The Ride of a Lifetime
Page 26
The Walt Disney Company
With Walt Disney, the one who started it all, 2016.
Bob Iger personal collection
Preparing to give a speech to open Shanghai Disneyland, just after hearing of a tragedy at our park in Orlando.
The Walt Disney Company
The Castle at Shanghai Disneyland, just prior to opening.
The Walt Disney Company
Backstage at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique with cast and crew, Shanghai Disneyland, 2016.
The Walt Disney Company
At the official ribbon-cutting ceremony at Shanghai with Wang Yang, CPC Politburo member and State Council vice premier, and Han Zheng, CPC Politburo member and party secretary of Shanghai.
The Walt Disney Company
With Chadwick Boseman at the Black Panther premiere in Los Angeles, 2018.
The Sun/Arthur Edwards
With Rupert Murdoch in London, just before the announcement of our 21st Century Fox acquisition, December 2017.
To Willow: This ride would not have been possible without you.
Kate, Amanda, Max, and Will: Thank you for your love and understanding and for all the joy you have given me.
To the thousands of Disney cast members and employees past and present: My pride in you and appreciation of you is boundless.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THERE’S AN OLD ADAGE that says success has many fathers and failure is an orphan. In my case, success has many fathers and mothers. Everything we’ve accomplished at Disney these last fifteen years has been the result of the collaborative efforts of countless people: our senior executive team, tens of thousands of Disney employees (“cast members,” as we call them), and thousands more on the creative side of our business—directors, writers, actors, and legions of other talented people who have devoted so much time and effort to telling the stories I have referred to so often in this book.
I could go on for pages mentioning the names of individuals I owe thanks to, but will limit this list to the handful of people mentioned below, without whose efforts I and Disney wouldn’t have been nearly as successful:
Stephanie Voltz, for sharing this ride with me from start to finish, for doing so much more than just keeping the trains running on time, and for years of endless smiles and tremendous support.
Alan Braverman and Zenia Mucha have also been with me from the beginning, and both have been invaluable to me and to the company.
Kevin Mayer is a master strategist and dealmaker. A CEO couldn’t ask for a better strategic partner.
Jayne Parker has been our head of human resources for a decade. You can’t run a company well without a star in the HR role, and Jayne has been that and more.
I’ve also had the benefit of three excellent CFOs: Tom Staggs, Jay Rasulo, and Christine McCarthy. Their wisdom, perspective, and strategic and financial acumen made so much of what we have done possible.
Bob Chapek has also done a tremendous job running our consumer products and theme park businesses, and was invaluable in the run-up to the opening of Shanghai Disneyland.
George Bodenheimer and Jimmy Pitaro have guided ESPN honorably and ably.
Alan Horn is the best hire I’ve ever made. His leadership at our film studio has enabled us to shine commercially and artistically.
John Lasseter and Ed Catmull and their great team of directors and animators kept Pixar vibrant and creatively strong, and revitalized Walt Disney Animation.
Bob Weis and more than a thousand Imagineers designed and built Shanghai Disneyland. It is a triumph of vision, passion, creativity, patience, and extraordinary hard work and sacrifice.
In the almost fifteen years I’ve been in this job, I’ve had some great “chiefs of stuff,” as I called them (until I officially changed the title to chief of staff): Leslie Stern, Kate McLean, Agnes Chu, and Nancy Lee have been invaluable to me. And thank you, too, to Heather Kiriakou for all of the help over the years.
I also owe a great debt of gratitude to the many members of the Walt Disney Company Board of Directors, notably George Mitchell, John Pepper, Orin Smith, and Susan Arnold. Thank you for supporting our vision and for all of your advice and encouragement. Successful companies share one thing in common—a strong partnership between management and their boards, and ours has been critical to the success of the Walt Disney Company.
In the forty-five years I have been at this company, I’ve had many bosses. Some are mentioned in this book, but I want to thank all of them for guiding and believing in me:
Harvey Kalfin
Deet Jonker
Pat Shearer
Bob Apter
Irwin Weiner
Charlie Lavery
John Martin
Jim Spence
Roone Arledge
Steve Solomon
Dennis Swanson
John Sias
Dan Burke
Tom Murphy
Michael Eisner
And a final thanks for my book team:
Joel Lovell, with deep gratitude for your collaboration and your friendship. It has been great sharing these lessons, memories, and experiences with you.
Esther Newberg, for your guidance and for talking me into writing this book. You said it was going to be easy and you sure were wrong!
Andy Ward, whose leadership, advice, and encouragement are admired and appreciated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ROBERT IGER is chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company. He previously served as president and CEO, beginning in October 2005, and was president and COO from 2000 to 2005. Iger began his career at ABC in 1974, and as chairman of the ABC Group he oversaw the broadcast television network and station group and cable television properties, and guided the merger between Capital Cities/ABC and the Walt Disney Company. Iger officially joined the Disney senior management team in 1996 as chairman of the Disney-owned ABC Group, and in 1999 was given the additional responsibility of president, Walt Disney International. In that role, Iger expanded Disney’s presence outside of the United States, establishing the blueprint for the company’s international growth today.
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