2. Be passionate

"Imagineering is tough," explains Delaney. The Imagineers have to deal with a tremendous amount of corporate politics, as well as the extraordinary challenges of building attractions that are almost always prototypical in nature. Everyone who plays a role in the process has to be fully committed to it: "You're tapping into the world's best model shop, the world's best illustrators, the world's best lighting people. All of those people have a passion to get it done."

"Its tough, but it's also rewarding. You get to rely on a lot of really very talented people. I never got anything negative out of it. When you devote your entire life to doing it, you have to survive - that's all there is."

1. Be persistent

Although there are many opportunities elsewhere in the themed entertainment industry, Delaney believes that there is no substitute for working for Disney iself. "If anyone is truly devoted and wants to work for Disney, they should work for Disney for at least six months - it's always on your resume, and you can always talk about it."

Delaney himself got his foot in the door in the Graphics department of Imagineering, back when it was known as WED Enterprises. But he was desperate to get involved in the EPCOT Center project, which was just beginning to kick off at Walt Disney World. "I had a feeling that I could do more. I took every spare moment I had walking around and introducing myself and meeting people. I was like a sponge, absorbing things."

"I went home every night and worked on a new portfolio. I was very interested in EPCOT because it was a futuristic thing. After literally a year [of working on the portfolio], I went to the guy who hired me and said 'I think I can do more for the company'. I put my stuff together and set up a meeting with John Hench and Marty Sklar and showed them my stuff. After a minute, Marty stopped me and said 'Don't you already work here?'"

"Nothing happened for a couple of weeks. I went away on vacation, then I was called in by my boss and told 'we don't have enough work for you, we're going to have to let you go.' I left - they gave me two weeks severance pay."

"A week later, they called me back, hired me back and moved me upstairs next to [another revered Imagineer] Herb Ryman."

"Get your foot in the door and keep working. If you show yourself, talent will always come out - it will pay off."

Learn more about Tim Delaney's extraordinary career

You can learn more about Tim Delaney's time working at Disney by listening to the full interview on the excellent Disney Avenue podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss out on future episodes, which will feature a host of important figures in Disney's history.