There’s no doubt Walt Disney is an American Icon. What he was able to achieve in his 66 years on the planet shaped the American psyche in ways that we’re still just beginning to understand (see virtual reality for instance). I always find it hard… Read More »Walt Disney Remembered
The 18th Annual Thea Awards Recipients were anounced by TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) today. The annual awards for the themed entertainment industry celebrate excellence in storytelling that supports the creation of compelling places and guest experiences. As you might expect Disney is well represented.
Congratulations to all the winners.
The full list of award recipients is below the jump:
In an announcement that seems a bit out of the blue, CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger announced he will step down from that role in 2015 and leave the company entirely in 2016. At that point Iger will have been CEO for… Read More »Bob Iger will depart as Disney CEO in 2015
Disney may be putting a cap on the number of “Desperate Housewives” seasons in the US, the current 8th season will be its last, but the show will live on overseas. Disney just announced they will launch a new local production of the hit series,… Read More »Desperate Housewives to Live On in International Productions
Some diehard Disney fans would have you believe that back in the day, Disney used to create their own characters. Whether live action or animation, the early franchises were all created out of the minds of Walt Disney and his artists. Of course, while that… Read More »Bob Iger says Disney Interested in Acquiring More Characters
If you haven’t noticed already it’s earnings day in the world of Disney. Euro Disney SCA and Tokyo Disneyland just came out with their 3rd Quarter earnings reports and this afternoon the Walt Disney Company did too. Even though we’re experiencing economic “turbulent” times, according… Read More »Walt Disney Company Reports 3rd Quarter Profit
In a long internal memo today, Tom Staggs made official the organizational shakeup everyone knew was coming after Staggs took over the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division. It’s nothing earth shattering, but it does flatten some of the levels of hierarchy that were said to have frustrated Staggs since he took over.
In short, current WDW president Meg Crofton expands to oversee all the domestic parks and the two parks in France. Karl Holtz, who a few years ago was rumored to be leaving Disney, is instead adding DVC to his DCL and Adventures by Disney responsibilities. Leslie Ferraro becomes executive vice president, Global Marketing and Sales combining those two closely related departments and Erin Wallace, executive vice president, Operations Integration also adds revenue management to her desk. The move also creates a new executive council under Staggs.
While Staggs’ reorganization did not cut any of the deadwood certain segments of Disney fans wanted to see go, I believe the general movement here is a good one. It will allow for efficiencies where they need to exist and independence, with oversight, as required for the parks. Combining marketing and sales is a no-duh in my book, they are both measured by the same final metrics (butts in beds and asses through the gates), so unifying them is good. The only move that looks questionable to me is giving the extra power of revenue management to operations. However, they are the yin and the yang of theme park operations. Having one person keep a close eye via her myriad of spreadsheets and minions (and I mean that in the nicest possible way), could be very positive.
Let’s keep a watch on this for the next 3-year planning cycle and see if there really is any improvement. Meanwhile, the pressure is kicked up a notch for these people to get things done or they too could be reorganized right out of a job.
The full text of Tom Staggs’ announcement is below the jump:
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The good news is that Disney shows will continue to be available on Hulu for your viewing pleasure. The bad news is that you’ll have to endure more commercials with them. The details of the deal are murky, but expect your usual 6 to 8… Read More »Hulu updates deal with Disney Co.