What About Bob?
After my nightmarish attempt to get to Nashville, I can honestly say how much I feel for anyone attempting to travel this summer. I also have to acknowledge the airline workers who have, I'm sure, been subject to constant screaming and yelling from frustrated customers. I have a ton of empathy for what they must have endured this past week, with cancellations reaching all-time highs just as the summer rush begins. Empathy was on my mind a lot this week, particularly for one Hollywood Exec: Bob II, aka Bob Chapek, CEO of the Walt Disney Company.
Many of you are probably well aware of the rough tenure Chapek has had as head of the Walt Disney Company. The latest "drama" was the unexpected firing of Peter Rice as head of the General Entertainment silo in the refashioned Disney Empire. Now, for the inexperienced, these types of firings typically go one of two ways. Either the town celebrates their firing, like the former head of Disney Studios Rich Ross, or they bemoan the loss of "one of the greats." It seems that Rice's firing fell under the latter category. Chapek anticipated that reaction; Disney's Chairwoman of the Board, Susan Arnold, released a statement supportive of Chapek (but stopped short of renewing his contract due to expire in February of 2023.)
I don't want to waste time relitigating the finer points of "why" Rice was fired. All one need to do is google it, and you'll find many think pieces on the reasons: several from Rice's POV and some from Disney's POV. I want to talk more about the challenges the Chapek has faced, some no doubt self-inflicted but some just the nature of the entertainment industry in which Walt Disney happens to play.
Obvious Statement of the Day: Hollywood Hates an Outsider. This statement has no more been proven true than by the treatment of Chapek by the Hollywood establishment. He isn't one of them. Previous CEOs, Iger and Eisner, were part of the system when they assumed the mantle: Eisner with a stint at Paramount and Iger at ABC. Chapek, however, came up from that "parks division," not the studio world. Right off the bat, he was going to be mistrusted. Did he make it easier by that silly fight with Scarlett Johanssen? No, certainly not. But I think he looked at what some of these actors were making and, like an outsider, felt it slightly ridiculous and wanted to push back. He made the miscalculation that Scarlett was the right one to make an example of. However, let's not forget that few Disney Castmembers from other Marvel franchises ran to Scarlett's defense, so maybe the case wasn't as clear-cut as the news media claimed it to be.
The Florida Law debacle again was an unforced error where Chapek made, in my view, the right decision, at first, then did a complete 180 after a few of his activist employees got upset. Please see SpaceX's recent handling of other disgruntled employees to see how he should have handled the initial reaction. It started an unnecessary fight that may have damaged a legacy family brand (more on that below.) Also, why get involved in the first place? I recall another conglomerate with a significant presence in Flordia (Comcast) that said absolutely nothing, which may be more related to the political astuteness of its CEO, Brian Roberts. Thus far, I have only rehashed what many have construed as misfires during Chapek's early tenure, but I'm not going to pile on as so many in the entertainment industry have chosen to do. As I mentioned above, he's an outsider who came after someone universally beloved for his vision and his acumen with talent. He also came right before a global pandemic slammed the brakes on one of the company's core revenue drivers. In other words, he has faced one of the most challenging environments an executive has ever met. Let's also not forget that Hollywood is just one component of a vast company portfolio. Bob Bakish of Paramount Global isn't under this kind of scrutiny, and neither is the previously mentioned Brian Roberts, who arguably most closely mimics Chapek in his company's makeup. One could counter that Disney is in the spotlight because of their dominance, but I don't think that's why Chapek is under so much more fire than other CEOs. He has attempted to rattle the cages of the establishment, which never goes down easy.
Hollywood doesn't care where you tinker around the edges just as long as the money keeps flowing. Chapek didn't tinker and is undoubtedly keeping the money flowing. Although he is keeping a close watch along with his lieutenant, Kareem Daniel. Could he have used a defter touch when comforting some of these issues? Probably, yes, but I think the bigger question will be how much Chapek has gleaned from his earlier missteps. Will he learn and adapt? Given his survival at Disney and his cleverness in surviving the Game of Thrones to succeed Iger, I think he will. I think the board will renew his contract, so we will see what the future holds for Bob II.
Buzz -Kill
Yeah, $51 million for a Pixar film is not a great result. Yes, it had its apparent challenges (not a direct sequel, no Tim Allen, and young boy-centric.) There is possibly something bigger at play here than just the typical industry explanations. My location affords me more access to the normal way of life as opposed to the bubble mentality of LA/NYC. I think Disney's very public and frankly foolish fight over Florida's Parental Rights Bill (no, I refuse to use the other phrase that incorrectly frames the bill) has damaged the Disney brand. This is, of course, all anecdotal, but I think Disney would be wise to do some research to determine if this goes beyond mere anecdotal evidence, and perhaps, they are. However, the bottom line still holds: Disney was a cherished family brand that got embroiled in a cultural fight for no reason other than plain virtual signaling. Again, if Chapek is learning and evolving, then this will be the last time he goes headlong into a brick wall because of his woke employees.
DWE is BECOMING A BFD
As I mentioned above, I recently attempted to make a trip to Nashville, but due to canceled flights and hours-long mechanical delays, I could not make it. What I didn't say was why I attempted to go to Nashville. It was because my friends over at Daily Wire Entertainment, more specifically recent podcast guest, producer Dallas Sonnier, had invited me to the premiere of his latest film for DWE called Terror on The Prarie, starring Gina Carano. This is the fifth flick from Daily Wire Entertainment, and I hope they keep on chugging. This industry is desperate in need of new voices to revolutionize our business. Daily Wire and Dallas have been leading the charge, so please head over, subscribe, and check out their flicks. We need them to keep shaking things up.
Pages from the Commonplace Book
John Adams is one of our most neglected founders. He was a cantankerous, grumpy, and often difficult man, which may explain his back seat to some of our more prominent founders. However, his zeal for liberty and the success of the early republic was almost unequaled. Was he a pessimist? In some ways, yes, but in other ways, he was one of the foremost constitutional thinkers during his time. Massachusettes still uses the Constitution he wrote in 1779. I pulled Today's quote from his Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law. Written in 1765, its purpose was to raise the alarm against the Stamp Act and its attempt to subvert the colonist's rights. While I just pulled one quote, I encourage everyone to read the entire piece. It is an inspiring defense of our liberties and rights.
"Be it remembered, however, that liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood. And liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right, from the frame of their nature, to knowledge, as their great Creator, who does nothing in vain, has given them understandings, and a desire to know, but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to the most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean, of the characters and conduct of their rulers."
Hard to believe this was written in 1765, but oh, how it underscores the importance of historical study.
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