Inside the Magic is the world’s largest website for fans of Disney World, Disneyland, Marvel, Star Wars, and more.
Created in 2005, what started as a tiny central Florida-based website and short weekly podcast that allowed our audience to visit Walt Disney World virtually has grown into the publishing company it is today. We focus on bringing you all things fun so you can plan your theme park vacation, as well as the most current news around Disney, theme parks, and entertainment.
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Meet the Writers of Inside the Magic
Our team of writers is made up of talented reporters who pride themselves on publishing news about Disney parks and movies, and beyond. Some of us have worked for Disney, attended the Disney College Program, or been entertainment writers for years. Here’s who’s behind the scenes at Inside the Magic.
Ed Aguila
Ed has been a passionate Disney Parks nerd and snack enthusiast since 2006, when he visited Walt Disney’s original theme park for the first time during Disneyland Resort’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
When he’s at Disneyland (or Disney World), you can find him trading pins at Main Street, U.S.A, visiting Madame Leota at the Haunted Mansion, and constantly debating which is best, blue milk or green milk at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
With a passion for photography and writing, every visit to the parks is an opportunity for Ed to capture new memories and share them with his fellow Disney fans.
Andrew Boardwine
Andrew covers a variety of topics for Inside the Magic, including Entertainment, Disney Parks, and Universal Studios. Growing up taking vacations to Orlando, Andrew has a huge love for both Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort.
At Disney World, Andrew’s favorite ride, hands down, is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. While he loves the classic attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, his favorite moments in Magic Kingdom include relaxing on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, because we all know there is nothing like “today in Tomorrowland.”
Over at Universal Orlando Resort, Andrew is an avid Jurassic Park fan who enjoys the thrills of both the Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Jurassic Park River Adventure. While he also loves iconic attractions like Revenge of the Mummy and E.T. Adventure, his “can’t-miss” attraction is Universal Orlando’s Horror Makeup Show.
Becky Burkett
Becky is a Georgia native who grew up in the Lone Star State, and she has been visiting Disney Parks since she was 11 years old. To this day, she remembers the joy that filled her soul when she saw the lights of the Main Street Electrical Parade and heard the iconic music from the nighttime spectacular for the very first time. It would be a memory that forever stayed with her and grew her love for Walt Disney World from the beginning.
Becky is a Walter Elias Disney fanatic and historian and is devoted to keeping his memory alive. She also loves to write about Disney nostalgia, Disney Parks through the years, PIXAR, and Imagineering. When she’s in the parks, you’ll find her croonin’ with the birdies in the Tiki-Tiki-Tiki-Tiki-Tiki Room, creepin’ in the Haunted Mansion, or hangin’ with Woody and Buzz at Toy Story Land. Still can’t find her? Look again wherever the Imagineers are congregating.
Becky believes that Walt Disney was so much more than an entertainment and theme park tycoon–he was a savant with a vision for life and how it could be if happiness and kindness were strived for.
When she’s not in the parks, you can find Becky at home in Texas, writing about her Disney Parks adventures, learning something new about Walt and defending his posthumous dignity with searing OpEd pieces. When she’s not writing Disney, you can still find her up late at night, writing children’s fiction and continuing work on her newest book, I’ll See You in the Morning.
Jess Colopy
Jess is a Disney College Program alum with a love of Disney Parks, musicals, and other themed entertainment. Originally from Western, New York, she moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 2015 to pursue a journalism degree and became so enamored with city life that she stayed. Before joining Inside the Magic, Jess worked as a personal stylist. Her writing has been published in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Talks, The Columbia Chronicle, and more.
Luke Dammann
Luke grew up in Tennessee but spent quite a lot of time at the Walt Disney World Resort during family vacations. Over time, he quickly developed a deep love and passion for Disney, becoming obsessed with rides and attractions as well as the smaller details that all work together to make the Disney theme parks so special.
When visiting his second home at Walt Disney World, Luke will probably be found eating with his favorite animatronic, Sonny Eclipse, at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom or booking a room at The Twilight Zone Tower Hotel in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Luke will also be found riding DINOSAUR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Living with the Land at EPCOT, two of his favorite attractions.
Emmanuel Detres
Emmanuel Detres, a Northeast Ohio native, developed a profound love for theme parks during a stroll through Main Street, U.S.A., in 2000 at Magic Kingdom inside Disney World. Holding a degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University, Emmanuel leverages his education and background to craft positive and professional stories for Inside the Magic. Outside of the realm of research and writing, he can be found at the gym, exploring local metro parks, cruising on his motorcycle, or embarking on journeys to his cherished destinations on earth, namely Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.
Alessia Dunn
Alessia is an Orlando local who moved to the city a few years ago to be close to the magic. As someone who has been going to theme parks before she could even walk, being near Disney and Universal within minutes has been a dream.
When at Disney, you can find Alessia sitting in the Carousel of Progress, or crying during Happily Ever After. At Universal, she’s probably sipping on a hot butter beer waiting in line for Hagrid’s.
She has always been the one to notice the intricate details at the parks, like the way that the footprints in Pandora can show two creatures that were previously fighting in that area, or the hundreds of hidden Mickey’s that surround the parks!
Averyl Fong
Averyl is a freelance writer and general nerd about entertainment, food, theatre, D&D – and of course, theme parks. Passionate about good storytelling, she loves delving into (and losing herself in) worlds of fantasy and sci-fi across comics, TV, film, and video games.
Currently based in Singapore, she could wax poetic about the immersive genius of the Haunted Mansion, or regale you with her undying love for the campy beauty of Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage – but she won’t, because she has some compassion.
Zach Gass
Zach Gass is a writer from East Tennessee with a passion for all things under the Disney name. His love affair with the magic of Disney began at a very young age watching Mickey don his sorcerer hat and that glorious African sunrise break the silence in the opening of The Lion King. Although he didn’t make it to the Magic Kingdom until his senior year of high school, one week at Mickey’s pad changed everything, he knew he had to be a part of the magic he had loved for years.
A Zach of all trades, he wears many hats (with and without Mickey Ears) while writing for Inside the Magic. An armchair animation historian, a ride-or-die Park Hopper at the Walt Disney World Resort, an Honorary Member of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars’ Rebel Alliance, a devotee of the works of Tim Burton, a die-hard Disney fan with a soft spot for the urban jungles of Zootopia, and ITM’s “Resident Bluey Expert,” Zach makes it his mission to keep his finger on the pulse of the mouse. To coin a phrase from Ratatouille’s Anton Ego, Zach doesn’t like Disney, he LOVES it.
A lot has changed at Disney since its heyday, and the bad press tends to outshine the efforts the studio has made in both the world of animation and the theme park industry. Zach believes that while not everyone agrees with some of Disney’s creative choices, the House of Mouse can still be a force for good. Disney is still highly capable of making magic for millions like himself, and he regularly makes it his mission to offer his perspective on what happens in and out of the studio.
When he’s not writing for ITM, Zach can be found at his favorite coffee house, on stage with Tusculum Arts Outreach or the Greeneville Theatre Guild, feeding his Nintendo fix, or simply curling up with a good fantasy novel.
Thomas Hitchen
Thomas was born in the early 90s and grew up with Marvel cartoons, the Star Wars prequels, and Disney films on videotape. His creative heart has manifested in myriad ways over the decades: writing, drawing, theater, the list goes on.
After studying performing arts and drama, Thomas returned to university for his Masters in Creative Writing and Publishing — a joint venture between the university and The Guardian, headquartered in London, England. There, he studied both fiction and non-fiction writing craft, and workshopped with Booker Prize-winning authors.
His love for Disney traces back to as far as he can remember. From the old live-action Christmas movies starring Mickey Mouse to the grossly-underrated “Treasure Planet” and musical classics like “Mulan” and “Tarzan”, Thomas’ love for Disney transcends genre and medium. His first Disney park visit, Disneyland Paris at Christmas, proved that magic really is everywhere, and he is now half way done with his Disney Parks bingo card. Thomas loves exploring Animal Kingdom and Batuu, riding Cosmic Rewind (to “September”, of course!), and hanging out on Main Street, U.S.A.
When not writing, or thinking, about Disney, Thomas spends his time reading, baking, and working out. His favorite book is “Strange the Dreamer;” favorite thing to bake is chocolate cake (in various forms); and favorite work out is anything but leg day.
Thomas lives in the United Kingdom with his fiancée, daughter, and one boisterous Border collie called Beans.
Chloë James
Chloë is a perpetual Brit abroad, currently living in Dubai. She’s been a Disney and theme park addict since a young age, so it was inevitable that she would one day become a Cast Member as a part of Walt Disney World’s Cultural Exchange Program in 2017 (something that instilled her with a lifelong loyalty to DinoLand U.S.A.). After four years as a beauty journalist – writing for publications such as Cosmopolitan, Stylist, and Grazia – she decided to switch to travel and theme parks in 2021. Today, you can find her writing about everything from record-breaking roller coasters to the ethics of keeping killer whales in theme parks. She also enjoys Star Wars, Shrek, and collecting the weirdest theme park merch she can find.
Nathan Kamal
Nathan is a fan of Disney, Marvel, and Pixar films and shows. Originally from Oregon, he grew up in the Czech Republic just after it became an independent country and spent his teen years eagerly consuming American pop culture from afar. Over the course of his career, Nathan has been a gardener, a banker, a dishwasher on a remote Alaskan island, a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a professional comedy writer. His work has appeared in The Onion, The Hard Times, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, and many others.
Currently, he lives in Chicago and, when not writing, spends a lot of time hanging out with his cat or riding his bike by Lake Michigan.
Nathan particularly enjoys deep-diving into forgotten Disney projects like ‘The Black Cauldron’ and ‘John Carter.’ His writing focuses on Disney’s business and legal news.
Rick Lye
Rick is an avid Disney fan. He first went to Disney World in 1986 with his parents and has been hooked ever since. Rick is married to another Disney fan and is in the process of turning his two children into fans as well. When he is not creating new Disney adventures, he loves to watch the New York Yankees and hang out with his dog, Buster. In the fall, you will catch him cheering for his beloved NY Giants.
Eva Miller
Eva was born and raised in the beautiful state of Oregon but has since relocated and lives in New York City. Since she was young, Eva has loved to perform in musicals, especially Disney ones! Through performing, Disney’s music became the soundtrack of her childhood.
Today, Eva loves to write about all the exciting happenings for the The Walt Disney Company. In her free time, Eva loves to travel, spend time in nature, and go to Broadway shows. Her favorite Disney movie is Lilo and Stitch, and her favorite park is Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Daniel Roberts
Daniel loves to travel the world with his wife, and during their trips they try to visit as many Disney and Universal theme parks as possible. His favorite resorts are Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, and he can’t get enough of the parades and night-time illuminations (and searching for the latest Star Wars merchandise). He also visits movie locations and even spent his honeymoon where they filmed Jurassic Park (his all-time favorite). In his spare time, Daniel likes to swim, paddleboard, read, watch the NBA (he’s a big Toronto Raptors fan), and work on his children’s book. He also loves the original Ghostbusters, which he has watched with two of its stars, Ernie Hudson and Jennifer Runyon.
Krysten Swensen
A born and bred New England girl living the Disney life in Southern California. I love to read, to watch The Golden Girls, enjoy a Red Sox game, and love everything to do with Disney and Universal. Disney’s best character ever is Figment, and its most underrated movie is The Great Mouse Detective. Love living by Walt’s belief that if we can dream it, we can do it. Follow my Disney and Universal adventures on my Instagram, @BrazzleDazzleDisney!