Michael on the Mic
The world according to Michael Eisner. First in a series.
Compiled by Cam Miller
"Our whole job is to deceive you into having a good time."
"What people have to keep remembering is we are going for magic. We are not going for perfection."
Michael Eisner to Newsweek, 2003
"Interestingly, we have two brands. We have the Disney brand and we have the ESPN brand. These are both beloved brands for different reasons. And the Disney brand -- everything is interrelated. We make a movie, the ride goes to the theme park, consumer products are in the stores, radio Disney plays the music, the Disney channel plays how the movie was made. It comes together."
Michael Eisner on Larry King Live - February 20, 2004
"We have to put a moat around Disney that nobody can do it as well as we do, that nobody adheres to excellence. We paint Disneyland every night. I mean our cast members are maniacally trained and maniacally friendly."
Michael Eisner on Larry King Live - February 20, 2004
"Well, everything has not moved to California. We will still be demonstrating animation in Florida. We will still be doing certain cel animation in Florida. And it's going to be the same great attraction that it always has been."
Michael Eisner on Larry King Live - February 20, 2004
[COLOR=dark-blue]"We'd like to be the most profitable. We'd like to be the best. Time Warner is an excellent company, particularly CNN. They're an excellent company and we enjoy the competitive marketplace. But, you know, being number one isn't, in our mind, what it's about. It's about protecting the brand, quality programming, quality earnings, good returns, and just doing what we do well."
Michael Eisner, CNN Moneyline - Janury 25, 2000 [/COLOR]
"I think the more involved the CEO, the better."
Michael Eisner. Kathleen Cassedy, "CEO of the Happiest Place on Earth," Library of Congress Information Bulletin, November, 1999.
"The entire company (Disney) is built on two brands-Disney and ESPN."
Michael Eisner. Brett Pulley, "Disney The Sequel; Michael Eisner plots a comeback at the Magic Kingdom, aided by heir-to-be Robert Iger," Forbes, December 9, 2002.
"Maybe I'm guilty of getting into the details. I think that's what shareholders are hiring me to do. I will walk through the Safari Hotel [in Disney World] and I will look at every ashtray and every carpet and fixture, every blade of grass... . I think that kind of attention to detail forces everybody else to look at those kinds of details."
Michael Eisner, Orlando Sentinel, 2000
"Corporations after 7 or 10 years of the same management start to get sloppy. They have to be reinvented."
Michael Eisner, 8/94
"The only thesis that still makes sense is, do your job. Make each one of your great brands work well. Run the balance sheet well. Run the company well."
Michael Eisner, Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2002
"We are fundamentally an operating company, operating the Disney Brand all over the world."
Michael Eisner, Letter to Shareholders, The Walt Disney Company Annual Report, 1995.
"Our strategic direction must be continually questioned by management and the board."
Michael Eisner, Letter to Shareholders, The Walt Disney Company Annual Report, 1995.
"Privacy laws are our biggest impediment to us obtaining our objectives."
Michael Eisner. Tony Smith, "Music biz wants tougher DMCA, CPRM 2 to protect copyright," The Register, Friday, March 12, 2004.
[COLOR=dark-blue]"I've just decided that if you do what you think is right, usually it comes out all right."
Michael Eisner. David Segal, "Heigh-Ho Or Heave-Ho?," The Washington Post, Wednesday, March 3, 2004.[/COLOR]
"Let us be clear...all the animals here will eventually die, as will all the people who come to see them."
Michael Eisner, at the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom
"A decision will be made before it's too late or soon thereafter."
Michael Eisner, from Mostly Funny Quotes 10
"We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective."
Michael Eisner. Kim Masters, "Keys to the Kingdom."
The world according to Michael Eisner. First in a series.
Compiled by Cam Miller
"Our whole job is to deceive you into having a good time."
"What people have to keep remembering is we are going for magic. We are not going for perfection."
Michael Eisner to Newsweek, 2003
"Interestingly, we have two brands. We have the Disney brand and we have the ESPN brand. These are both beloved brands for different reasons. And the Disney brand -- everything is interrelated. We make a movie, the ride goes to the theme park, consumer products are in the stores, radio Disney plays the music, the Disney channel plays how the movie was made. It comes together."
Michael Eisner on Larry King Live - February 20, 2004
"We have to put a moat around Disney that nobody can do it as well as we do, that nobody adheres to excellence. We paint Disneyland every night. I mean our cast members are maniacally trained and maniacally friendly."
Michael Eisner on Larry King Live - February 20, 2004
"Well, everything has not moved to California. We will still be demonstrating animation in Florida. We will still be doing certain cel animation in Florida. And it's going to be the same great attraction that it always has been."
Michael Eisner on Larry King Live - February 20, 2004
[COLOR=dark-blue]"We'd like to be the most profitable. We'd like to be the best. Time Warner is an excellent company, particularly CNN. They're an excellent company and we enjoy the competitive marketplace. But, you know, being number one isn't, in our mind, what it's about. It's about protecting the brand, quality programming, quality earnings, good returns, and just doing what we do well."
Michael Eisner, CNN Moneyline - Janury 25, 2000 [/COLOR]
"I think the more involved the CEO, the better."
Michael Eisner. Kathleen Cassedy, "CEO of the Happiest Place on Earth," Library of Congress Information Bulletin, November, 1999.
"The entire company (Disney) is built on two brands-Disney and ESPN."
Michael Eisner. Brett Pulley, "Disney The Sequel; Michael Eisner plots a comeback at the Magic Kingdom, aided by heir-to-be Robert Iger," Forbes, December 9, 2002.
"Maybe I'm guilty of getting into the details. I think that's what shareholders are hiring me to do. I will walk through the Safari Hotel [in Disney World] and I will look at every ashtray and every carpet and fixture, every blade of grass... . I think that kind of attention to detail forces everybody else to look at those kinds of details."
Michael Eisner, Orlando Sentinel, 2000
"Corporations after 7 or 10 years of the same management start to get sloppy. They have to be reinvented."
Michael Eisner, 8/94
"The only thesis that still makes sense is, do your job. Make each one of your great brands work well. Run the balance sheet well. Run the company well."
Michael Eisner, Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2002
"We are fundamentally an operating company, operating the Disney Brand all over the world."
Michael Eisner, Letter to Shareholders, The Walt Disney Company Annual Report, 1995.
"Our strategic direction must be continually questioned by management and the board."
Michael Eisner, Letter to Shareholders, The Walt Disney Company Annual Report, 1995.
"Privacy laws are our biggest impediment to us obtaining our objectives."
Michael Eisner. Tony Smith, "Music biz wants tougher DMCA, CPRM 2 to protect copyright," The Register, Friday, March 12, 2004.
[COLOR=dark-blue]"I've just decided that if you do what you think is right, usually it comes out all right."
Michael Eisner. David Segal, "Heigh-Ho Or Heave-Ho?," The Washington Post, Wednesday, March 3, 2004.[/COLOR]
"Let us be clear...all the animals here will eventually die, as will all the people who come to see them."
Michael Eisner, at the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom
"A decision will be made before it's too late or soon thereafter."
Michael Eisner, from Mostly Funny Quotes 10
"We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective."
Michael Eisner. Kim Masters, "Keys to the Kingdom."
