When Manny Oliverez first stepped foot in Disney World, he was not a bright-eyed child. Instead, Oliverez was an adult, a newlywed with a new baby. It was his wife, Sherrey, a life-long Disney fan, who convinced him to go.
"I was not thrilled to go there," Oliverez admitted. "But then when I saw it, I was wowed."
From then on, Disney World was a regular vacation spot for Oliverez, returning with his wife and four children more than 20 times.
"We used to go so often that the kids would say, 'No, no more,’" he said. "Some of the best times were when my wife and I went alone."
NOW OLIVEREZ has the opportunity to take his love of Disney one step further. He is a finalist in Careerbuilder.com’s Disney Dream Job contest. Twenty-five winners from across the country will have the chance to spend a day in one of five Disney jobs, a parade performer, a butler or maid in the Haunted Mansion, a princess-in-waiting, a Jungle Cruise skipper or a Disney pirate, at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
"The contest was put together as a chance to live out their dream job a Disney," Laurie Pepitone, of Coyne Public Relations, said. "These were the tops jobs that people said they would want to do [at the park]."
Oliverez, an Ashburn resident is in contention to become a Disney pirate, which will come naturally after the practice he received last summer. Oliverez, who is director of operations for Capture Billing and Consulting, a medical billing company, arranged a pirate day for his office at South Riding Pediatrics.
"I just like doing anything fun," he said, "because life should be fun."
When his brother-in-law saw information for the contest on careerbuilder.com, he told Oliverez he had to give a shot.
"This is more or less my mid-life crisis," he said. "I never did anything crazy when I was younger. And it’s cheaper than a Ferrari."
TO ENTER THE contest, Oliverez submitted a 45-second video demonstrating why he should be a Disney pirate. On Oliverez’s pirate resume? Speaking pirate, scaring landlubbers and entertaining children.
Pepitone said every video submitted was viewed and the finalists were placed online for viewing and voting.
"The finalists were chosen for the creativity of their entries," she said. "Why they would be the best for their chosen profession."
The winners will be announced in the middle of April, Pepitone said, and each will receive a four-day, three night’s vacation for four.
"While the winners are there they will go through training for their chosen jobs," she said. "They will interact with guests in the park and get fitted for costumes."
Oliverez, who also works as an extra in movies filming in Washington, D.C., such a Die Hard 4 and the upcoming National Treasure 2, said he is excited to see how Disney works.
"Behind the scenes at Disney would be really, really cool to see," he said. "How do they make it happen?"
OLIVEREZ SAID HE was surprised at the number of views his video received, but admits he campaigned hard to get votes from people he knows.
"I went down my e-mail list and basically everyone who had ever e-mailed me was sent a link to the video," he said with a laugh. Oliverez’s methods seem to be working. He said the site received more than 7,000 views.
Until he hears if he is a winner, Oliverez is resisting preparing his pirate act, in case he jinxes himself. His wife, however, is convinced.
"She thinks it’s a sure thing," he said. "She’s already got my bags packed."
Even as he tries to avoid thinking of what would happen if he were chosen, Oliverez cannot help thinking about what it would be like to be a part of Pirates of the Caribbean, one of his favorite Disney rides.
"That is really cool," he said. "It would be really exciting to be able to stand there as a pirate."