Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
It can be said that Eisner “rescued” Disney from this troubled state 1980s. After his arrival in September of 1984, he developed a formula aimed at shaking up Disney’s existing culture with his unique yet forceful management style. His unique brand of creativity and instinct brought in partnerships with exquisite talent. This change would, however, begin with the termination of 400 Disney employees over the course of his first six months on the job (UVA-BP-0339 p.3). In doing so Eisner’s management would transform Disney from a company of cartoons and amusement parks to a media giant with radio and television stations and broadcast and cable networks that produce programs in over 50 countries (Site). Disney had just $1.7 billion in revenue in 1984 when Eisner took over. No one disputes the phenomenal first decade that brought to Disney. However, he succeeded in adding $65 billion to the company’s operating units when rivals were at best treading water. Eisner’s saw value in entertainment, unlike the core of creativity Walt Disney founded the company upon back in the 1920’s. Having spent his career in television, Eisner gradually released a vault of animated classics on video cassettes and distributed in stores. This approach was in contrast to the vision of founder Walt Disney for he was known to be against the frequent showing of Disney classics (UVA-BP-0339 p.4). However, it was only a matter of time until sales of the video became the biggest contribution to the bottom line within Disney’s movie division. Prior to the arrival of Michael Eisner in 1984, a number of Disney’s operating divisions were losing significant capital. There were a number of write-offs within their movie division totaling over $60 million. The Disney Channel had lost $11 billion alone in the first quarter. Outsiders commented “They don’t know the cable business, and they don’t listen.” There was also concern over the drop in attendance
It can be said that Eisner “rescued” Disney from this troubled state 1980s. After his arrival in September of 1984, he developed a formula aimed at shaking up Disney’s existing culture with his unique yet forceful management style. His unique brand of creativity and instinct brought in partnerships with exquisite talent. This change would, however, begin with the termination of 400 Disney employees over the course of his first six months on the job (UVA-BP-0339 p.3). In doing so Eisner’s management would transform Disney from a company of cartoons and amusement parks to a media giant with radio and television stations and broadcast and cable networks that produce programs in over 50 countries (Site). Disney had just $1.7 billion in revenue in 1984 when Eisner took over. No one disputes the phenomenal first decade that brought to Disney. However, he succeeded in adding $65 billion to the company’s operating units when rivals were at best treading water. Eisner’s saw value in entertainment, unlike the core of creativity Walt Disney founded the company upon back in the 1920’s. Having spent his career in television, Eisner gradually released a vault of animated classics on video cassettes and distributed in stores. This approach was in contrast to the vision of founder Walt Disney for he was known to be against the frequent showing of Disney classics (UVA-BP-0339 p.4). However, it was only a matter of time until sales of the video became the biggest contribution to the bottom line within Disney’s movie division. Prior to the arrival of Michael Eisner in 1984, a number of Disney’s operating divisions were losing significant capital. There were a number of write-offs within their movie division totaling over $60 million. The Disney Channel had lost $11 billion alone in the first quarter. Outsiders commented “They don’t know the cable business, and they don’t listen.” There was also concern over the drop in attendance