Disney CEO Rivals: Pitting Record vs. Record
Bergman, 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:
The performance record of each of the presumed internal candidates
What each CEO candidate’s hire would reveal about Disney’s future direction
Disney’s most important strategic asset that cannot be taken for granted
The achievements that put each leader in position to be Disney’s next CEO
Their respective divisions’ failings that cast doubt on their candidacies
A bold leadership idea I recommend that suits Disney’s complexity
Okay, let’s go at it candidate-by-candidate:
Alan Bergman: The Studios and Streaming Biz
Current title: Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment
Years at Disney: 28
Age: 58