Profile of Mike Lenner, VP of Disney Streaming

By Henry Shiba

Q: What is your job?
A: I am the Vice President of Disney Streaming and my team builds the software that makes Disney+ work.

Q: What is software?
A: Software is when you tell a computer to do something for you and we need to tell computers how to play videos and search for the stuff you want for Disney+.

Q: What’s a typical day like?
A: Some days I am in meetings where I am talking about Disney+, other days I am sending emails and other days I am writing documents.

Q: Why did you pick this job?
A: I was working for a different company when Disney bought that company and now I work for Disney.

Q: When did Disney buy the company that you were working for?
A: 2018.

Q:What computer languages do you use?
A: Java and Scala.

Q: How do you learn how to code?
A: There are books, classes, Google, and you can ask colleagues.

Q: What are some challenges you face?
A: Sometimes Disney+ crashes because there aren’t enough computers.

Q: What happens when Disney+ crashes?
A: There is a big loading screen.

Q: What does this job require?
A: It’s good to be good with computers, and to be a good collaborator.