The No. 1 reaction inside Disney on Tuesday? Relief.
As the white smoke hung over Burbank and the Disney conclave finally named its new corporate pope — with the added twist of a new creative pontiff — there’s a sense that a cloud of uncertainty has finally lifted. With the double announcement of Josh D’Amaro as CEO and Dana Walden in the newly created position of president and chief creative officer, Disney’s divisions can now go back to focusing their attention on the business of entertainment, and what should be next on the menu now that the company’s lengthy CEO bake-off is over.
“It has been hanging over us for so long and been in the way and a distraction, and so it’s great to have clarity,” says one exec, echoing the sentiment of others Variety spoke to. With Tuesday’s announcement, the sense from many internal leaders is that the company is so far doing everything right. That included releasing a joint photo of D’Amaro and Walden, conveying the message of partnership.
Most seem to notice that Disney took extra precautions to make sure Tuesday’s reveal didn’t set the stage for another tumultuous executive transition; no one wants a sequel to what happened when Bob Chapek was let go in 2022 after a short run in the job. And the way outgoing CEO Bob Iger, the Disney board, D’Amaro and Walden have handled the news so far has earned high marks from key execs. If the board wasn’t going to consider a co-CEO structure, as Variety has reported, then this is about as close as they could get to one.
Meanwhile, for anyone wondering whether Walden has any sour grapes about not getting the top job, she quickly took to social media to declare in a classy Instagram post how excited she is with this new “dream job.” Insiders also pointed out how Walden has long been a team player inside the company; she had previously introduced Chapek to the town when he was also named Iger’s successor and needed to develop relationships with the Hollywood creative community. “I think Dana is going to do the same for Josh,” one insider says. It could all be for show, of course, but the show worked on Day 1.
Now, the Disney troops are ready to hear about what D’Amaro’s vision is for the whole company. And, of course, what might happen next in any restructuring underneath D’Amaro and Walden. If the CEO announcement was step one, then what’s next is how the company’s divisions might be reimagined. Key questions, of course, include what might be next or if anything changes for Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman, as well as sports chief Jimmy Pitaro — the other two execs who had been in play for the top job.
Also still causing a bit of headscratching: The recent elevation of Asad Ayaz as chief marketing and brand officer of the Walt Disney Co., which was curiously done prior to this new announcement. Ayaz will report to D’Amaro, although much of his work on the film and TV side is overseen by Walden.
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Inside Disney’s various TV operations, it was no secret that executives were mostly rooting for Walden, especially because she’s a known entity in Hollywood while D’Amaro is a bit of a mystery to the entertainment teams. “I would have liked to have seen Dana take this top job, but this feels like a somewhat elegant solution,” an insider says. That disappointment could be heard in many offices as there was hope for Disney to finally break the glass ceiling with its first female CEO.
But the tide had been turning toward D’Amaro for a while, and by this weekend, the sense was an announcement was imminent, especially as leaks started to emerge in various publications. Still, no one knew for sure when the word would officially come down; that’s how, for example, Rob Mills, the executive VP of unscripted and alternative entertainment for Walt Disney TV, found out while attending the Realscreen convention in Miami. Mills was in town to discuss the long-running success of “American Idol” and break some news about the show’s new live Disney+ simulcast to Variety. He wouldn’t comment on the news, but when jokingly asked if D’Amaro is a fan of ABC’s unscripted fare, Mills quipped that maybe “American Idol” would now shoot an episode in Disneyland.
Among the next questions: Will Walden backfill her old role as co-chairman of Disney Entertainment? And if so, would it be one of her current lieutenants? Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich, Disney Television Studios president Eric Schrier, Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis, FX chairman John Landgraf are among the execs who could fill that role (although Landgraf has repeatedly stated that he has no interest in a larger role, happy to continue running his prestige-driven division).
Insiders point out that Walden’s new job will be more time consuming, especially on the film side, as entities such as Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars are in the midst of their own growing pains and in need of a fresh coat of paint. “I do think Dana will have to have a head of television and a head of film. If she’s going to be a true chief creative officer, she’s going to have to elevate someone,” says one exec.
But on the flip side of that argument, those TV divisions are operating just fine and don’t need an extra layer of oversight. (And some might balk at no longer reporting to Walden.) “Maybe everyone is just leveled up a little bit without too much changing,” says one insider.
Execs who work closely with Walden noted that the exec’s new job, chief creative officer, has never been used before at Disney and was created specifically for her. “It’s such a legacy company for them to create a new role in this, in the C-suite, for her, feels pretty historic,” an insider says. If there’s any comparison to be made, two specific other executive structures have been mentioned: Netflix, where the workload is split between co-CEOs Greg Peters (more on the business side) and Ted Sarandos (on the content side); and Comcast, where Mike Cavanagh was named co-CEO but Donna Langley was given oversight of content as chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios.
And what about who might replace D’Amaro as chairman of Disney Experiences? Among the contenders: Walt Disney Imagineering president/chief creative officer Bruce Vaughn, Disney Consumer Products president Tasia Filippatos, DIsneyland Resort president Thomas Mazloum and Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Vahle.
“It’s going to be a year of big change at this company,” says one insider of the restructuring still to come.
From Variety US