By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
Succeeding Disney
The dance of succession is going full steam around Disney, if not inside. Of course, as we have learned repeatedly, the media’s decision about what will happen to a strong leader like Michael Eisner has little to do with reality.
Bob Iger may not get the call. He has as many detractors as he has supporters. It would probably be advisable to team Iger with someone – like Dick Cook – in order to shore up political support inside and outside of the company.
Terry Semel is a very attractive choice. However, there is one giant problem there. He is the same age as the retiring Michael Eisner, 61. I am not an age-ist, but the presumed interests of Disney include consistent leadership over the next decade, not just for a few years.
Of all of the candidates, other than Semel, that the media is floating out there, including Meg Whitman, Steve Jobs, Stephen Burke, Peter Chernin and Leslie Moonves, only Whitman is realistic on any level. Chernin and Moonves just signed on new dotted lines. Burke has a lot of Disney baggage. And Jobs is not of the classic CEO mold for which a company the size of Disney cries.
The irony is that Iger, who is 52, could well be a short-term solution himself. If things were to go bad, he would not have the strength to hold on as Eisner has.
In the meanwhile, there is good reason for Roy Disney and Stanley Gold to be using every asset they have (including a friend at the New York Times?) to turn things dark again for Eisner. How will history view them if he leaves on his own terms, re-signs Miramax and Pixar, and names his successor?
the axe that roy sidney is grinding looks sadder by the day. eisner beats him at every turn. its really a sad end to the disney last name.