Disney CEO Rivals: Pitting Record vs. Record
Disney CEO Rivals: Pitting Record vs. RecordBergman, Walden, Pitaro, D'Amaro: I dig into each's data to handicap the horse race
Entertainment Strategy Guy offers data-driven analysis of Hollywood for The Ankler every other Thursday. He recently wrote about how animated kids’ films are succeeding almost no matter what, why Tubi’s rise should worry Hollywood and YouTube’s worst-case scenario.Is there any company where more people care about who’s running it than Disney? Tech nerds care about founders, but if/when Elon Musk leaves Tesla or SpaceX, I doubt people will care who’s running them. Meanwhile, most “civilians” couldn’t distinguish a Tony Vinciquerra from a Donna Langley (and I imagine they prefer it that way). But the power of the Disney brand is such that — almost 58 years since its founder’s death — even non-industry folks not only know who the Disney CEO is but care about who the next one will be. In the last month, sort of out of the ether, Disney succession became the topic de jour. Beyond Disney appointing a new head of the search committee, nothing changed. Whether it’s a sign of the jockeying for the job or just a slow news cycle, who’s to say? But I have to admit that I find the drama as fascinating as the rest. One line that struck me from my colleague Richard Rushfield’s latest piece on l’affaire Disney is that we do have a good sense of what everyone under consideration has to offer. As he wrote, “These executives have been at the company for years. Their records are well-established, their strengths and weaknesses likely known by everyone there as well as what sort of culture they create around them.” Although Richard makes a good point, many corporate transitions show that even hiring boards often don’t know as much as we might believe. As I often try to remind folks, when it comes to strategy, the world is complex and predictions are inherently uncertain. But in assessing each presumed internal candidate’s record — Alan Bergman, Josh D’Amaro, Jimmy Pitaro and Dana Walden — we can learn a lot about Disney itself strategically and where it might go the rest of the decade. Looking at each of their histories, unfortunately for Disney, I don’t see any easy options. But that doesn’t mean there are no options. In this article, you’ll learn:
Okay, let’s go at it candidate-by-candidate: Alan Bergman: The Studios and Streaming Biz
This column is for paid subscribers only. For full access and to continue reading all Ankler content, paid subscribers can click here. Image credits:Lead Illo: Dana Walden (Harmony Gerber/Getty Images); Mickey balloon (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images); Sleeping Beauty Castle (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images); Jimmy Pitaro (Theo Wargo/Getty Images); Alan Bergman (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney); Josh D'Amaro (Errich Petersen/Getty Images for SXSW); key art/stills for Shogun, Monday Night Football, Inside Out 2 (Disney)Bergman: Alan Bergman (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon); Key art for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jim Henson: Idea Man, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Chronicles of Narnia (Disney)Follow us: X | Facebook | Instagram | Threads ICYMI
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