SHOCKER! RICH ROSS OUT AT DISNEY
By NIKKI FINKE | Friday April 20, 2012 @ 9:17am PDT
Here is what fired Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross just sent to the staff, followed by a statement from Disney Chairman Bob Iger.
And make no mistake about it: Ross was fired. Analysis coming:
Rich Ross
For the last 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with incredibly talented people on behalf of the world’s best loved brand. During that time, we’ve told some amazing stories around the world, created successful TV programming, movies, and franchises that generated new opportunities for the company in the process.
I’ve always said our success is created and driven by our people – whom I consider to be the absolute best in the business. But, the best people need to be in the right jobs, in roles they are passionate about, doing work that leverages the full range of their abilities. It’s one of the leadership lessons I’ve learned during my career, and it’s something I’ve been giving a great deal of thought to as I look at the challenges and opportunities ahead.
I believe in this extraordinary Walt Disney Studios team, and I believe in our strong slate of films and our ability to make and market them better than anyone else. But, I no longer believe the Chairman role is the right professional fit for me. For that reason, I have made the very difficult decision to step down as Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, effective today.
It has been my honor to work with such incredible teams – at Disney Channels Worldwide and The Walt Disney Studios and the many other Disney businesses I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with. I know I leave the Studios in good hands and, even on separate paths, I am confident we are all destined for continued success. -Rich —
Statement from Bob Iger, Chairman/CEO, Walt Disney Co
For more than a decade, Rich Ross’s creative instincts, business acumen and personal integrity have driven results in key businesses for Disney, redefining success in kids and family entertainment and launching franchises that generate value across our entire company. His vision and leadership opened doors for Disney around the world, making our brand part of daily life for millions of people. I appreciate his countless contributions throughout his entire career at Disney, and expect he will have tremendous success in whatever he chooses to do next.
Carter Cooks Ross's Goose
By Jeff WellsThe above headline is probably accurate to a large extent, although I'm sure it doesn't fully explain why Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross has been whacked. Deadline's Nikki Finke has declared that Ross "was fired -- make no mistake about it." Ross inherited John Carter, but he presided over the marketing and whatnot, and somebody, apparently, had to take the fall for the $200 million loss incurred by the Ishtar of fantasy space epics. (The headline is a nod to a famous Variety headline that ran when Frank Price lost his job at Universal following the titanic failure of Howard The Duck -- i.e., "Duck Cooks Price's Goose.")
Why Rich Ross Had to Step Down at Disney
Rich Ross
It felt wrong back in October 2009 when Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger
first announced Rich Ross as his movie studio chief. And it never felt
right. In the wake of the biggest write-off in Hollywood history, "John
Carter" (March 9), film industry outsider Ross is stepping down, citing a lack of passion for the job:
Any Oscar traction Disney gained under Ross's tenure came from Pixar's long-in-the-works "Toy Story 3" and DreamWorks--who produced "The Help," 'War Horse," and VFX nominee "Real Steel"--and voiced their displeasure at some of Disney's marketing efforts.
It's telling that Ross is leaving just as Disney is poised to open two
enormous blockbusters, from studio labels over which Ross had little
oversight--"Marvel's The Avengers" and Pixar's "Brave." And it would not
have escaped notice that ex-Disney exec Nina Jacobson launched a
successful $70-million franchise, "Hunger Games," just as Disney took a $200 million write-off on "John Carter."
Iger has long been straining to move more swiftly into the digital future, taking full advantage of the studio's legacy and brand identification with audiences all over the world. That approach worked like a charm under Ross at the Disney Channels, where he molded teen stars like Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron into household names.
But bringing too many outsiders into a movie studio is almost always a disaster. The rules of this world are too entrenched and arcane, the egos too sensitive, the need to be on top of the latest marketing trends too great, for there to be any margin for error. Smart as he is, Ross's learning curve was just too steep.
Although former Disney chief Michael Eisner, Universal chairman Frank Price and Fox chairman Barry Diller made the transition from television to movies without a hitch, most of the time it's a risky move--see Paramount's experience with Gail Berman. There too Viacom's Sumner Redstone charged his then-lieutenant, MTV chief Tom Freston, with making radical changes at Paramount and then threw the exec and others out when the pace of change proved too fast. New studio chief Brad Grey saved his job by importing DreamWorks' successful creative culture to buttress Paramount's flailing one.
The next question is who will replace Ross, who replaced the deep bench his predecessor Dick Cook left behind with a shallow one.
"The best people need to be in the right jobs, in roles they are
passionate about, doing work that leverages the full range of their
abilities. It's one of the leadership lessons I've learned during my
career, and it's something I've been giving a great deal of thought to
as I look at the challenges and opportunities ahead."
"John Carter" was a tsunami disaster that
no studio chief could survive--even if he inherited it. But under
Iger's directives, Disney Channel veteran Ross let go of many of
Disney's experienced production, distribution and marketing
professionals. "Carter" was surrounded not by mitigating hits ("Pirates
of the Caribbean 4" Ross could not claim), but by other
disappointments, from the worst films of producer Jerry Bruckheimer's
career to "The Prom,"
which had Ross's imprint all over it. In Hollywood, you can scapegoat
the head of marketing, as Ross did, letting go of Hollywood outsider MT Carney as the dimensions of "John Carter" became clear, but you can't escape the axe without some good news.Any Oscar traction Disney gained under Ross's tenure came from Pixar's long-in-the-works "Toy Story 3" and DreamWorks--who produced "The Help," 'War Horse," and VFX nominee "Real Steel"--and voiced their displeasure at some of Disney's marketing efforts.
MT Carney, Jerry Bruckheimer, Sean Bailey, and Geoffrey Rush
Iger has long been straining to move more swiftly into the digital future, taking full advantage of the studio's legacy and brand identification with audiences all over the world. That approach worked like a charm under Ross at the Disney Channels, where he molded teen stars like Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron into household names.
But bringing too many outsiders into a movie studio is almost always a disaster. The rules of this world are too entrenched and arcane, the egos too sensitive, the need to be on top of the latest marketing trends too great, for there to be any margin for error. Smart as he is, Ross's learning curve was just too steep.
Although former Disney chief Michael Eisner, Universal chairman Frank Price and Fox chairman Barry Diller made the transition from television to movies without a hitch, most of the time it's a risky move--see Paramount's experience with Gail Berman. There too Viacom's Sumner Redstone charged his then-lieutenant, MTV chief Tom Freston, with making radical changes at Paramount and then threw the exec and others out when the pace of change proved too fast. New studio chief Brad Grey saved his job by importing DreamWorks' successful creative culture to buttress Paramount's flailing one.
The next question is who will replace Ross, who replaced the deep bench his predecessor Dick Cook left behind with a shallow one.
