Walt Disney Imagineering's president and chief creative officer now writes on Substack as B. Evan Vaughn. His second post, a 3,107-word essay on simulation theory, went up 15 minutes after the first.
The person in charge of designing Disney's theme parks has a new side project, and it costs nothing to read.
Bruce Vaughn, president and chief creative officer of Walt Disney Imagineering, launched a Substack on Thursday, Nov. 5, Laughing Place reported. He writes there under the byline B. Evan Vaughn, and his opening post introduces the project as The Curious Mind.
He didn't exactly ease in. About 15 minutes after the welcome post, Vaughn published a second one: a 3,107-word essay on simulation theory, curiosity and "the human hunger for meaning."
Both posts are free. Paid subscriptions aren't turned on, so there's no price tag at all.
Here's WDW News Today's walk through Imagineering's Horizons exhibit at D23 in August:
What is Bruce Vaughn's Substack about?
His first post is titled "The Curious Mind," with the tagline "On curiosity, imagination, and the strange business of being alive." It's a short welcome, about 400 words.
Vaughn calls the Substack a home for "essays, observations, and occasional fiction."
He wrote that he has spent much of his career "creating worlds," and that the work taught him "imagination isn't simply an escape from reality." It's one of the ways people understand reality, he added.
Heads up for anyone expecting ride news: "The fiction may wander into darker territory," he wrote, listing mystery, wonder, humor, love and loss.
He's also not promising answers. "I reserve the right to change my mind," Vaughn wrote. "In fact, I hope to."
What does Vaughn's first essay say about Disney parks?
Neither post mentions Disney by name, though his author bio does. The essay, "The Comfort of an Answer, the Power of a Question," brings up Elon Musk's suggestion that reality could be a simulation, then compares that idea to the way people have always searched for meaning.
It keeps drifting back to the day job, though. Vaughn describes guests walking into "an entirely fabricated world," knowing people built it, and still feeling real wonder. "The castle may be an architectural invention," he wrote, but the joy and memories are real.
Near the end, he writes about a child seeing something wonderful for the first time while a parent watches.
"The world was designed. The meaning was made by the people living within it," he wrote.
Anyone who has teared up at a nighttime show in front of a castle gets the point.
Who is Bruce Vaughn?
Disney's official bio lists him as president and chief creative officer of Walt Disney Imagineering. He leads the global team behind the concept, design and delivery of Disney's parks, attractions, resorts, cruise ships and entertainment experiences.
He first joined Imagineering in 1993 as a senior technical specialist. In 2016 he left to become CEO and chief creative officer of Dreamscape Immersive, a virtual reality company. He later worked at Airbnb as vice president of experiential creative product.
Disney brought him back in March 2023 as chief creative officer and co-leader of Imagineering, alongside then-president Barbara Bouza. Bouza announced her exit in March 2024, and Vaughn's bio now carries both titles.
A few other bio details: he has an English literature degree from Colgate University, and he has a screen credit on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). So the Imagineering boss has Starfleet experience. Noted.
What is Imagineering working on now?
Vaughn took the stage at Disney's Horizons showcase at D23 on Aug. 15, where he and executive creative director Caroline May confirmed the name Villains Land for Magic Kingdom's expansion. Disney hasn't announced an opening date.
At the same event, filmmaker Leslie Iwerks joined him onstage to confirm The Imagineering Story Season 2 is in production for Disney+.
The Substack launch comes about a week after a California state filing showed 159 layoffs at Imagineering's Glendale campus, effective Dec. 29, as we reported Oct. 30.
How do you subscribe to Bruce Vaughn's Substack?
Go to bevanvaughn.substack.com and enter an email address, or search "B. Evan Vaughn" in the Substack app. It's free, and new posts land in your inbox.
The publication was created Thursday, the same day both posts went up.
We live on Substack, too. Welcome to the neighborhood.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Laughing Place (Nov. 5, 2026), the tip and the launch
B. Evan Vaughn on Substack (Nov. 5, 2026), both posts, quotes, post times, word counts and free subscription
Disney Experiences (current bio), Vaughn's title, career history, education and screen credits
WDWMagic (March 9, 2024), Barbara Bouza's departure announcement
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.