All right, so they finally did it.
I mean, we’ve said that before, but this time maybe for real.
Josh D’Amaro is the new Disney CEO.
The Bob-cession has been the central narrative question of Hollywood’s biggest legacy studio for about a decade, and now that we’re through, maybe we can see what’s on the other side?
Just to be clear: This wasn’t just a succession decision. It was a referendum on risk.
There’s a lot to take in — including how Dana Walden missed (nothing personal, just numbers here), whether it’s smart to run back another parks guy and a presumed end of a merger dream — so let’s roll up the takeaways here in no particular order.
1. There Is No Dana and TV. Only Parks
First of all, let’s acknowledge — what a shock — that Disney’s board didn’t go with a female candidate. What a shock that after conducting a company-wide and nationwide search for a job that just about anyone would kill to get, they found the white man who has been at the company for 27 years.
Who could’ve guessed after all the drama, that’s how it would end up?
Let’s hope that James Gorman and the Disney CEO search committee were paid enough for their work here, and not just handed 15 percent discount coupons for food purchases at the parks (although if they take their family a couple of times this year, that could add up to a lot).
So, doing the math here, when you factor this announcement in, that brings the percentage of female chiefs at Hollywood studios, streaming companies, and agencies to — hang on, just checking the numbers here (let me just carry the one)…
Zero percent.
Zero point zero zero zero, if you want to drill down.
Perhaps we can set an industrywide goal of 2 percent by 2075?
Does that sound achievable?
Below: What Disney’s choice of a parks CEO says about risk, creativity and talent in the next decade.