The Angel and Devil on Josh D’Amaro’s Shoulders

We haven’t officially reached the endgame in The Walt Disney Company’s search for a successor for CEO Bob Iger.

However, most outside observers understand that the race has entered its final lap, with the candidates jockeying for position.

Recently, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro spoke at length with Deadline.

Right before then, Puck coincidentally (?) ran a smear campaign on Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden.

Now, the Wall Street Journal has published an interview with Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro.

Right or wrong, those three executives are perceived as the frontrunners to replace Iger.

D’Amaro is easily the most popular Disney leader, but he’s also the most complicated.

In a way, D’Amaro embodies the qualities of both his Disney Dads, Iger and former CEO Bob Chapek.

Let’s talk about the angel and devil on Josh D’Amaro’s shoulders.

You Love D’Amaro, Right?

I interact with Disney insiders regularly as part of my job. Some of them are current or former Cast Members.

Ordinarily, whenever you discuss a former co-worker, you’ll find the usual mix of friends and foes.

After all, you don’t like everyone at your job, right? That’s just a normal part of life.

I could tell you stories from days in the corporate world that would melt your eyebrows, and I’m probably not alone.

D’Amaro is a freak of nature in that the overwhelming majority of people who encounter him cannot wait to praise him to others.

I have just sat and listened while former co-workers attempt to one-up one another by describing D’Amaro’s kindness and genius.

After listening to some of these stories, I’ve idly wondered whether D’Amaro may have been born in a manger in Bethlehem.

Here is the rare recognizable executive whom virtually everyone adores because they’ve personally witnessed his random acts of kindness.

These same people have witnessed him calmly, confidently demonstrate he’s the smartest person in the room.

Brilliant and kind is pretty much the holy grail of human personalities, and it’s an especially ideal combo at Disney.

Here’s the thing, though. D’Amaro has done some things you loathe.

First, let’s remember that Bob Chapek, not Bob Iger, promoted D’Amaro to Chairman of Disney Experiences.

So, if you think Chapek is a viper and a penny-pincher, doesn’t it alarm you that he explicitly picked D’Amaro for his inner circle?

Then, we have all the price increases at the parks during the pandemic. D’Amaro became Chairman in May 2020…

You Hate D’Amaro, Right?

Realistically, you should hate D’Amaro, presuming you don’t know him.

I say this because Disney theme parks rolled out their price increases and policy changes soon after D’Amaro’s promotion.

With D’Amaro in charge, Disney introduced the paid version of FastPass, ended Magical Express, and started Park Pass requirements.

Then, we have all the (admittedly overstated, inaccurate) reports of Disney price inflation.

Virtually all of that occurred during D’Amaro’s tenure. In a way, the Chairman committed the perfect crime.

When Disney raised prices, everyone pinned the blame on Chapek, with D’Amaro whistling innocently in the background.

Once Disney fired Chapek and brought back Iger, two unexpected events unfolded.

The first was that Chapek kept D’Amaro in the job. Contrast that decision to the once powerful but now forgotten Kareem Daniel.

The person once in charge of all Disney entertainment didn’t even last 24 hours under Iger.

So, you have to ask yourself, “Why did Iger keep D’Amaro?”

Sure, they had a previous working relationship, but virtually everyone from Chapek’s inner circle has since left the company.

Even former CFO Christine McCarthy, who once took credit for Chapek’s firing, had adopted the former CEO’s ways too much for Iger’s tastes.

McCarthy had to go, Daniel had to go, and Chapek had already fired a growing threat, Peter Rice, who never returned.

When Iger came back, he faced a leadership vacuum and immediately filled it with…Josh D’Amaro.

We’re talking about the one executive who performed well under Chapek, whom Iger accepted as one of his own. That’s weird, right?

What’s even stranger is that D’Amaro never rolled back any of those price cuts, even though Iger knew fans were complaining.

Disney definitely made several concessions, such as circling back to free hotel parking. Most price increases stayed, though.

How DO You Feel about D’Amaro?

Somehow, D’Amaro raised all these theme park prices, removed some amenities, and remained beloved by all. It was like a magic trick.

Then again, maybe it was hypnosis. Everyone wanted Chapek to be the villain.

So, D’Amaro remained silent and allowed nature to take its course.

D’Amaro framed Chapek for theme park price inflation, and everybody bought it. I’m kind of in awe of him for it.

How does someone raise prices, get his boss fired, increase his power under a new boss, keep those price increases, and join the shortlist for an even bigger promotion?

Friends, that’s the honest evaluation of what Josh D’Amaro has done since early 2020. And here’s the thing.

I’m one of D’Amaro’s most ardent supporters! I meant every word of this article.

Everyone loves D’Amaro, and he performs random acts of kindness to boot. The dude is like a younger, thinner Santa Claus.

Still, we should all acknowledge the reality about the head of Disney Experiences.

He’s got an angel and a devil on his shoulders. You should picture one with the face of Chapek and the other with the face of Iger.

Chapek identified D’Amaro as a beloved cult hero whose popularity the CEO could exploit while raising prices.

Iger remembered D’Amaro as a theme park evangelist but also recognized the Chairman as someone who learned hard lessons during the pandemic.

Frankly, D’Amaro needed to suffer a bit so that he’d understand that running the Disney empire wouldn’t be easy.

In the process, D’Amaro likely became a little bit closer to a Chapek kind of executive than any of us would like.

That’s the devil on his shoulder telling him that higher theme park margins pay for expansion projects.

The Angel and Devil That Drive D’Amaro

In the Wall Street Journal article, the author reminds readers that the unpopular Park Pass system came directly from D’Amaro and his team.

Similarly, what we now call the Lightning Lane Single Pass system is another D’Amaro initiative.

Another program you hate has impressed Iger and Disney’s Board of Directors.

D’Amaro made a tough choice in that the parks needed saving at the time. So, he asked tourists to pay a bit more for the best experiences.

Even Disney executives have expressed shock over the program’s financial success.

For a time, the parks division stood out on the balance sheet as the breadwinner, while the rest of the Disney empire struggled.

Early in the pandemic, Chapek asked D’Amaro and his team to come up with inventive ideas to maximize profit.

Much of what we’re discussing today is because D’Amaro succeeded in his task.

The charmer persuaded guests to pay for formerly free offerings, and he even removed some amenities as well.

Meanwhile, Disney still hasn’t technically ended the Park Pass system, which ostensibly exists only because of the pandemic.

The Chapek Devil on D’Amaro’s shoulder remains in his ear about some topics Disney fans hate.

Despite this reality, fans (including me!) still love him anyway, which hints that D’Amaro has learned something from Iger, his other Disney dad.

Both individuals are extremely polished and thereby able to sell bad ideas with a smile and a confident nod.

Then, we accept them as the new normal, just like we have with Lightning Lane, Park Passes, and the end of Magical Express.

In a way, D’Amaro embodies the best business skills of Iger and Chapek, which is kinda scary.

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Feature Photo: JIM CARCHIDI