Who’s It Gonna Be, Disney?

A recent appearance by one of Bob Iger’s underlings has fueled speculation about a new frontrunner to succeed him as CEO at Disney.

So, who’s it gonna be, Disney? Let’s update the power rankings, and I’ll tell you right now that there’s a changing of the guard at the top.

Currently Longshots:

Since Bob Iger returned, rumors have swirled about a few outsider candidates for the position.

None of them strikes me as viable, save for maybe the Morgan Stanley duo.

Before James Gorman left Morgan Stanley, he famously held a bake-off to determine who would succeed him as CEO.

Gorman liked three candidates so much that after he chose Ted Pick as CEO, he promoted and effectively bribed the other two executives to stay.

Andy Saperstein became Co-President and Head of Wealth and Investment Management, while Dan Simkowitz joined him as Co-President and Head of Institutional Securities.

Friends, these changes occurred only 19 months ago. Now, Gorman works as the Chairman of the Board for Disney.

He’s also in charge of the succession search for Bob Iger’s replacement, which at least gives Simkowitz and Saperstein a chance.

Still, since he didn’t view either one as the ideal choice to run Morgan Stanley in late 2023, I doubt either would be the optimal choice for Disney.

I mention them primarily because of the unusual connection here. But they’re not the names mentioned most.

For a while, Andrew Wilson, the CEO of EA, held that (unofficial) title.

As a storytelling company, Disney must stay on the cutting edge of monetizing all forms of entertainment.

Wilson gained a reputation at being good at this, although a lot of it was because he became the head of EA at an optimal time.

The CEO took over in 2013, only three years after its most iconic franchise, John Madden Football, added loot crates.

You can look at the historical stock price from the 2010s to understand how much that spiked EA’s value.

Basically, Wilson gets credit for EA video games making more money but becoming worse. That is NOT the person we want running Disney.

In the Conversation:

Ted Sarandos recently appeared at a Q&A session. The current Co-CEO of Netflix answered the inevitable question.

Could Sarandos depart Netflix to become Disney CEO? Sarandos dismissed the idea, stating “It’s not even on my mind.”

More recently, someone asked him whether he’d rather replace Lorne Michaels at Saturday Night Live or Bob Iger at Disney.

Since the question was phrased as more of a joke, Sarandos could easily sidestep the intent of this query by answering SNL.

In reality, Sarandos is probably a perfect fit with Disney in that he’s shown he understands how to maximize the value of content.

Currently, Netflix lacks anything resembling valuable intellectual property, at least compared to Disney, yet the company’s market cap is substantially higher.

As I type this, Disney hovers around $200 billion as a century-old company, while Netflix has reached $490 billion after less than 30 years.

As an executive, Sarandos’ bona fides are the gold standard in entertainment.

Since Disney is the gold standard of entertainment companies, the fit makes sense.

I’m confident there’s at least been an approach made by Iger and Gorman to Sarandos, just as I suspect the Netflix executive has passed.

At this moment, Sarandos has an easier, more financially rewarding job at Netflix. If he does leave, it’ll require a Juan Soto/Shohei Ohtani type of deal.

Probably an Also Ran:

Alan Berman currently holds the prestigious title of Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment.

As far as career achievements go, that one’s hard to top in Hollywood.

Berman has placed his personal stamp on most recent Disney releases, although he has technically only held the title since February 2023.

Before that, the executive held the lofty title of Chairman of Disney Studios Content.

Realistically, Berman was the top lieutenant to living legend Alan Horn before the latter individual quit due to the penny-pinching of former CEO Bob Chapek.

As one of the four Disney executives who currently hold a Chairman title, Berman ostensibly remains in the mix to become CEO.

However, his name gets mentioned the least due to the fact that he isn’t as showy a candidate as the others.

I’d dismiss him outright if not for the fact that I know who ended “winning” Succession at the end of that HBO series.

Sometimes, being well-liked and relatively inoffensive is a huge positive in the corporate world.

As I mentioned earlier this month, he holds odds that give him roughly an 18 percent chance to succeed Iger.

Actually, I should state that in the past tense. Odds fluctuate all the time, and a more recent gambling line gave Bergman 6 to one odds.

So, he’s dropped to a 14 percent chance of becoming Disney CEO, which strikes me as more accurate, maybe even a bit high.

Somehow a Legit Contender:

I’m a little bit mystified by this one. Jimmy Pitaro, the Chairman of ESPN, recently dropped out of contention to succeed Iger as CEO.

Despite this fact, some oddsmakers list him as having the same odds as Josh D’Amaro, who we’ll discuss in a bit.

ESPN has garnered a ton of recent headlines due to a series of record-setting ratings achievements and the impending launch of its new streaming service.

Throughout the process, Pitaro has remained at the forefront as the seemingly forward-thinking leader putting it all together.

While I would argue that spending three years talking about ESPN Flagship only to name it ESPN isn’t showing much imagination, it doesn’t matter.

Pitaro clearly has the respect of his peers and staff, at least as far as current reporting can know, and ESPN is doing very well.

As long as that statement applies, Pitaro should remain in consideration, even if he theoretically took himself out of the competition.

Could Still Win But…:

This power ranking includes a decidedly mixed message at the top, as I’m dropping Dana Walden from 1 to 1A this time.

Historically, I’ve had someone else in the 1A spot, and you can guess who. But recent events have changed my opinion a bit.

As I’ve mentioned, Walden faces a strange negative, which isn’t at all her fault. The executive’s husband has a friend, and that’s oddly the issue.

During the 1980s, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff became buddies, a relationship that continues to this day.

Matt Walden would meet his future wife, Dana, in the early 1990s, and they married 30 years ago.

At some point around this time, Dana Walden befriended Emhoff’s new girlfriend, a woman named Kamala.

You know her as the 2024 Democratic nominee for the President of the United States, Kamala Harris.

Yes, the potential next CEO of Disney has been close friends with Kamala Harris for more than 30 years now.

In fact, Harris stated the following in 2022: ““In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage.”

Dana Walden’s Problem and Positive

Meanwhile, the current President of the United States recently denounced ABC News as  “ABC fake news.”

This seems like a good time to remind you that Disney owns ABC. Also, as the Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, Walden technically runs ABC.

While Bergman handles the film side of Disney, television falls under Walden’s domain.

You don’t need to know anything about politics to recognize the conflict of interest here.

Since the sitting President is well-known for his abrasive tactics, Disney faces an onslaught of negative attention if it selects Walden.

I don’t think this would be the primary consideration in Gorman’s decision, but he’s not an idiot. He knows it’s at least something to keep in mind.

Currently, Paramount cannot complete its sale to Skydance Entertainment due to governmental holdup. Who knows what issues Disney would face?

So, that’s the reason why I’m dropping Walden to 1A. But there’s an important counter to this.

The Hollywood Reporter’s odds article I used as the jumping-off point for my writing caused a tsunami effect of sorts.

Gamblers bet heavily on the Disney CEO succession race afterward, and Walden’s odds reverted back to what they had been.

Currently, she holds 1 to 2 odds, which means you must bet $200 to win $100. That’s a sign that Walden is a heavy favorite again.

When I wrote my piece, her odds had dropped from 67 percent to 33 percent. Now, they’re back to 67 percent again.

Basically, I’m picking the worst possible time to downgrade Dana Walden in the power rankings.

The New Frontrunner:

When Bob Iger unexpectedly announced Disney’s next theme park live on CNBC, Josh D’Amaro stood by Iger’s side.

Both executives answered questions about the new park, and D’Amaro expressed confidence in the technology Imagineers will infuse in it.

A few weeks before that, Bloomberg published this piece. It’s paywalled, but the article’s title is “Disney’s Parks Chief Sees Fortnite as Key to Its Future.”

Yes, this is a puff piece about the Chairman of Disney Experiences. Also, Disney just chose D’Amaro to represent the company at this event.

Generally, Iger has appeared at the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference, but he selected D’Amaro instead.

For these reasons, Bloomberg reported that D’Amaro’s appearance is “fueling speculation that he is the likely successor.”

Personally, I think this entire thing remains a coin flip between Walden and D’Amaro, both of whom are exceptional candidates.

Disney should be in excellent shape with either one. But if it’s a coin flip, I’ve realized that I’ve favored Walden throughout the power rankings.

So, it’s time for a change…and Walden should thank me. The last time I suggested that the frontrunner had fallen out of favor, it was Bob Chapek.

Less than three months later, Chapek became CEO of Disney while my favored candidate, Kevin Mayer, left the company almost immediately afterward.

No matter what happens, please don’t go, Josh!!! You’re the best theme park division leader of my lifetime!

That’s why I’m hopeful that D’Amaro becomes CEO of Disney, and I currently view him as a very slight favorite.

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

Feature Photo: Deadline