So it seems that Bob Iger's successor as Disney's CEO will be... Bob Iger. At least for the time being. Iger's promised to retire before, and he's backed off that before, too. With Disney's amazing recent success in films, theme parks, and acquisitions, there's no business case for Iger leaving the company anytime soon.
But no one lives forever. And, given Iger's reported interest in politics and sports, it's conceivable that Iger won't want to keep running Disney for the rest of his life, either. What then?
Business reporters have coughed up a predictable list of potential CEO candidates from other entertainment and communication companies: former News Corp. chief Peter Chernin, CBS chief Leslie Moonves, Facebook CEO (and Disney board member) Sheryl Sandberg. But Disney is different. Sure, it's a movie studio and TV network. Yes, it owns publishing and production businesses. But Disney's heart is animation — whose production can't always be managed the same way as live-action work. And Disney's traditional cash cow is its theme parks — whose management is totally foreign to executives with no experience in the travel and hospitality industries.
Staggs seemed a perfect candidate to replace Iger because he's complemented his experience in television management with a generally well-received stint running Disney's theme parks. He learned this side of Disney's business, and theme park fans could look forward to Staggs' term as Disney CEO with some reassurance that he at least had a clue as to what running the parks demanded.
If Disney is to look outside of the company for its next CEO, it's unlikely that the company will find someone whose experience lines up with the company's needed as well as Staggs' did. When Disney looked outside the company to hire Michael Eisner in the early 1980s, Disney was very different. The company was fending off corporate raiders who wanted to break it up. Disney hadn't bought ABC yet. And its theme parks, while successful, were hardly the industry behemoths that they are today.
In fact, Eisner's success in building Disney, continued and expanded by his protege Iger, may have made it nearly impossible for Disney to look outside for a CEO, like Eisner, today.
"Nearly," though. There is one high-level executive out there whose experience does match Disney's needs. Someone who has run television networks and retail stores, overseen a movie studio and run theme parks. Someone who even worked for Disney in the past.
So who is this? Some Disney fans aren't going to like this answer, but here goes.
It's Steve Burke... of NBCUniversal.
As different as Disney is, it's not unique. Disney's archrival, NBCUniversal, nearly mirrors Disney in its business interests: movies, television, production, theme parks. No, NBCU doesn't have a cruise line or a big retail chain, but Steve Burke ran the Disney Stores when he worked for The Mouse, so that's not an issue. If Disney's board wants to look outside the company for a leader, it would make sense to start its search with the company that most looks like Disney — NBCUniversal.
Of course, that begs the question — if Burke were to be lured by Disney (and given his history with the company, that might require more cash than even Mossack Fonseca could hide), who would replace Burke at NBCUniversal?
Well, I hear that Tom Staggs is looking for a gig....
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Staggs is not a Hollywood insider. He doesn't know how to make those big deals. He doesn't have those connections. Even Iger rode on Eisner's coattails in signing agreements with Pixar and Lucasfilm. Those deals were possible due to the long running relationships with Disney started in the 80s. Iger may have picked some up recently, but there's nothing on the horizon. Staggs certainly doesn't have the ability to bring in another group. That's why Disney's board will be looking for someone outside. They want someone who can bring in the next multi-billion dollar IP to shore up the walls along Buena Vista St.
Iger may have been great at acquiring Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and even Oswald, but he's been terrible for the domestic parks. And you said that Disney's cash cow has traditionally been the theme parks. Well, I really hope that Shanghai works out, and Star Wars land can beat out Harry Potter.
The best person for the Disney theme parks is not even at Disney any more - Matt Ouimet. He understood the customer. Disney should get out of ESPN and concentrate on it's core products, animation, live action movies and theme parks. Even ABC is a drag (fourth among the networks!), I can understand that it might complement the other divisions, but IMO it's not totally necessary.
Sandberg as CEO (digital)
Kathleen Kennedy as COO (feature film experience)
While a massive coup for women breaking the modern Hollywood glass ceiling, it still leaves DIS without a television expert. One could argue, with television moving to OTT, Sandberg's digital experience could possibly eliminate this concern.
Listen, I understand that everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and I understand that everyone is also entitled to express said opinions, but it feels like I'm just reading the same crap over and over! Hey, Disney-Haters, news flash, nothing you ever say is original or unique. It's all stuff that we've all heard a bajillion times before. Blah blah blah Disney is evil blah blah blah Iger is the IRL Mr. Burns blah blah blah FP+ sucks blah blah blah Universal is the best blah blah blah Walt would be ashamed blah blah blah instead of actually doing something about it I'm just gonna sit here and keep complaining because, yeah, just complaining about problems fixes them, right?
I know I'm coming across as rude and offensive, but I'm just so sick and tired of all this crap. Not because the Disney parks are my favorite parks, but it just gets so damn boring when you end up reading the same thing so many times. It really wears you down. If you wanna keep hating Disney and Iger, fine, but please for the sake of my sanity and for the sake of mankind, please find something original to say! Maybe bring up another issue with Disney that no one seems to have brought up before. Just please, stop making the same old and tired arguments.
Spin off the ESPN/ABC networks and let Iger run that. He's a decent network executive, but it's obvious that he's unfit to guide the theme parks.
The next Disney CEO should have a liberal arts and hospitality background. Disney needs to restore employee morale and customer goodwill.
There is absolutely no reason why the next Disney CEO should be paid the obscene amount of money that Eisner and Iger paid themselves. How hard is it to raise prices every year?
Here's how to start - In Epcot, while you're on the path to adding characters, why not add the Ratatouille ride to the France pavilion? Add a Swiss pavilion with a Matterhorn. Relocate It's a Small World to the area between World Showcase and Future World. And relocate the Carousel of Progress to Future World. Then you will have a more coherent theme park.
While you're at it, put a Tangled dark ride in place of Small World in the Magic Kingdom, the Tangled rest rooms are there anyway. And put a Beauty and the Beast dark ride in back of the Be Our Guest Restaurant.
But it would take a radical-thinking visionary to do it, kind of like Walt, which means it will never happen.
In addition with the success of Harry potter coupled with reacquiring land they use to own for future expansion. Burke has a busy plate.
Don't forget than Comcast under Burke a decade ago failed in a hostile takeover attempt of Disney. He maybe too preoccupied sticking it to his former employer
As for Matt Ouillet, he lacks experience on the media side of the business.
With regards to no E-ticket attraction built under Iger, what about the new E-ticket Avatar attraction debuting next year?
Only way Burke or Ouillet would return to Disney is if the board offered them a pay package that dwarves the one Iger has, doubt it
He has the creative vision, passion, and ability to surround himself with more talented people that Walt seemed to have. He seems to me the closest thing to a modern-day Walt. Yes he doesn't have business experience per say, but neither did Walt; that's what he had his brother Roy for. So name someone from the business sector his CFO to really handle the business aspects, but have Lasseter be the face and creative leader of TWDC.
Bob Iger was a media guy, he headed ABC before becoming number two under Eisner. The media outlets of ABC and ESPN are the ones that are faltering now.
Eisner thought that Iger wasn't 'bright enough' to be CEO, but Iger showed that he can lead and he made some good decisions. But some of his decisions, probably most importantly My Magic Plus, showed that that he doesn't really understand the theme park business. I've heard that many people at Imagineering were against My Magic Plus.
Media is secondary compared to animation, movies and theme parks. Just like when Eisner founded the Mighty Ducks (because Eisner was a sports fan), it was straying away from the core business. Disney doesn't need another media guy, it needs someone who understands its core business.
Cable TV was trying to get into your home during Eisner, and now it's struggling to stay there during Iger. That's a big change in the American living room in a relatively short amount of time. Who ever is going to be successful at moving forward must be able to anticipate what is going to do well next and effectively capitalize on that. That wwill NOT be easy.
Who ever that is will certainly have failures. Hopefully there will also be success. Both will be interesting to discuss.
Eisner, Walls and Iger all had backgrounds in Hollywood which is probably what the board is looking for in it's CEO. Rasulo and Staggs didn't quite seem to fit the bill.
Disney was a movie studio first, it's core business, theme parks came second.
As for My Magic plus, John Lasseter was also on board with that one according to the fast company article. That same article also states that Imagineering was annoyed that my magic plus was outsourced and not done completely in house and were not necessarily against it.
Matt Ouillet does understand the customer as he is proving as CEO of Cedar Fair.
Just that Disney's board seems to want a CEO with Hollywood ties, that's all
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