Recap of the DVD Netflix Director Trip

I like movies. I like to watch them, research them, and share them. A couple of years ago I responded to a Tweet from DVD Netflix asking if I was interested in partnering with them in their new “director” program for movie fanatics. I considered the gesture an honor, and I feel fortunate to be involved in the program, which has by now grown into DVD Nation.

DVD Nation is a reward-based program with different levels, and I am at the top, or director, level, which contains members with at least 20,000 points. We original directors were grandfathered to director level the first year, and then it was our responsibility to earn enough points to stay there by completing tasks, such as sharing our queues on social media, participating in Twitter chats, and writing for the DVD Netflix blog, Inside the Envelope. With our earned points, we can order cool promotional items and even Amazon gift cards.

Recently, we directors were treated to a trip to California to see just how those DVDs get from our queues to our mailboxes. This was especially exciting for us, because we had all been admiring each other’s work and getting to know one another virtually for a couple of years, and now we were going to get to meet each other in person. Plus, we were going to meet our main contacts from the marketing department at DVD Netflix, Vanessa Mills Fiske and Annie Jung, whom we already considered friends.

I’d like to share with you a little recap of our trip, for which I am so grateful to have been invited, and from which I learned so much.

The trip was a whirlwind, and it was packed with experiences that I’ll never forget. First, waking up in northwest Pennsylvania a couple of hours before the crack of dawn on Tuesday and boarding a Delta jet in the dark. Then, two flights across the United States, followed by a pick up by Vanessa and Annie, who greeted we weary travelers with bottles of refreshing water and backpacks filled with treats and our own DVD Netflix jackets, embroidered on the back with “DVD DIRECTOR.” Since it was chilly in southern California that week, we all proudly wore our jackets everywhere!

It was early when we arrived in California, due to the time change, and our rooms at the Anaheim Marriott Suites weren’t ready yet, so we had lunch across the street at Oggie’s Sports, Brewhouse, & Pizza. I had the Quinoa, Arugula, and Avocado Salad, which at a half order was so plentiful I couldn’t finish it. At lunch, I became acquainted with the people for whom until that day, I had only ever known from a distance. As we ate and socialized, we started receiving texts that our rooms were ready, so we headed back to the hotel, checked in, and rested a bit before our next activity.

Disneyland and Mickey’s Halloween Party

Some of us got a couple of winks in before we met back down in the lobby at 3:15 p.m., but I think we were all pretty excited to attend Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland. Before we went into the Disneyland Park, we stopped at Disney California Adventure Park where some of us headed to the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction (thrill ride with a big drop) and the others enjoyed the Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! ride. I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one I picked. Oh, well, you can tell from the photo below.

By the time we were done with those rides, it was time to head to Downtown Disney for our 5:00 p.m. reservation at Tortilla Jo’s, where the tortillas are homemade and plentiful. The made-to-order guacamole is prepared table side and we enjoyed a hot and mild version. I’ll let you guess which I chose. Okay. Mild. We enjoyed some adult beverages and I had the Vegetarian Burrito with quinoa “meatballs.” I wish I could have gotten a doggie bag! At dinner, we met up with David Raether, a respected veteran screenwriter, who was scheduled to treat us to a writing session the next morning.

Now, it was time to enter the Disneyland Park, which had been transformed into a Halloween jack-o-lantern wonderland. It seemed that every Disney character had been transformed into a pumpkin version of itself. The Haunted Mansion was especially haunted that evening. Nothing was too scary, though. So even the smallest child could attend and not be terribly frightened. Adults and children alike were able to trick-or-treat for CANDY! How much fun that was to trick or treat after all these many years of being an adult. Our group had our photo taken at the main PhotoPass location in front of a huge pumpkin, and the image is one that seems to define our entire experience, because I think every one of us has shared it by now on social media.

Most of the time, our entire group stayed together, which was great. At one point, I somehow got a bit behind the group and had to catch up. When I did, we were in some sort of line, and it turned out to be for the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride. At first, I didn’t think much of it, because the Monsters Inc. ride had been so tame. Then I remembered that this is the ride that climbs up a “mountain” that towers over the park, and that it is essentially—a roller coaster. By principal, I don’t do roller coasters, but now I was halfway through the line. What should I do? Soon, we were at the point where it was time to board the train, and I looked around to see if there was a last-minute escape route. Seeing none, I decided to get hop on and am I glad I did! W-O-W. Talk about thrill rides! I’m ready to conquer the coaster in my home town. I can’t wait until next summer. This ride looks tame on the YouTube P.O.V. but it was enough to make me lift out of my seat, and I was glad the bar on my lap didn’t fail. And I’m so proud of myself for having made it through that ride!

DVD Netflix Hub

The next morning, we met in the hotel lobby and headed to the nearby DVD Netflix distribution center (hub), so we could see how the movies get from our queue to our mailbox. When we walked into the building, we were met by an array of breakfast items and Halloween treats. How I wished I hadn’t eaten my Halloween candy from Disney for breakfast. I did manage to delight in a donut and some delicious coffee. There was also a table with bags that we could fill with candy. I stuffed mine, and then forgot it there, or in the Uber on the way back. . .

After breakfast, the plant manager Mike, took us on an informative tour through the hub. The employees showed us how the discs are sorted and were so friendly to us. It’s amazing that at this hub, which is one of the largest, at about 30,000 square feet, there are three million movies stored in categories based on algorithms that predict how often, and how soon, specific movie titles need to be shipped to members. Although it was early morning when we arrived, most of the day’s work had already been done. Just for us, though, they demonstrated the sorting, labeling, and processing functions. At this facility, approximately 42,000 discs are returned and shipped every day.

Each movie disc envelope contains a bar code. We saw long machines that are modeled after postal sorters through which the bar codes are read as the discs fly past and the machine decides which section to send them to. Because 300,000 movies go through this process every day, I asked the question about wear and tear. But the machines are fast, and gentle, plus the envelopes are sturdy, so there is very little damage to the discs from sorting. Approximately five percent of the discs are relabeled every week.

After we saw the sorting process, we watched the employees at the stuffing machine fan the empty red envelopes and place them in the hopper for stuffing with the smaller sleeves. It goes amazingly fast and when it occasionally breaks down, one of the employees, a woman, knows the machine inside and out and can usually get it back up and running in minutes.

After the envelopes are stuffed, they must be labeled in another machine, which reads the bar code with a camera and less than a foot away, prints the member’s address on the envelope. The envelopes are placed in long postal boxes to await one of three trucks that take them to the post office.

What about the returned movies? That’s a fascinating process, too. When the movies come in, they travel through a machine that opens the envelope and spits out the sleeve. The discs are cleaned and inspected by lasers and then sorted according to their condition and the forecast as to when they might need to be shipped to another member. There are no late fees at DVD Netflix, and movies have been returned after as many as eight years. From the members’ standpoint, though, it is in their best interest to return the movie promptly so that they can enjoy another one soon.

After the tour, we all met in a conference room at the hub with veteran screenwriter, David Raether. We got ideas about how to think up ideas for blog subjects and learned how he structures his own blogs. We even got to give him our input on which of the two openings in one of his posts we thought worked better. By the end of the session, we had engaged in lively conversation and asked many questions. I, for one, feel like my posts will be better in the future as a result of this session. This along with listening to the experiences of my fellow directors over a couple of days, made the trip as valuable as many of the dedicated writing seminars I have attended over the years.

Soon, it was time to head back to the hotel and we had lunch on the property at Basil’s, an American-style restaurant, where I had the Mediterranean Falafel sandwich. So, good and of course I couldn’t finish it all (well, the candy I ate at the hub had something to do with that!). Our group enjoyed lively conversation at lunch and then retired to our rooms for a bit before it was time to board the limo-bus for our Warner Bros. tour!

Where the Stars Walk at Warner Bros. Studio

When I learned we were going to do the Warner Bros. tour, my enthusiasm was lukewarm, based on my experience on a tour at another studio. Well, I was blown away by the Warner Bros. tour and would recommend it highly, especially, the Classics Made Here version, which is what we did. We started with a nice glass of champagne and an introductory video. Then we hopped on a tram and spent the next few hours taking an in-depth survey of the property. I guess the most-exciting aspect for me was seeing Stars Hollow, home of Gilmore Girls, because I’ve often said that would be the perfect place for me to live. I couldn’t believe that I was actually standing in front of Luke’s diner and Miss Patty’s dancing studio. Since they are not filming, and was being used for a Halloween attraction, it didn’t exactly look like Stars Hollow, but it was close enough for me.

We also got to see the sound stage of Lucifer, sort of a metropolitan bar setting and a police station. It made me want to watch the show. We also strolled through a prop house and even saw the piano that Sam played in Casablanca. We saw a ladder that Lady Gaga signed, various versions of the Maltese Falcon, and the parking places of John Goodman and Lori Metcalf of The Conners. By the time we completed our tour, we truly felt as though we had walked where the stars have walked.

Our day was capped off by a fine dinner at Santuari, which is located in the Taluca Lake Tennis & Fitness Club. The doors from the dining room look out on the courts, and if you click on the Santauri link, you’ll see a table with two long benches. That’s exactly where we sat. We enjoyed the drinks, appetizers, dinner, and especially the camaraderie that last evening before we would scatter to different parts of the country, some of us before the crack of dawn.

My trip home on Thursday was uneventful, which I’m thankful for. All Delta flights on time, and a minimum of turbulence, tolerable seatmates and good entertainment on the flight. I watched I Feel Pretty with Amy Schumer on the way out and On Chesil Beach starring Saoirse Ronan. I got home at about 9:30 p.m., full of stories about my trip and thankful to DVD Netflix, Vanessa, and Annie for the awesome experience that was so carefully planned to the very last detail.

Disclaimer: I am a member of Netflix’s DVD.com Director’s program, which gives me free access to movies and other rewards. Using my referral link, you can start receiving DVD movies in your mailbox from a huge library of movies, old and new, well-known and not-so-known. #ad #dvdnation