As chief creative officer of Walt Disney Imagineering, Bruce Vaughn leads the global, multidisciplinary team behind the concept, design and delivery of Disney’s theme parks, attractions, resorts, cruise ships and entertainment experiences. Collaborating with peers across Disney Experiences and the company, Bruce focuses on innovative ways to transform Disney’s extensive collection of beloved franchises, characters and stories into groundbreaking immersive experiences that delight guests around the world.
Bruce began at Imagineering in 1993 as a senior technical specialist and went on to roles of increasing responsibility. Beyond his work at Imagineering, he has been involved in efforts across various divisions of The Walt Disney Company that include Consumer Products, Feature Animation, Location-Based Entertainment, Music, Television, and Theatrical. Bruce departed Imagineering in 2016 to serve as CEO and CCO of Dreamscape Immersive, where he worked to advance virtual reality technologies to create an entirely new form of mainstream location-based entertainment. He later moved on to Airbnb, where he was vice president, experiential creative product, before rejoining Imagineering in 2023.
Prior to his original stint with Imagineering, Bruce worked on the technical staff of Associates & Ferren, where he contributed to the development and execution of special effects for various media projects. He has received several screen credits for feature films, including Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) and Imposter (2001). Bruce also led Disney R&D teams that received awards from the Themed Entertainment Association for Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold, Stitch’s Photo Phone, and Lucky the Dino.
Bruce graduated cum laude from Colgate University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a minor in art history.