INVITING YOU TO DREAM

– Trish Long, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Words: Liv Morgan

It is far from magical that the typical working day is viewed, that is, unless you are a Disney employee. The first ever Disney store in the Republic of Ireland opened its doors in May sprinkling fairydust on Dublin’s Grafton Street. With general retail sales plummeting throughout the country Disney has made a brave move.

Trish Long is Vice President (VP) and General Manager (GM) of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Ireland. Although a separate entity to the Walt Disney retail interest, Trish played an instrumental role in its arrival. “Given we have the highest per capita consumption of film in Europe, I have been agitating for years for a Disney Store here. But the company naturally had to prioritise finding the right location. Now it’s up and running we feel like a much bigger family and a more important market for Disney.”

With a first class Honours Masters in Cultural and Communication Studies Trish spent much of her career in the marketing and publicising side of films. She joined the Irish branch of Disney’s international distributing and marketing arm, Buena Vista originally: “I remember going to the interview not fully understanding what distribution/marketing was. But I left incredibly excited when I realised it was the bridge between making movies and creating audiences for them. I was also eager to work with the then GM, Brendan McCaul, a legend in the industry.”

Her eagerness paid off, Trish has worked for the company for over 17 years, many of those as a member of the International publicity team, which has entailed working international events and worldwide festivals with a wide variety of directors, producers and actors.

She has previously been applauded for her work with high profile celebrities; In 1996, she received the International ‘top talent handler of the year award’ from Disney in recognition of her International publicity work with actors such as: Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks and Sean Connery. “One of the reasons this role and the company suit me is I’m working in show business – to my mind that means equal parts are show and creativity, and equal parts are business.”

Read more about Trish Long in the Autumn 2011 issue of WMB, on newsstands from September 1st.