Tales From The Jungle Crews

So, this was a strange episode for me. It was a non-Skipper, from an era that I didn't know, and who was promoting his own project. (which I tried to be very particular when I promoted other people's stuff.) But Trevor Allen is a hell of a guy, and his show "Working for the Mouse" was one of the first one-man shows that I didn't secretly mock in my head while it was going on. He was really fun to chat with, and I was glad he joined the Jungle Crews family. He may not have been a Skip by job, but he was by attitude... > It's SECRET BONUS EPISODE TIME! Ok, so a couple of days ago, I was alerted to a really cool one man show that is premiering in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10th, open until April 19th. I saw a bit of it, and I knew I had to have this guy on the show. It's a bit strange, because he is a non-Skipper, but his spirit is as much at home in the Jungle as it is wherever the costumed characters hang out...    The show information is at WorkingForTheMouse.com, and if you are in the LA or Orange County area, I genuinely can endorse this show and recommend that you go see it.   Also, today was the launch day of Merchandise From The Jungle Crews. Art that is designed by Skippers, and is for anyone... We start off with 9 t-shirt designs that are a must have for any fashionable fan's collection. The shirts can be found here, at Merchandise From The Jungle Crews. We'll be adding new shirts and products as time goes on. This will help support the podcast, as well, so swing over and take a peek!   Thanks, everyone, and we'll see you soon.

The second half of our interview with the fantastic Skipper Stephanie Grace.   Boy, it must be like your Birthday, or something. Two episodes in the same week? Crazy!   We sit down this week again with Skipper Stephanie Grace, as she shares more stories of her time at the Jungle. This episode we even get into the details of her famed "24 Shot" incident. Lots of super-exciting stories with a super fun lady-Skip. She's one of my favorites, and she is just as charming on a microphone as she was in a boat.

There are few people I enjoyed working with as much as this Skipper, and we've always had a lot to chat about since then. (We share a love of board gaming, for example...) This was a fun episode as a follow up to the more serious discussion of the prior episode, and while we did get off topic, it was worth the side journey. > It's that time again, Adventurers!  This week we have the incredible Skipper Stephanie Grace with us for the first of her two part visit. I worked with the lovely Doctor starting back in 2006, and she was always a delight on the docks. I knew she had some great stories to tell, and after the last episode going so far back in time, I thought we could use a trip back to the future.   We'll see you back here in 2 weeks!

When I look back over the 6 years we were doing the podcast, I sort of wonder which episode would I want to hang my hat on, which is the one that I think is the best representation about what we did. This episode is probably that one. The story of how we came across Skipper Warren Asa is a strange one, and after we had our interview the guys at the OC Register went out and did a video and text interview of him. He's one of two Skippers that we interviewed who were there on the first week of Disneyland's operation. Skipperette Jen had just joined our operation a few months before, and a week before this episode went up, we were featured on The Nerdist podcast. Our episodes then started blowing up and we were getting 40,000 listens per episode. We made a few mistakes on how we handled all that early publicity, but in the long run it was still a great time and a great rush. I was handling a totally different operation in the space of a few weeks. I started getting more serious about what we were doing, about content, and about how we promoted. It was sort of the glory days of the podcast, and I'm so happy that I got to have this part of the journey. > What a strange and wonderful journey around the River that this podcast has been, my friends. Well, today, it gets even more strange and wonderful. When I started this back in 2011, I never expected that eventually I would be interviewing a Skipper from the 1950's, let alone a Skipper like Warren Asa. Warren's first day in a bote was July 17, 1955, on the opening day of Disneyland. He was among the first of his kind, helping create both the adventure of Disneyland, and the adventures in the Jungle. I was really lucky to get to spend an hour chatting with him about what brought him to Disneyland, his time as a Skipper, and a bit about his life. It was a wonderful interview, and I hope that you guys enjoy it as much as I did.   Skipper Kyle

Here's the second interview with Skipper Kerry Iannazzo, and congrats to the Coach on his recent marriage! Hey, everyone... So, the good news is that we've started building up a decent catalog of recorded episodes, and for this week we're putting up a new episode instead of our every-other week re-run. We're rejoining the second half of our interview with Skipper Kerry Iannazzo, and rejoin his history of working at Disneyland from 1976 to 1985.   Next week we'll have a re-run, but the week after that, we've got a very special treat in store, so stay tuned.   Skipper Kyle    

Hey Adventurers! Just a few updates as we reach the 2/3 point of our podcast re-run. As soon as this is finished, which is probably sometime in the fall, we are probably going to continue some level of hosting the episodes. Still, we recommend that you download whatever you want to keep for posterity, because we don't know how long they will exist on the internets. With Skipper Kyle back at Disney, it's now a situation where we don't feel like we can create more Jungle Crews content without stepping on his work integrity and causing conflicts. So, enjoy, pass it around and share it, and keep supporting us at our Redbubble Skipper Store, http://JungleCrews.redbubble.com   When I started sitting down with my friends and recording our Jungle stories, I never imagined I would some day venture back to the 1970's and hear stories of Disneyland around the Bicentennial and going into the early 80's. This week's episode is the first of two episodes with Skipper Kerry Iannazzo, who graced the docks from 1976-1985. When speaking with all of the other early 80's Skips, every one of them told me I needed to talk to Kerry. Not only does he have a great way with telling stories, but he just is an incredibly nice guy who I would have loved to have worked with. 30 years after he has left the park, and nearly 40 years after he hired in, this guy still has the Jungle Water flowing through his veins.   See you guys in 2 weeks for the next part of the interview!   Skipper Kyle

This week we're back with a new episode. This one is part 2 of our sit down with Skippers Kevin Hall and Mercedes Cademartori. We chat Jingle Cruise, their favorite guest experiences, celebrity run in's, and the joy of sitting on top of waterfalls. I had a great time chatting with them, and I hope you guys enjoy it too.   If you are enjoying your Jungle Crews experience, please share us with your friends. There's cute little "Share" icons at the bottom of our page here. You can also join us on Facebook, at Facebook.com/JungleCrews.   It's been a crazy week for the podcast, and I'm very excited about all the interviews we have been able to line up because of our new exposure. No promises, but we might get enough of a catalog that we can go to a weekly publishing schedule. We'll see how it goes.    Kungaloosh, everyone! And let us know your thoughts on the podcast... JungleCrews@Gmail.com

Happy New Year, everyone. 2015 is here, and our Winter Break is over. We're back for another year of Skippertainment, and great podcasts! We start our year out with Skippers Mercedes Cademartori and Kevin Hall. Kevin now has a record with the podcast that may never be beaten. "Most Recently Employed to then Podcast", as he left the company a mere 3 days before this podcast was recorded. We had a great time chatting about all things current, as well as Jingle Cruise and their experiences at Disneyland. It was a great time, and was very much a great way for us to start 2015. We have a LOT of great new guests coming on the show, and for once my recording schedule is busier than my available time.  If you are new to the podcasts, join us over at Facebook.com/JungleCrews. It's a perfect place to catch up, and to get your daily fill of Disney and Jungle history.    Kungaloosh, everyone! And we'll see you next week!

So, during the course of the 6 year run of the podcast, I got asked to be on a number of different other podcasts. (The podcast game is a lot of the same people being traded around to everyone's shows to try to help build listenerships...) Luckily, the show I wound up doing in this episode was one where I was able to get to know the hosts, and have a good time. The Sweep Spot Podcast is a pair of Custodial CM's who have a very "broom's eye" view of the resort, and they have been around nearly as long as I have. The sad thing is that this was the second time we taped this particular episode, and the first one had audio quality issues, so we had to re-record. Hey there, Adventurekateers,   It's that time of year again... Rerun season. But, this one is new to most of you. I did a little interview over on a podcast called "The Sweep Spot", and they were generous enough to let me rebroadcast it here on the SkipCast Network. (December, always a tough month for us to put up content, but I love the ex-custodial guys over at TSS, and I had a great time doing a podcast with them...)

The second half of my chat with Skipper Matt Leiker   Hey there, Jungle Fans!   Here's the second half of our great chat with Skipper Matt Leiker. We chat a bit more about his time at Disney, but also about his art. His website is www.WorldOfMateo.com, and he does some really amazing images. Have a great week, and let us know what you think in the comments...

Hey there, Adventurers! The time machine occasionally has a few glitches, so apologies on the late episode. This episode we sit down with Skipper Matt Leiker. It was a fun interview for me because Matt and I have a few things in common outside of the Jungle Cruise. This is part 1 of 2. I hope you are all enjoying the run through the old episodes. It's crazy we are more than half way done now.   Welcome back, everyone!   Sorry about the sporadic updates. The fall and winter is a really hard time for us to line up interviews, and it has been every year. But, I think we're good through the end of 2014.   This week's episode is a chat with Skipper Matt Leiker. Matt was at Disneyland from 1990 to 96, and has a really great perspective as a Skip, trainer, lead, and general Disney enthusiast. I had a great time chatting with him, and going back through his memories. Part 2 will be up in 2 weeks.   Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy the episode!

The second half of our interview with Skipper Wayne Manuel and Patrick O'Brien...   

Skipper Wayne Martin was one of the first big fans of the show who reached out to us, and he has continued that amazing support for the 7 years since the podcast launched. He has always been such a great fan, that we wanted to make sure he joined us on the show. He is joined by his friend Skipper Patrick O'Brien, a fantastic gentleman, Skip, and musician.    Here we go, my friends, another week of podcast goodness... This week, we break our 2.5 month tradition of only having guys named "Don" on the podcast. We sit down with Skipper Wayne Martin and Skipper Pat O'Brien to chat about their time at Disneyland in the 80's and 90's... What follows is a barrage of Disney trivia, stories of the parks, and the kind of good natured discussion you've come to expect from us here at the Worldwide Leaders in Adventure...    This is the first half, and the next will be up in 2 weeks. Hope your fall is starting off as well as ours is!

The second half of our interview with Skipper Don Bobbs, recorded live in Santa Barbara, CA, and released September 16th, 2014.

This episode was a hidden gem, as I didn't really understand the history that Skipper Don Bobbs had under his belt until the interview started, and then it just kept unfolding like a lotus of amazing memories. Don was a fixture at the Jungle for a very long time, and so many people reached out to me after this interview to share their stories of him. This interview turned into one of my very favorite ones of the 6 year run, and is one of the first episodes I point new listeners to.   (Copied text from the original episode posting, September 2nd, 2014) Wow, is this week's episode a doozie. Skipper Don Bobbs is with us, recounting highlights from his 16 years at Disneyland, starting in 1968. That's right, the 60's. We're getting historical and hysterical this week. Don was a guest favorite, and since the time I started this podcasts, I had requests from many to have him on the show. I'm super excited to have him, and it was a great interview.   On another note, I finally invested in a wind screen for my microphone and better noise reduction, so even though it's outside, it's a lot better audio quality. Let me know if you think so. Part 2 of this will be up on Sept 16th.