Success Story: Jake Windoloski ’19 in Disney Theatrical Group press department

Success Stories | Jan 09, 2019 | admin

For Disney fans, seeing the Frozen musical on Broadway can be magical.

For Jake Windoloski, BS ’19, working for the company that creates the magic is a dream come true.

Since February of last year, Windoloski has held a part-time job at the Disney Theatrical Group in the press department while juggling coursework as a full-time student. “I’ve always had an interest in Disney, and, on top of that, I want to work in the theater industry,” he says, so the role is a great fit

His love for Broadway started at a young age when his family would travel from Massachusetts to visit every year.

“When we came, we always saw a show,’” Windoloski recalls.

To find a role tailored to both of his passions, he connected with a current Disney employee who had attended the same high school as Windoloski. He “reached out to him to learn about what he does and learn about the company” and continued to stay in touch, sharing relevant new articles when he came across them.

“One of the most helpful things to do is to really know your industry,” he says. Whether at interviews or while networking, it “makes you feel more confident” and can show the other person you are informed about the field.

Next, he began going into the office to work on small projects.

Then one day, the company needed extra help on Frozen, and Windoloski landed the job. He says “it was because I had made the connection and helped them out here and there.”

Today, Windoloski works mostly remote hours each week starting at 5:45 a.m., before classes and extracurricular commitments begin.

One of those extracurriculars is the Fordham Marketing Association, of which he is vice president. He initially found himself drawn to the discipline because it incorporates two areas: strategy and creativity. “You really have to have skill and experience in both of those realms” to be successful in marketing and communications, Windoloski shares.

He says participating in the club has helped him to learn more about the industry because through meeting with Fordham alumni and “seeing real people that work in real positions, you see a different side of it.”

This spring, Windoloski is looking forward to graduation and finding out where his friends and classmates end up. Most of all, though, he is ready to “take everything I’ve learned and apply it to a full-time position.”

If it starts later than 5:45 a.m., even better.