SWAAAE 79TH Annual SUMMER CONFERENCE

Martha Blanding, an initial frontline cast member and later a member of Disneyland Park management, helped put the “happy” in “The Happiest Place on Earth”—and she did it for half a century. She is the co-author of the best-selling book “Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through The Happiest Place on Earth,” the memoir of her quintessential American success story and incredible Disney career.

If you took a tour of Disneyland in the early 1970s, you might have had Blanding as your Tour Guide. In addition to embodying the park’s admired principle of hospitality and creating the particular brand of happiness that Walt Disney sought to establish for guests and cast members alike, Blanding was the groundbreaking first-ever full-time Black Tour Guide at Disneyland. However, her impressive Disney career occurred by happenstance and, as they say, the rest is history.

A Southern California native and John C. Fremont High School graduate, Blanding was raised in South Central Los Angeles in a close-knit family with three siblings, including her fraternal twin sister, Mary. She learned to give back at an early age from her mother, whom this proud daughter describes as a “community woman.” To quote Blanding, “My mother was PTA president of every school I ever attended.” Their family, she says, was not “rich in terms of money, but there was a lot of love.”

Blanding was studying at California State University, Fullerton, to become a grade-school teacher when a friend in her dorm encouraged her to take a chance on working at Disneyland in nearby Anaheim. There had been only three part-time Black Tour Guides before “Martha B”—as she came to be known—but she was the first to become a full-time employee in May 1971. In an unprecedented feat of recognition, within a year, Blanding also rose to become a VIP Hostess. In that capacity, Blanding hosted the likes of music legends Diana Ross and Cher, Hollywood royalty such as Cary Grant and Rock Hudson, comedy icon Bob Hope, and future Disney Legend Sir Elton John (twice). Blanding also served as the designated hostess for U.S. government officials and international delegates.

One of the things Blanding loved most about being a Tour Guide and VIP Hostess was the ability to work and interact with other areas of both Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios, such as marketing and publicity (occasionally, the tour guides would assist with movie premieres, stockholder meetings, etc.). Not realizing it then, Blanding now reflects on what she considers early “networking”—a term or career practice that wasn’t yet in vogue. However, the exposure served her well, leading her to understand better the many divisions and career paths possible throughout Disneyland and beyond.

By 1975, Blanding’s professionalism and work ethic had established her as the first Black woman in management at Disneyland. She began her career as an associate buyer, overseeing various merchandise categories for nearly a decade. Shortly thereafter, a promotion made Blanding the first Black female merchandise buyer at Disneyland Resort and across all Disney Parks. Over the years, her category lines included books, gifts, perfumes, film, cameras, and candy, which endeared her to colleagues and became her favorite long-term category.

Blanding didn’t stop there: her extensive merchandise background and signature hospitality skills led her to the position of Senior Manager of Disneyland Resort Merchandise and Special Events. There, she worked with such Disney Legends as Julie Andrews, James Earl Jones, Kurt Russell, Annette Funicello, and legendary Disney Imagineers and animators Marty Sklar, Marc and Alice Davis, Harriet Burns, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Floyd Norman, and many others.

Through her deep connections with world-renowned artisans, Disney Legends, and notable figures, Blanding became a pioneering and contributing co-producer of the Official Disneyana Convention—a forerunner of today’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience. Her dedication to The Walt Disney Company, particularly its Parks and guests, also extended to her fellow cast members. She co-founded PULSE—a business employee resource group for Black Disneyland cast members—where she served as a trusted mentor to her colleagues. Forming this group was especially remarkable at a time when many companies lacked official diversity groups.

Upon her retirement in 2022, Blanding had spent five decades with Disneyland Resort. Throughout her awe-inspiring career, she amassed an incredible array of “firsts”—including being the first Black employee to retire with 50 years of service to The Walt Disney Company and becoming the first Black Disney Parks employee designated a Disney Legend during a star-studded ceremony at the Honda Center in Anaheim before an audience of 12,000! Her fellow inductees included Harrison Ford, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, James Cameron, and John Williams.

On October 1, 2024, her memoir “Groundbreaking Magic” (co-written with her longtime friend, Disney colleague, and CSUF alumnus Tim O’Day) was released. The best-selling book shares Blanding’s success story and unique journey, showcasing personal resilience through five decades of ever-evolving Disney magic and broader cultural transformation. On May 21, 2025, Blanding will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from her alma mater, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).

“I enjoyed everything about what I did,” Blanding said upon retiring. “It didn’t feel like I was going to work every day because I loved what I did, which is to make a lot of people happy.”

Tim O’Day is a best-selling author, an award-winning public relations executive, an executive ideation consultant, and a highly successful event producer. He is the co-author of the new book “Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through The Happiest Place on Earth,” which tells the story of Martha Blanding, the first Black American to retire after a 50-year career at The Walt Disney Company. Additionally, he co-authored the 2021 best-selling coffee-table book A Portrait of “Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth.” O’Day is currently featured in the popular Disney+ streaming series “Behind the Attraction.”

For much of the past four decades, O’Day has served as a senior management leader or outside consultant across various sectors of The Walt Disney Company. In 1991 and 1992, he was the on-site PR leader representing Walt Disney Imagineering during the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort and the final construction phase and grand opening of Disneyland Paris Resort.

Throughout most of the 1990s, he oversaw the event production and PR efforts surrounding Disney’s many successful auctions at Sotheby’s in New York City and Beverly Hills, featuring one-of-a-kind Disney animation art. Additionally, he collaborated with renowned artists such as Hiro Yamagata and Peter Max. As a liaison between Disney Consumer Products and the City of Anaheim, he was also directly responsible for the 1993 creation and placement of a large bronze statue of the Wild Wing mascot of the Anaheim Ducks, which continues to reside in front of the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

O’Day also helped establish Disney Auctions by eBay in 2002, marking Disney’s first-ever collaboration with the online seller. To launch big, he negotiated the sale of one side of the gigantic (and iconic) Disneyland marquee sign, which was sold to actor John Stamos for $30,700. During this decade, he was also an influential member of The Walt Disney Company Corporate Synergy Committee.

O’Day’s creative imagination was behind many unforgettable elements of the Disneyland 50th anniversary celebration, including producing an online charity auction in October 2004 of a personalized tombstone in the park’s legendary Haunted Mansion (which sold for $37,400 with all proceeds going to charity), creating an Olympic-sized lap pool down Main Street USA for U.S. Olympian swimmers, procuring a Disneyland star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, placing “Dumbo” in the Smithsonian, securing Oscar-winner Julie Andrews as the Honorary Disneyland 50th Anniversary Ambassador, and having the pardoned White House Thanksgiving turkeys retire to the Disney Parks (one of the biggest PR stunts in Disney history - thought up while ordering a turkey burger!).

In 2007, O’Day provided the creative impetus for an autumn tribute to author Ray Bradbury and his origin story of Halloween at Disneyland Park. This resulted in the annual Halloween Tree in Frontierland, which Disney Imagineers Tony Baxter and Kim Irvine brought to life. At a 2009 White House ceremony, he also helped secure the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush for the legendary songwriting Sherman brothers.

From 2008 to 2009, O’Day contributed to the development of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club during its formative stages, even coming up with its unique name. This is not surprising because, from the 1990s to the present, he has been instrumental as a successful producer of Disney special events featuring unforgettable moments with notable figures such as Christina Perri, Riki Lindhome, Josh Gad, John Stamos, and Kenny Loggins, along with Disney Legends Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Alan Menken, Richard M. Sherman, and even Kermit the Frog (he has worked with almost the entire roster of Disney Legends).

O’Day is the principal of TO’DAY Group PR, representing clients in entertainment, consumer products, travel/tourism, hospitality, and philanthropy. The extensive experience with premium brands and notable organizations highlights the portfolio of the TO’DAY Group, including successful campaigns, events, and projects with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Stone Circle Pictures, Chicago Museum of Science + Industry, Smithsonian Institution, The White House, Experian, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Universal Studios Home Video, Visit Newport Beach, and PIER 39 of San Francisco, among many others.

Successful agency PR campaigns have included “Howard,” a Tribeca Film Festival award-winning documentary about acclaimed songwriter Howard Ashman (now streaming on Disney+). The agency’s efforts also helped propel the 3D film "Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk" from MacGillivray Freeman Films to become the highest-grossing IMAX film.

On the philanthropy front, O’Day’s work has also included awareness and fundraising efforts for RiverKeepers, MusiCares, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the National Audubon Society, and the CHOC Foundation (since 2012, his agency’s PR efforts have generated significant public awareness for the annual “CHOC Walk” fundraiser event, resulting in over $36 million in monies raised to date).