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News Disney names D’Amaro as Chairman Disney Parks Experiences and Products

Surferboy567

Surferboy567

Well-Known Member
Josh seems like a good guy in terms of listening and being attentive to the cast members. Seems like a good fit. I was rooting for him to get this role since Chapek got the promotion.

I am not as familiar with the others so I cannot comment.
 
DDLand

DDLand

Well-Known Member
the.dreamfinder said:
He knows his audience and how to curry favor with them to advance his career.
Click to expand...
No offense to Josh, because he seems like a nice guy. But... What exactly did the man do to win so much favor with the community? He played the game well. Has anything changed at Walt Disney World because of his leadership? No. He was in and out in an instant. It was during his tenure as Disneyland Resort president that the Galaxy’s Edge launch was bungled and the “close the gap initiative” was implemented.

He has absolutely nailed social media and creating a presence for himself. That does not make a good leader. The product is the ultimate barometer of leadership.

The jury is still very much out.

I also want to take the opportunity to remind you all of another fan-favorite executive. Catherine Powell rose to prominence just as impressively as Josh. She had social media savvy and did a lot to curate her image. She eventually ended up being fired for events that happened at Disneyland Resort. A complex that Josh happened to be president of... She was fired and he got promoted.

This also leaves Michael Colglazier in an interesting position. He and Powell seemed to be the likely successors to parks and resorts. Chapek may have been doing his own “bake off.” Instead, Powell was fired and Colglazier was passed over. Is Colglazier going to leave, or is he doing something really important? The one reason he might stay is if he is currently spearheading an effort to build a new Disneyland in Asia. That’s an assignment that would be arguably just as high profile as parks chairman. Or maybe he will just stick around reporting to the guy who leapfrogged him.

Interesting!
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
DDLand said:
He has absolutely nailed social media and creating a presence for himself. That does not make a good leader. The product is the ultimate barometer of leadership.

The jury is still very much out.
Click to expand...

I think at this point you could make the argument that P&R President is a largely thankless figurehead job that doesn't last long or mean much. If it doesn't guarantee further advancement and the CEO is still ultimately calling the shots, what incentive is there to stay long or invest much of yourself into the product? Especially if you don't have a background in hospitality and don't care much for Disney Land?
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
Trying to compile a list of Parks and Resorts Presidents since Iger became CEO in 2005, I believe this is correct?

Jay Rasulo (2005-2009)
Tom Staggs (2010-2015)
Bob Chapek (2015-2020)
Josh D'Amaro (2020-)

Looks like the position has had a turnover every 5 years, approx.
Click to expand...

When looking up this info I found an article in the LA Times saying that Staggs was the likely successor to Iger.

Remember when we all believed that?
 
DDLand

DDLand

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
Trying to compile a list of Parks and Resorts Presidents since Iger became CEO in 2005, I believe this is correct?

Jay Rasulo (2005-2009)
Tom Staggs (2010-2015)
Bob Chapek (2015-2020)
Josh D'Amaro (2020-)

Looks like the position has had a turnover every 5 years, approx.
Click to expand...
Say, how long do we think Chapek will be CEO again? Haha

In all seriousness, the rising stars are Josh D’Amaro and Rebecca Campbell. These two are ones to watch as Chapek ages. I expect the “bake off” thing will return, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it ends up being these two.
Animaniac93-98 said:
I think at this point you could make the argument that P&R President is a largely thankless figurehead job that doesn't last long or mean much. If it doesn't guarantee further advancement and the CEO is still ultimately calling the shots, what incentive is there to stay long or invest much of yourself into the product? Especially if you don't have a background in hospitality and don't care much for Disney Land?
Click to expand...
Agreed. I have to admit I’ve become deeply cynical. Year after year executives come and go while nothing changes. WDW keeps getting treated like Six Flags. If anything, things have gotten worse. I worry Josh knows how to hide bad guest treatment behind a likable social media presence. Before long we’ll see the classic posts like “Josh is great, but his hands are tied because of big bad Chapek.” Nah, this is the system Josh thrives in!
 
L

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
DDLand said:
No offense to Josh, because he seems like a nice guy. But... What exactly did the man do to win so much favor with the community? He played the game well. Has anything changed at Walt Disney World because of his leadership? No. He was in and out in an instant. It was during his tenure as Disneyland Resort president that the Galaxy’s Edge launch was bungled and the “close the gap initiative” was implemented.

He has absolutely nailed social media and creating a presence for himself. That does not make a good leader. The product is the ultimate barometer of leadership.

The jury is still very much out.

I also want to take the opportunity to remind you all of another fan-favorite executive. Catherine Powell rose to prominence just as impressively as Josh. She had social media savvy and did a lot to curate her image. She eventually ended up being fired for events that happened at Disneyland Resort. A complex that Josh happened to be president of... She was fired and he got promoted.

This also leaves Michael Colglazier in an interesting position. He and Powell seemed to be the likely successors to parks and resorts. Chapek may have been doing his own “bake off.” Instead, Powell was fired and Colglazier was passed over. Is Colglazier going to leave, or is he doing something really important? The one reason he might stay is if he is currently spearheading an effort to build a new Disneyland in Asia. That’s an assignment that would be arguably just as high profile as parks chairman. Or maybe he will just stick around reporting to the guy who leapfrogged him.

Interesting!
Click to expand...
Catherine Powell relocated to CA to work for Airbnb. Now Airbnb announced big layoffs.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
DDLand said:
No offense to Josh, because he seems like a nice guy. But... What exactly did the man do to win so much favor with the community?
Click to expand...
He made himself visible in the parks. Its a shallow obsession that started with Matt Ouimet that then saw Ed Greer crucified. It's now part of the job and can even help ignore/forgive a career of bad decisions, see Staggs.
 
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Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
realBobChapek said:
I will remain CEO until the end of next year when @TheRealBobIger steps down, enabling me to declare myself Disney Emperor for life!
Click to expand...

RigidLateHerald-size_restricted.gif
 
Rteetz

Rteetz

Well-Known Member
DDLand said:
No offense to Josh, because he seems like a nice guy. But... What exactly did the man do to win so much favor with the community? He played the game well. Has anything changed at Walt Disney World because of his leadership? No. He was in and out in an instant. It was during his tenure as Disneyland Resort president that the Galaxy’s Edge launch was bungled and the “close the gap initiative” was implemented.

He has absolutely nailed social media and creating a presence for himself. That does not make a good leader. The product is the ultimate barometer of leadership.

The jury is still very much out.

I also want to take the opportunity to remind you all of another fan-favorite executive. Catherine Powell rose to prominence just as impressively as Josh. She had social media savvy and did a lot to curate her image. She eventually ended up being fired for events that happened at Disneyland Resort. A complex that Josh happened to be president of... She was fired and he got promoted.

This also leaves Michael Colglazier in an interesting position. He and Powell seemed to be the likely successors to parks and resorts. Chapek may have been doing his own “bake off.” Instead, Powell was fired and Colglazier was passed over. Is Colglazier going to leave, or is he doing something really important? The one reason he might stay is if he is currently spearheading an effort to build a new Disneyland in Asia. That’s an assignment that would be arguably just as high profile as parks chairman. Or maybe he will just stick around reporting to the guy who leapfrogged him.

Interesting!
Click to expand...
Prior to the closure he was in the midst of improving cast areas. I don't personally know that status of that. Josh has bounced around quite a bit. I think many like him because he is a hands on type. You didn't see previous executives in the parks interacting as much as he did. Any person/cast member I have talked to that has interacted with him has nothing but good things to say. I personally have not yet met him.

I definitely agree Colglazier is in an interesting position now. I though they would go to him for the job.
 
MarvelCharacterNerd

MarvelCharacterNerd

Well-Known Member
Find it fascinating to compare all of the executive shuffle statements about all the other executives they work with/for and how grateful they are for this opportunity. And then to see Josh's:

"Even during this challenging time, the enthusiasm of our dedicated cast members for what we do is unwavering, and my goal is to bring them back to work as soon as possible so they can continue to create that magic."

:) Is there any question why his cast love him?
 

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