

A little background about the About.com network: It is part of the New York Times Co., is the leading online source for original consumer information and advice, and is consistently ranked among the top Web properties by Nielsen/NetRatings. I am one of about 800 "Guides" at About.com who cover virtually every topic in the world.

Take me through a typical About.com day as Arthur Levine: do you spend your time mostly compiling content? creating content? Do you have control over what appears on your section of About.com or is there editorial oversight?

The Theme Parks site is part of About.com's Travel Channel, and the Travel editor does oversee all of the sites within the channel. I do, however, have a great deal of editorial autonomy and am generally free to choose the topics I want to cover and the content I want to create.

There really is no "typical" day for my About.com gig. That's one of the things I love about it. One day I might be traveling to parks such as Disneyland or Carowinds to cover the latest developments; another day I might be writing and posting a massive hub of new content; some days will find me editing my latest video. Answering emails from around the world, speaking with park officials, being interviewed for a radio program: I never quite know what a day might bring, but I pretty much enjoy it all and have a ball being About.com's Theme Parks Guide.

There is one thing that remains constant, however. Every Wednesday morning, my weekly email newsletter is distributed to my subscribers. Inevitably, every Tuesday evening - sometimes until quite late into the evening - I can be found clacking away at my computer, putting the finishing touches on new content, and preparing the newsletter. Anyone who's interested in subscribing for the free email newsletter can sign up here: [http://themeparks.about.com/gi/pages/stay.htm].

You cover all major theme parks. How much of your content deals with the Disney Parks?

I mostly concentrate on theme parks, water parks, and amusement parks in North America, although I do have some content about parks outside the continent. Indoor water park resorts have become enormously popular and account for a lot of my content. People crave info about the Disney parks (and I love them), so I do spend a lot of time focused on them. I'd say that maybe a third of my site is devoted to Disney, and the vast majority of that is about the domestic parks.

You've been covering theme parks for About.com since 2002. Before that, did you write about theme parks elsewhere, or was the gig at About.com your maiden voyage?

I've been writing about the industry for quite some time. It's long been a passion of mine, and I had been searching for ways to somehow get involved in the industry. In the early 1990s (before the ascendency of the Internet), I was able to connect with the publisher of a magazine called "Theme Park" and managed to score the plum assignment of writing the debut issue's cover story (which was about the Back to the Future attraction at Universal Studios Florida). After that I self-syndicated a newspaper column that I called "What's the Attraction," which was about parks. It ran in the travel sections of Sunday newspapers such as the Denver Post, the Boston Herald, the Columbus Dispatch, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and others.

Director of Blue Sky Development for Walt Disney Imagineering,
Jon Georges, with About.com's Theme Parks Guide, Arthur Levine

How did you get the job of Theme Parks Guide? Were you the first?

No, I am the second Theme Parks Guide. I used to subscribe to the email newsletter of the first Guide. When he left, About.com sent a notice out to subscribers informing them of the vacancy and inviting them to apply for the position. I did and was lucky enough to get the job.

In the past you've been a speaker for Walt Disney Imagineering. Tell me about that.

I have a number of industry professionals who subscribe to my newsletter and peruse my site, including Imagineers. One of them invited me to speak at Imagineering as part of its Insight Out series. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but also wonderful - certainly one of the highlights of my career. I'm pleased to say that there was a standing-room-only crowd of Imagineers who came to the presentation. My talk was about the industry in general, including developments and trends. I found it intriguing, and heartening, that there was such great interest among Imagineers about the larger industry.

As a bonus, after my presentation, I was given an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the facility and got to meet and interview a number of Imagineers. At the time, they were deep in production on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and I got to see the roles that different disciplines played in bringing the project to life. It was fascinating. One of the highlights of my visit was a lengthy and candid interview with Imagineer Tony Baxter. What a great guy. [Here is link to the article: http://themeparks.about.com/od/disneyparks/a/BaxterImagineer.htm.]

You've written quite a lot about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Do you think Universal has found its 'Disney killer' with Harry Potter? How, in general, would you compare the Disney crowd with the Universal crowd?

Perhaps because I cover the entire industry, as opposed to focusing on Disney or any one aspect of it, I don't really have an us/them take on it. Certainly, Disney has been, and continues to be, an innovator and leader. And there's no doubt that Universal has done a stunning job with Potter. But, with attractions such as Spider-Man and Revenge of the Mummy, I think that Universal has been a major player for a long time as well. Competition can only be a good thing for park fans like us and the industry as a whole. These are exciting times to be covering parks.

As someone who pays close interest to theme parks, what do you consider Disney's biggest challenges over the next few years?

Much has been made of the wired, Facebooked, video-gamed, Twittered direction in which we have been heading - especially Disney's core audience of children and younger people. It's important to acknowledge that, and whatever the heck Disney's alleged $1 billion-and-counting NextGen project may be, the company is likely taking heed of this challenge. Having said that, I think that there will always be an audience for the kind of high-quality, enchanting entertainment that Disney presents. I don't care how sophisticated kids may get; they are still going to treasure the timeless appeal of a ride aboard Dumbo or an encounter with yo-ho'ing pirates.

There is a delicate balance between preserving the traditional essence of the Disney experience and the need to reinvent and introduce new breakthroughs. Nobody understood this better than Walt Disney. By and large, the company has done a great job keeping things fresh while honoring the Disney park legacy. I trust that the company will continue to invest in the future and seek the equilibrium that has brought it so much success.

This is a Disney site, but please, feel no pressure: what's your favorite theme park?

People often ask me this question. I tell them that it's Disneyland, because of its undeniable charm and its special station in the history of parks. But there are many other parks that I love for different reasons. Islands of Adventure occupies a special place on my list of favorites, particularly with the addition of Potter. I was able to see that park take shape long before opening day, so it really resonates with me.

I think the Busch Gardens parks are a masterful blend of world-class coasters, beautiful landscaping, great shows, and strong themeing. I also love old school amusement parks and mourn the loss of so many eminent ones - especially the seaside parks. Thank goodness places like Coney Island are still thriving, even if they are shadows of their once-glorious selves.

I know this list is getting kinda long, but I have a special admiration and appreciation for the few remaining independently owned and operated parks out there. Holiday World is one that has done an incredible job transforming itself into a park that has attracted (well-deserved) international acclaim.

And there is a little, circa-1952, under-the-radar park in New Hampshire's White Mountains called Santa's Village that is positively oozing with sweet nostalgia and is so note-perfect it nearly brings me to tears (of joy).

Let's leap ahead five years. What's Arthur Levine doing? Any projects (a book, perhaps?) on the horizon?

Who's to say what the future may hold? But I do hope that I will still be writing for About.com and covering this wonderful industry. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work at something that I absolutely love. To be able to continue to do this would be a privilege. I look forward to many great new things to come, and I look forward to sharing the news on my site.

Thanks very much, Arthur! (And thanks also for the shout-out on About.)

It's my pleasure Bob. Thanks for giving me the opportunity. Best of luck to you and everyone at Disney Dispatch. Keep up the great work.

Stuff Not to Skip

• Theme Parks on About.com
  http://themeparks.about.com
• Theme Parks on About.com: the Disney section
  http://themeparks.about.com/od/disneyparks/Walt_Disney_Theme_Parks.htm
• Arthur Levine (and About.com Theme Parks) on Twitter
  http://twitter.com/AboutThemeParks
• Arthur Levine's business site: The ART of Communication
  http://www.theartofcom.com/