Meet Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig: Disney Exec., Author, and Veteran

Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig has lived an extraordinarily unique life. Before finding himself in his current role as an entertainment executive with Walt Disney Studios, Craig served in the U.S Army for 32 years and played in the NFL Europe for over a decade. Living a life stuffed the brim with worldly and professional experiences, he penned a best-selling book, Serving to Lead: Lessons in Adversity and Resilience from the Battlefield, Gridiron, and the Corporate World. 

“I know how important it is to be a servant leader, not just a leader who’s taking from or using, or not giving to your employees, or your subordinates, or your peers,” Craig said of his book in his interview with Bleu. The international best-selling novel, which released this past May, utilizes the seven key values that Craig learned from the military to provide a comprehensive narrative guide to leadership. 

Craigcurrently works at Walt Disney Studios in distribution, helping ensure that theaters across the nation receive the newest releases for viewing. As a certified logistical engineer, Craig’s post-service career prospects were wider than ever. And while his peers would typically go into other government service jobs, he knew wanted to do something completely different. 

“I wanted to just do a real career change and do something different,” he explained. “Logistics closely resembles distribution. They’re almost sisters and brothers, if you will, where one of them is like a supply chain and distribution is kind of the delivery of resources or supplies to a destination.”

Those resources and supplies that Craig is referring to are the hard drives and “keys” – or codes – for the distribution of Disney’s major motion projects. He ensures that theaters across the country receive the proper drives and codes needed for whichever format is requested, whether that be 2D, 3D or PLF. In the past, he’s helped distribute major titles such as Black Panther, Avatar, the Star Wars franchise and Coco. 

Of course, before taking on this huge career shift, he had to be certified in the business of entertainment. He went to study at UCLA where he learned the ins and outs of intellectual property and distribution. 

Craig successfully completed a 180-degree career switch that most people only dream of. When asked what his biggest keys to success were, he said it’s most important that you don’t do it alone. “Find other people who feel just like you and you guys develop that team to do it together,” he explains. “It would set yourself up for success… I’ve even heard of people volunteering to go to work for a half-day with their friend to see if they like what they’re doing.” 

Craig also explains the importance of not just trying to find a job but looking for a community of people you would want to surround yourself with. He adds, “I think that if you could find the type of people you want to be around day-in and day-out, you can live a better quality of life while also earning a living for your family with like-minded people.” 

Craig is passionate about building a larger veteran workforce. He believes those who previously served make the best employees for a variety of reasons, which is why he is the current president of Disney’s diversity resource group SALUTE, a support group for veterans hired to work at the studio. 

“I’m in charge of supporting military veterans that are employed by the studio, you know, just helping them to integrate, strengthen and grow their careers while providing a sense of community within the organization,” Craig explains. “In the military, we’re so used to being in formations, we’re like-minded people with a similar mission. So, just providing people a soft place to land, if you will, with somebody who understands how they think.”  

Alongside hosting beneficial events and talks, SALUTE inspires all of corporate America to hire and work with vets. “There’s a number of reasons why veterans make great employees. Number one, veterans bring diverse experiences, a variety of skills, and the military training to the civilian workforce; it gives them a different perspective on life,” explains Craig. 

“[We help] other corporations and other organizations understand why it’s important to hire a vet. Because there is a stigma also associated with being a veteran. People, the civilians, just don’t understand. Sure, a lot of veterans have issues they have to deal with – like a lot of people. However, veterans are great resources of information and knowledge.” 

In between working for Walt Disney Studios and his time in the army, Craig played in the NFL’s European league for a decade. He played for a variety of teams including Frankfurt Galaxy, the Aschaffenburg Stallions, Rüsselsheim Razorbacks and Hanau Hawks, winning two Southern Division Championships with the Stallions and Razorbacks.

Thinking back on his diverse experiences working with different leaders and becoming a leader himself, Craig knew he had to write about it. “I felt it was important that I share some of my lessons learned for people who may be looking for some inspiration,” says Craig. “I learned in that in the military the ‘seven values’ that are so important: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage… If you live your life with those seven values in the workplace and personally, you will have a successful life.”

Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig’s Serving to Lead is available for purchase on Amazon.