ORLANDO, FL. – The man’s plaid bow tie matched his pants. Behind him there was a huge Christmas tree lit with lights that accented the olive green shirt he wore with the before-mentioned shirt and tie.
Raevon Redding is very comfortable at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, where he was greeting assembled media during a recent tour Sunday evening. It’s not just the surroundings at Magic Kingdom that leave a huge smile on Redding’s face. He knows his way around all of the Disney properties in the state. An Orlando native, Redding was destined to work for Disney. He’s right at home as the company’s 2022-2023 Walt Disney World Ambassador.
Ambassadors represent nearly 80,000 cast members within the Disney community at various live events. Redding said the job is something he had always wanted.
“It’s a dream come true,” he says of being named ambassador during the summer of 2021.
It is no exaggeration to say Redding has Disney in his blood. His mother, stepfather, aunt and a cousin all work for or have worked for the company. Working for Orlando’s largest employer is a way of life for his family.
“I knew I was going to be here at some point. 100% without a doubt, I just didn’t know in what capacity,” Redding said.
While in high school Redding was in class when a Disney ambassador visited his school. He said that experience had an impact on his going forward. Now he gets to impact other young people’s lives during his many visits to schools and other events, he says.
During Redding’s four-plus years working for Disney he worked as a guest experience team member and trainer, tour guide, character performer, as well as face character performer at Shanghai Disney Resort, the first Black person to do so.
That experience overseas is something Redding believes can be reached by anyone dreaming of making a career out of trips to Disney World.
“Our company is international,” Redding explained. “The number one thing that I always say is that dreams do come true.”