Thank you SO much!

I am back from one of the most exhilarating weeks of my life and I have YOU to thank for it! If you haven’t heard yet, on Tuesday morning in a ceremony in the Magic Kingdom surrounded by rose bushes, with Cinderella’s castle as the backdrop, and accompanied by Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, I was named the first ever CMO (Chief Magic Official) for the Disney Parks. You can still visit www.dreamcmo.com to check out the videos from the various contests and the ceremony. This has already been the opportunity of a lifetime and it has really only just begun. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the folks from Disney, CareerBuilder.com, and their incredibly partners and teams who pulled together to create this unforgettable journey.

Thanks to YOUR votes, your support, your encouragement, your passion, your enthusiasm, your creativity, and your love I had the confidence to give this dream my best shot and I received enough votes to land what is truly a dream job in the most incredible way possible. I sincerely want you all to know how much I appreciate everything you have done for me. I hope that through this process you had some fun, laughed a lot, shared some stories and memories, connected with some friends around a common goal, and saw that absolutely anything is possible when we believe in each other.

Already I can tell that this position is so much bigger than me. You all made it possible and in some small way I feel like I represent the dreams, hopes, and wishes of each and every one of you. Through me, I hope you have at least a tiny glimpse of the awesome feeling you can get from helping someone else achieve their dreams. Feels good, doesn’t it?

Don’t let it stop with me, though! This could be a springboard for a lot of us into a new phase of life where we really focus on the needs and wishes of others and, one dream at a time, we transform the world. Maybe that sounds a bit lofty to you, but a couple of months ago I would have told you that being the last person standing out of 1300 enthusiastic applicants for this position was an impossibly long shot as well. So, I’m willing to trust that anything is possible at this point! (Or, as Walt Disney said, "It’s kind of fun to do the impossible!")

Now, many of you have already asked me, "what now?" Well, I don’t have all the details but the shortest explanation I can offer goes something like this: Over the next 12 months I will have the opportunity to visit a wide variety of special events to serve as a goodwill ambassador for the Disney Parks. I will create magical moments for guests and families, interact with cast members, talk with members of the media, and represent the Walt Disney Company (specifically its U.S. theme parks and Disney Destinations) during the amazing "Year of a Million Dreams" campaign. I can also proudly represent CareerBuilder.com as someone who followed their lead and landed the true dream-job-of-a-lifetime! I am one of the faces of what it looks like to have your dreams come true and I will be blessed enough to be in a position to pass the magic along and "pay it forward" as they say.

As each event comes along I will share whatever information I can, but just know that through it all I am aiming to make you proud. You helped me get to this point and I will do all I can to represent you well.

As the next few months unfold I will be in touch to keep you updated on what all is going on. If you check in at www.dreamcmo.com on a somewhat regular basis you may be able to read some posts from me and see more photos or videos of the experience.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!!

Sincerely, Justin Muchoney - your Chief Magic Official