David Watson '92Vice President, Digital Media Product Design and Development
Disney ABC Television Group
College students are always encouraged to “get involved” on campus. For David Watson ’92, getting involved meant serving as rush chairman, alumni chair, and vice president for his fraternity, Sigma Chi, as well as working with campus media clubs to organize a group of student photographers and running his own successful t-shirt printing business.
“When I think back on my Puget Sound experience,” says David, “it was a lot about learning to be flexible, having opportunities fold into other opportunities, and not being afraid to take chances.”
Some of those opportunities included internships, which, according to David, are a great way to learn both what you do and do not want to do in your career. And he should know. David took advantage of multiple paid and unpaid internships, including managing a database archive of 100,000 images for a land development company, working as a news intern for a local television station, and piloting a submarine as Captain Dave at Disneyland. One final internship, with Maine Photographic Workshops, took David to Rockport, Maine, the day after graduation. From Maine, he moved to New York City, then Michigan, where he and a Puget Sound classmate joined a start-up company to produce animated storybooks, ultimately expanding their original staff of 30 employees to more than 200.
In 1998 David joined Walt Disney Internet Group, and he’s had his hand in Disney technology ever since. Today he leads a group of creative thinkers, brainstormers, and troubleshooters to push the boundaries of entertainment media. “Whether it’s the viewing of our favorite TV shows online or the organization of news,” David says, “we’re trying to come up with a different or better way to do it.”
David’s four years at Puget Sound fostered an inventive and entrepreneurial spirit that continues to thrive today. His advice to students: “Learn how to think independently. Learn how to think critically. Learn how to communicate. Learn how to be in control of your life. There are very few excuses for not doing something that makes you happy if you’re a smart, well-educated person. College is the best time to start figuring out how to take control of your future.”
Major: Communication
Staying Connected: Active in the Sigma Chi alumni association, David manages an e-mail list of about 100 Puget Sound Sigma Chis and helps organize a “somewhat annual” trip for the guys.
And The Emmy Goes To: David’s two Emmy Awards recognize advances in entertainment media, such as program synchronous video games and the ABC full episode player, which allows viewers to watch entire episodes of their favorite TV shows online.
Photo by John Riedy | 
