We’re only about three weeks away from one of the biggest transitions in the entertainment industry when Josh D’Amaro officially takes his place as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. It will be the beginning of a new era for the Mouse House that will certainly see many big changes, though D’Amaro isn’t the only one in line for a new office.
Alongside the announcement that Josh D’Amaro is the new CEO of Disney came the announcement that Dana Walden, who had been seen as D’Amaro’s closest competitor for the top job, will become President and the first Chief Creative Officer for Disney. The new gig is good newsfor many creatives in Hollywood who appear to really like working with her. Speaking with Variety, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane reveals that he had concerns when Disney bought Fox, and that Walden helped put him at ease. He explained:
Will Peter Griffin suddenly have to wear a pair of mouse ears? That was the concern, and it just never materialized. She’s like the ship’s captain who is able to be a leader and, at the same time, the big sister to the crew.
Family Guy has certainly made Disney a target of jokes, so it’s not completely unreasonable to be afraid that Peter Griffin would have to “play ball” and, at the very least, cease ribbing its new parent company. By and large, however, that hasn’t been the case, and MacFarlane clearly appreciates that.
The major knock against Disney’s last attempt to hire a CEO not named Iger, Bob Chapek, fell flat, and a big part of the reason for that is believed to have been Chapek’s difficulty navigating Hollywood relationships. Walden’s elevation to President appears to be an attempt to act as stop gap for D’Amaro’s potential weaknesses.
That said, D’Amaro is likely already in a much better position in that regard than his predecessor. An unnamed observer tells Variety that when he saw D’Amaro appear at a recent Academy Award nominee luncheon, the new CEO looked much better. They said:
When you watched Chapek at these things, it was painful. Josh seemed completely at ease.
There are always going to be some growing pains and some difficulties in transition when changes at the top happen. First and foremost will be the question of who takes over Josh D’Amaro’s old job as the head of Disney Experiences. It’s been the financial driver of the company, making the new head of that job key to Disney’s future.
D’Amaro and Walden appear to be set up quite well for success. Between the two of them, they know the Disney organization backwards and forward. It will be interesting, and possibly quite exciting, to see where things go after they formally take their new jobs on March 18.
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