Ancient Quote by Charles Busch
![“I had two chances to fail [working for Disney]. The first one, they said was "too juvenile." The second one was,they give you general areas to work in. They said, "Set 'My Fair Lady' in ancient Egypt."I came up with this idea about an Egyptian princess, and I gave her, as a sidekick, a little…” quote by Charles Busch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ea0/charles-busch-30217_ancient_i-had-two-chances-to-fail-working-for-di_1801302.jpg)
“I had two chances to fail [working for Disney]. The first one, they said was "too juvenile." The second one was,they give you general areas to work in. They said, "Set 'My Fair Lady' in ancient Egypt."I came up with this idea about an Egyptian princess, and I gave her, as a sidekick, a little scarab. I had a telephone meeting with the executive "handling" me, and he said, "I looked over the notes. Very cute. But lose the beetle.Beetles don't talk." Well, how do you answer that? I said, "Excuse me just a moment, I've got a teacup calling me on the other line."”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Disney Pitch Meeting, 1990s
Creative ideas often clash with corporate constraints, forcing improvisation and humor to navigate absurd demands.
In simple terms: Ideas meet corporate limits, requiring wit.
Key Takeaway
Use humor to deflect impossible requests.
Themes
creativity
corporate culture
humor
negotiation
Mood
frustrated
playful
Type
anecdotal
humorous
When to use this quote
- pitch meetings
- creative brainstorming
- executive reviews
Key Concepts
improvisation
power dynamics
storytelling
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you turn a restrictive brief into a creative opportunity?
- What strategies help maintain morale under absurd constraints?
A Different Perspective
Corporate demands can stifle innovation if not managed.
![“It's the weirdest thing. Evan [Goldberg] was just telling me how weird it is that we won't be working on Sausage Party, to which I said, "Hopefully, we'll be working on Sausage Party 2." It was almost ten years ago when we came up with the idea.” quote by Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/587/seth-rogen-1831_hopefully_it-s-the-weirdest-thing-evan-goldberg-wa_1896018.jpg)
![“At fifteen, it [ "Follies"] didn't have any kind of resonance with me, this show about regret and middle age.” quote by Charles Busch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a53/charles-busch-30217_age_at-fifteen-it-follies-didn-t-have-any-ki_1305990.jpg)
