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

[djkidkaz]

Josh is amazing and deserves every bit of this promotion. I saw some amazing things from him during this closure. Stuff that inspired me and showed me what a true leader can and should be. Also, some of those videos he put out on the blog really showed he knew what made the parks and it’s fans tick.

 

[WDW862]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! If he gets any type of budget to work with

He probably won't for a few years, understandably.

 

[monothingie]

Josh is amazing and deserves every bit of this promotion. I saw some amazing things from him during this closure. Stuff that inspired me and showed me what a true leader can and should be. Also, some of those videos he put out on the blog really showed he knew what made the parks and it’s fans tick.

Let’s hope the Bobs don’t kill any of that enthusiasm.

 

[DHoy]

Is something bigger at play, will chapeck be the fall guy and possibly D'amaro rising to the CEO? One can dream.

 

[Kamikaze]

I think at the minute the biggest concern is getting the parks running again, and I think he would have been invaluable to that effort on the ground. And what a difficult time for a new guy to come into WDW.

Congrats to Josh, but sorry to see him go.

I would think the steps for the path to reopening have been well laid out at this point, and the new WDW leadership will just be putting them in place.

You also have the benefit now that no matter how bad things are, you have an excuse for a while. I would say its exactly why the Chapek promotion was rushed.

 

[Kamikaze]

Is something bigger at play, will chapeck be the fall guy and possibly D'amaro rising to the CEO? One can dream.

Too early for that, too much going on. Chapek isn't the right guy for CEO, but he's there for the near future.

 

[Magic Feather]

Most recently served as President, Disney Signature Experiences.

AKA DCL and Friends. he's coming straight from the most customer service oriented side of the company. I see that as a good thing.

Read media/PR savvy.

Bingo. Saying that the cult following developed over the last year played a role would be a bit of an understatement.

And Jeff Valhe who is now WDW President spent most of his career in charge of the Engineering teams. Will the Yeti at DAK finally get fixed?

Didn't Meg Crofton start in some Engineering department?

 

[monothingie]

Is something bigger at play, will chapeck be the fall guy and possibly D'amaro rising to the CEO? One can dream.

With TWDC’s recent history of chaotic executive roles and assignments, it seems you either move up or move out very quickly.

 

[FerretAfros]

He knows his audience and how to curry favor with them to advance his career.

Exactly. Not to "I told you so," but just over a year ago, I noted the unusual format of the announcement for DL's version of Runaway Railway, which was done on his personal Instagram (which itself was only a few months old at the time) prior to being placed on any of Disney's official in-house PR channels. I had originally noticed his online presence from an Instagram post with cast members assembling DL's Christmas tree the previous fall, but didn't really pick up on the pattern until the MMRR announcement.

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - Disneyland

Hahah I feel the same way. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his vlogs got much better when Sara left. Oh. I hadn't thought about it, but you are right, that girl doesn't do videos with him any more. Hmm...

forums.wdwmagic.com

I agree that the interesting stuff here isn't the content of the announcement, but rather the format of the announcement itself. In addition to the bury-it-in-the-holiday-weekend timing, it puts a rather large spotlight on Josh D'Amaro not just as the DLR president, but on a more personal level.

I only view a limited number of Parks Blog posts, but I can't think of another one that features an Instagram post, especially so prominently. And it's not a post from one of Disney's corporate marketing accounts, but instead from the "personal" (but obviously cleared by corporate) account of DLR's local head who was allowed to release the information hours before the official announcement.

For people who follow these sorts of things, it's obvious that Josh D'Amaro has been a rising star in Disney's ranks for a few years, but he's still a very long way from being high profile enough to be any sort of household name. Looking at his Instagram feed, the oldest post is only from November 2018, making me think that this is part of a very deliberate strategy of some sort. The posts are all highly curated to present a rather specific public image, but it's still a mystery what that image is being so carefully developed for. He doesn't have the level of experience needed to take over Iger's job in a few years, but he's being presented in too forward of a manner to continue to be shuffled around as an upper-middle manager.

The announcement is just acknowledging one of Disney's worst-kept secrets. But the way that it was announced is what's really peculiar and newsworthy.

By all accounts, he seems to be a generally good guy who "gets it" when it comes to the parks (unlike many of his predecessors), but he also appears to be a very strategic player at raising his own profile. The trend only grew more pronounced when he arrived in WDW, putting himself front and center of everything, from minor internal CM communications, to the final goodbye at MK before the parks were shuttered.

Just because guests and CMs alike see him as a positive force for the parks, doesn't mean that he isn't also a shrewd player in the corporate game.

 

[ThatMouse]

Serious question, how can someone outside of Disney really judge the leadership ability of the executives? Are there books and private accounts posted anywhere? All I ever see them do is put on fake smiles and give prepared speeches. When they are asked questions, it's all canned responses, usually to the effect of "we're not prepared to share that information yet, but we're really excited about it."

Obviously we can see Person X was in charge of department C that generated $1 billion in revenue and judge that way, but other than that...

 

[Kamikaze]

Just because guests and CMs alike see him as a positive force for the parks, doesn't mean that he isn't also a shrewd player in the corporate game.

And just because he knows how to play the game doesn't mean he isn't looking for the best interests of the parks and the guests.

 

[VJ]

I hope to put Zootopia in Animal Kingdom.

please no, not that again...

 

[MythBuster]

So who is Jeff Vahle?

He graduated from Georgia Tech with a Mechanical Engineering Degree
He was the Manager of MK Engineering Support services in the mid 90's, basically as the money guy in charge of Engineering
In 1997 he was selected to head up the Engineering team to open up Animal Kingdom
After that he got promoted to Director of Engineering Services for Walt Disney World
Then he was promoted to Head of Worldwide Engineering Services of all the Disney Parks
And several other positions and now coming back to WDW

 

[JEANYLASER]

please no, not that again...

VJ I fix my error in my thread so please forgive me I meant to say to finishing construction of Tron Lightcycle run and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind!

 

[Kamikaze]

Serious question, how can someone outside of Disney really judge the leadership ability of the executives? Are there books and private accounts posted anywhere? All I ever see them do is put on fake smiles and give prepared speeches. When they are asked questions, it's all canned responses, usually to the effect of "we're not prepared to share that information yet, but we're really excited about it."

Obviously we can see Person X was in charge of department C that generated $1 billion in revenue and judge that way, but other than that...

You're not only judging them on leadership but by the decisions they make and how they implement their vision for the division or area they are running.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

On the plus side - D23 Expo keynotes will be good - if they ever return.

Honestly, that was my first thought when I saw the news!
Chapek trying to sound enthusiastic when reciting the line "As Mary Poppins would say, can you imagine that?" is seared into my brain.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Didn't Meg Crofton start in some Engineering department?

HR at Disney’s phone company, Vista United Telecommunications.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Trying to focus on the positive that D'Amaro got Chapek's old gig, and not as much that Chapek is at the helm now. Slightly concerning for WDW alone, but I can't think of anyone else more deserving than him of the Chairman role. Hopefully this shuffling will ultimately make a positive impact, but I suppose only time will tell.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I'm sure Kevin Mayer was on his way out as soon as Chapek was named CEO.

As for Josh D'Amaro, this is very likely a good thing. By all accounts he is the most guest friendly and Cast Member friendly of anyone in that role for quite some time.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

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.