Michael Eisner: Clueless Idiot of the Week
The Writer’s Guild is striking because, amongst other things, networks rerun the shows they’re supposed to get residuals on, and then don’t pay. Why? They’re “promotional,” not “profitable.”
Right.
But it’s Michael Eisner who says the most dumbfounding idiotic thing of the week. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the man who very nearly brought down Disney as CEO singlehandedly, and is now showing his skills in the internet age:
Eisner’s advice to striking writers: Blame Steve Jobs, not the studios | The Social - CNET News.com
Eisner, a well-known critic of Apple (whose CEO, Steve Jobs, is a powerful member of Disney’s board of directors), suggested that the profits may be getting sucked up elsewhere. The studios “make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners. They make all these kinds of things, and who’s making money? Apple! They should get a piece of Apple. If I was a union, I’d be striking up wherever he is.”
So the writers should be striking against Apple, who pretty much created digital downloads as an industry force, and who take less than 30% of the money generated from them, and probably take a loss from them for the sake of selling the hardware to go along with them?
Michael Eisner: Clueless Idiot Most Deserving of Ostracization.
No, wait. Let him talk. It’s more entertaining this way. We can all point and laugh and remember how Disney went straight down the toilet under his watch, how campaigns started against the man, and how Disney’s own family led one. Good times, eh?
November 8th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Yeah, what Eisner said was completely idiotic… BUT…
He was the same guy who *RESCUED* Disney in 1984 (along with Frank Wells and, later, Jeff Katzenberg) from absolute irrelevancy. He ramped up their feature film production by creating the Touchstone label, shored up development at the theme parks, purchased ABC, ESPN, and other outlets to expand Disney’s presence as a global multimedia brand, and oversaw the resurgence of the crown jewel of the Disney empire, the feature-length animated film.
Although Katzenberg was more directly responsble for the animation resurgence, Eisner was still responsbile for greenlighting and nurturing such efforts as LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING.
He also generated millions upon millions for the company by releasing their classic films and animation on Home Video in the mid/late 1980s, a move which was WIDELY derided by people inside Disney corporate as a collossal devaluing mistake.
Of course, an inflated ego and Shakespearean-levels of hubris brought his downfall in the 90s — alienating Katzenberg (the driving force behind the animated films) to the point where he left to form Dreamworks, bringing in, neutering, and paying off Michael Ovitz which managed to p.o. the entire board of directors, diluting the company’s brands through pointless DTV sequels to classic films (Cinderella 3 anyone?!?!?), firing anyone who he barely suspected of going against his marching orders, making a mortal enemy out of Roy Disney, insisting upon executive control over creative output (anyone remember the greatness that was Dinosaur or Treasure Planet), going head-to-head with Pixar and almost losing the one studio that was producing their only sure-fire creative/critical/financial blockbuster succeses, etc.
Still though… if you were a Disney shareholder from 1984, you whistling zip-a-dee-doo-dah as a result of Eisner’s efforts. He massively increased the company’s value and brought great returns to investors.
But his shameful actions from the mid 90s on, while not quite bringing Disney “straight down the toilet”, indicated that his run was no longer bringing value to the company, nor was it best to steer Disney into the future.
If you want to read a *REALLY* fantastic book about the subject, check out “Disney War” by James Stewart. I bought at before a 6 hour cross-country flight 2 years ago and simply could NOT put it down. It’s a fascinating story of pride before a fall, of how corporate American mentality works at the upper echelons of power, and, if nothing else, has a TON of insight and inside tidbits about how the Disney organization has been shaped and driven over the past 25 years. Really good stuff.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I actually got that book for Christmas last year, and still haven’t cracked it open. It all sounds so fascinating, but it’s a matter of finding the time. Thanks for filling in the gaps, though, and giving me a good tease for it!
November 9th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Another feather in Eisner’s cap was that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise relaunched during his time at Disney.