Grandpa’s Legacy Inspires Grandson’s Disney Career

When you hear National Geographic, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some, it’s the wild animals, the exotic destinations or the yellow border opening the window to new worlds.

For Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions Trip Operator, Keith Jacobson, his first thought ties back to an early childhood memory of his grandfather, George, whom he called, “Grandpa Spud.”

Grandpa Spud had a studio in his house with a drafting board and art supplies. As a child, Keith would grab paper and draw next to him, where he felt free to play and create.

“Around 1987, I was about 10 years old and playing with a wooden tugboat across the floor when I looked up and saw the giant bookcase with that signature yellow,” says Keith, talking about the iconic yellow of the ‘National Geographic’ magazines. “Those magazines were my earliest opening to the world.”

Keith would pull the magazines off the shelf and flip through them for hours. “I didn’t realize Nat Geo had an impact on me from reading about these fantastic places all over the world,” he says.

Keith credits his early exposure to travel and exploration to his grandpa’s “National Geographic” magazine collection.

“I would just pull one [magazine] off the bookshelf and never knew where I was going next.”

The influence Grandpa Spud had on Keith helped him grow to love sailing, exploring and connecting to the nature of the world around him. As an adult, Keith continued this sense of adventure through his career as an Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions cast member. He loves sharing these experiences, the locations, the storytelling of it – with people, making him feel at home.

For over 10 years, Keith has been making magic with Disney and describes himself as a happy person, who is even happier when he’s providing amazing experiences for others.

“Working at Disney feels like a memory of mine with my grandpa and dad because of their sense of adventure,” Keith says. “And now that sense of adventure lives on from [them] to me.”

Keith now gets to share the magic of Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions with his family. In 2023, Keith and his husband traveled with his parents for their first international trip together with Disney on a Rhine River cruise.

For Keith, Grandpa Spud was the first person to ignite a sense of awe and adventure in him.

“He would be thrilled to know what I am doing now at Disney and about these experiences I’m providing for other people,” Keith says. “And my 10-year-old self would be so ecstatic!”

Now, the question we’ve been waiting for — why the name “Spud?” Here is what Keith’s father told him:

“Even Spud didn’t know for sure, but he got the name when he was in 4th or 5th grade. Someone changed his real name, George, into Judge. Someone may have misheard that and called him Spud — which stuck!”