WEBVTT 00:06.000 --> 00:08.080 Welcome to Daps Magic, Disney and 00:08.080 --> 00:10.480 positive stuff. I'm Mr. Daps [music] and 00:10.480 --> 00:12.639 today is a very exciting day for Disney 00:12.639 --> 00:15.519 fans, historians, and business leaders 00:15.519 --> 00:18.000 alike. It was announced this morning 00:18.000 --> 00:20.240 that the Walt Disney Company will be led 00:20.240 --> 00:23.199 by current Disney Experiences chairman 00:23.199 --> 00:26.800 Josh Diamaro. He will be their next CEO. 00:26.800 --> 00:28.800 He'll be joined by Dana Walden, who will 00:28.800 --> 00:30.960 be the new president and chief creative 00:30.960 --> 00:34.000 officer for the company. This is huge 00:34.000 --> 00:35.520 news. It's big [music] news. We knew it 00:35.520 --> 00:36.960 was coming. We didn't know exactly when, 00:36.960 --> 00:38.800 and we didn't know exactly who it would 00:38.800 --> 00:40.320 be, although many of us had our 00:40.320 --> 00:44.160 suspicions. But this is a very exciting 00:44.160 --> 00:47.600 time because the people who are taking 00:47.600 --> 00:50.800 over the company get it. They get the 00:50.800 --> 00:52.800 magic. If you've been with Josh Dumaro, 00:52.800 --> 00:56.000 when he's interacted with people at D23, 00:56.000 --> 00:59.359 in the parks, you name it, you know that 00:59.359 --> 01:01.199 we are [music] looking at a very 01:01.199 --> 01:03.840 exciting and bright future for the Walt 01:03.840 --> 01:05.360 Disney Company. And that's something to 01:05.360 --> 01:07.680 be excited for. For those that uh maybe 01:07.680 --> 01:09.520 haven't listened to [music] DAP's Magic 01:09.520 --> 01:11.520 Disney and positive stuff before, I 01:11.520 --> 01:13.360 should take a quick aside before we get 01:13.360 --> 01:16.400 [music] into everything else that uh we 01:16.400 --> 01:18.560 are all about exactly what the title 01:18.560 --> 01:20.960 implies, Disney and positive stuff. And 01:20.960 --> 01:22.960 if you would like to talk more about 01:22.960 --> 01:25.150 this announcement and many other things, 01:25.150 --> 01:26.720 [music] we'd love to have you over on 01:26.720 --> 01:28.960 dapsmagic hq. You can go to 01:28.960 --> 01:31.045 dapsmagic.com/dapshq 01:31.045 --> 01:31.840 [music] 01:31.840 --> 01:33.520 and connect with us there. You can also 01:33.520 --> 01:35.280 connect with us on social media and 01:35.280 --> 01:37.439 YouTube. And we'd love to geek out about 01:37.439 --> 01:40.240 more Disney and positive stuff with you. 01:40.240 --> 01:42.320 All right, let's get into the news. Josh 01:42.320 --> 01:44.320 Dearo is a very familiar face for 01:44.320 --> 01:45.920 anybody who's gone into the parks, 01:45.920 --> 01:47.759 particularly Disneyland and Walt Disney 01:47.759 --> 01:50.560 World, in the last few years. He's been 01:50.560 --> 01:53.119 with the Walt Disney Company for 28 01:53.119 --> 01:55.280 years. He started at Disneyland and he 01:55.280 --> 01:57.759 has been everywhere else before he 01:57.759 --> 01:59.840 returned, I believe, in 2019 as the 01:59.840 --> 02:01.520 Disneyland Resort President before 02:01.520 --> 02:03.600 moving on to Walt Disney World as its 02:03.600 --> 02:06.320 president and then being promoted to 02:06.320 --> 02:08.160 what was then the Disney Parks and 02:08.160 --> 02:10.560 Experiences [music] uh segment of the 02:10.560 --> 02:12.000 Walt Disney Company. Now it's just 02:12.000 --> 02:14.319 Disney Experiences. 02:14.319 --> 02:17.840 This is a guy who has a track record of 02:17.840 --> 02:20.160 being positive, of being kind, of being 02:20.160 --> 02:22.800 deliberate, [music] and also being one 02:22.800 --> 02:25.280 that is looking towards the future and 02:25.280 --> 02:28.560 looking towards how can Disney grow, how 02:28.560 --> 02:32.400 can Disney continue to be innovators in 02:32.400 --> 02:35.280 the way that they storytell and how can 02:35.280 --> 02:38.000 we keep moving forward to quote Walt 02:38.000 --> 02:40.319 Disney in the future. some of the 02:40.319 --> 02:41.599 highlights that he's had through the 02:41.599 --> 02:44.160 years at Disney experiences and a little 02:44.160 --> 02:47.040 bit before like he helped with Pandora 02:47.040 --> 02:48.640 creating when he was working out at Walt 02:48.640 --> 02:49.840 Disney World before he was [music] the 02:49.840 --> 02:51.599 Disneyland president. He also helped 02:51.599 --> 02:54.000 with Galaxy's Edge opening, Avengers 02:54.000 --> 02:56.800 Campus opening, World of Frozen opening, 02:56.800 --> 02:59.360 and so much more around the globe. It's 02:59.360 --> 03:01.360 been an exciting [music] time to watch 03:01.360 --> 03:03.280 Disney experiences in the parks under 03:03.280 --> 03:04.959 his leadership. He's also been 03:04.959 --> 03:07.280 instrumental in the role with Epic Games 03:07.280 --> 03:08.800 that it's taking with the Walt [music] 03:08.800 --> 03:11.040 Disney Company, which is leading to 03:11.040 --> 03:13.040 things in the park and things out of the 03:13.040 --> 03:15.040 parks and really making that connection 03:15.040 --> 03:16.800 from the experiences you have at home 03:16.800 --> 03:18.800 with the experiences you have when you 03:18.800 --> 03:21.360 go [music] and and experience a day at 03:21.360 --> 03:25.040 your favorite Disney park. He also 03:25.040 --> 03:27.280 has been, I think perhaps most 03:27.280 --> 03:29.680 importantly, instrumental in changing 03:29.680 --> 03:32.159 the culture of the Disney parks and Walt 03:32.159 --> 03:34.959 Disney Imagineering. There was a time 03:34.959 --> 03:37.280 before he took over chairman as uh 03:37.280 --> 03:40.560 Disney of Disney Experiences that things 03:40.560 --> 03:42.480 were a little bit glum like it wasn't 03:42.480 --> 03:45.840 the the hopeful exciting place that you 03:45.840 --> 03:47.760 would hope especially Walt Disney 03:47.760 --> 03:50.319 Imagineering would be. And what Josh De 03:50.319 --> 03:53.760 Maro has done as the the leader of 03:53.760 --> 03:55.920 Disney experiences over the last what 03:55.920 --> 03:58.480 five six years is he's put the right 03:58.480 --> 04:00.720 people in the right places and this has 04:00.720 --> 04:03.120 led to a more positive environment. This 04:03.120 --> 04:04.879 has led to a more innovative and 04:04.879 --> 04:06.879 creative environment [snorts] and it's 04:06.879 --> 04:10.400 led to many new exciting things for 04:10.400 --> 04:12.560 Disney fans to experience and there's 04:12.560 --> 04:14.319 more on the horizons. you know, we are 04:14.319 --> 04:16.079 looking at the expansion of the timeline 04:16.079 --> 04:19.280 of the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Land at 04:19.280 --> 04:22.800 Disneyland. And uh hopefully future uh 04:22.800 --> 04:24.560 that will happen at Walt Disney World as 04:24.560 --> 04:29.600 well. But with all of these things, 04:29.600 --> 04:31.520 you could think, oh, he's just a really 04:31.520 --> 04:34.400 good corporate suit. But he's much more 04:34.400 --> 04:37.759 than that. He doesn't just focus on 04:37.759 --> 04:40.800 operational excellence. He also has a 04:40.800 --> 04:43.919 genuine passion for the guest and the 04:43.919 --> 04:46.479 guest experience and he has it himself. 04:46.479 --> 04:48.400 If if you've been at Disneyland, you've 04:48.400 --> 04:50.639 probably as on a regular basis I should 04:50.639 --> 04:52.960 say you've probably seen Josh walking 04:52.960 --> 04:54.800 around the parks, you know, with his 04:54.800 --> 04:57.360 family, with his wife, hanging out for a 04:57.360 --> 05:00.240 Saturday afternoon enjoying um one day I 05:00.240 --> 05:03.040 saw him at Lunar New Year celebration. 05:03.040 --> 05:06.720 He enjoys the parks for his own sake 05:06.720 --> 05:09.440 just as much as he enjoys creating 05:09.440 --> 05:11.440 things for his family and for guests 05:11.440 --> 05:15.600 around the world as much. And as I've 05:15.600 --> 05:18.000 seen through the years Josh come to the 05:18.000 --> 05:20.560 parks and I've seen him elsewhere too, 05:20.560 --> 05:22.080 but the parks is really what stands out 05:22.080 --> 05:23.840 to me. I've seen him interact with 05:23.840 --> 05:26.160 guests. I've seen him interact with cast 05:26.160 --> 05:29.440 members. And the way he does that is 05:29.440 --> 05:33.120 always incredibly kind. It's always very 05:33.120 --> 05:34.800 uh 05:34.800 --> 05:36.800 focused like when you're talking to 05:36.800 --> 05:40.639 Josh, he he's focused on you and he's 05:40.639 --> 05:42.880 giving you the world around him in that 05:42.880 --> 05:46.240 moment. And in a way, I would like to 05:46.240 --> 05:48.479 think that's kind of Waltike. like he 05:48.479 --> 05:53.840 has a heart there that is passionate for 05:53.840 --> 05:56.479 the the parks that are being built, the 05:56.479 --> 05:59.759 new stories that are being told and the 05:59.759 --> 06:02.400 people that get to experience them. I 06:02.400 --> 06:04.080 think of Disneyland Handcrafted, which 06:04.080 --> 06:06.000 we just reviewed and watched a few times 06:06.000 --> 06:10.160 now, and you really hear um the message 06:10.160 --> 06:12.319 that Walt Disney wanted people to be 06:12.319 --> 06:14.240 better when they left Disneyland than 06:14.240 --> 06:16.400 when they get there. and he really 06:16.400 --> 06:18.000 wanted them to be happier. And that's 06:18.000 --> 06:19.680 something I've seen Josh do through the 06:19.680 --> 06:22.639 years as well. And when he takes the 06:22.639 --> 06:24.960 role of CEO for the Walt Disney Company 06:24.960 --> 06:27.600 on March 18th, it'll be very exciting to 06:27.600 --> 06:30.639 see how he takes that passion and that 06:30.639 --> 06:32.479 drive that we've seen at the Disney 06:32.479 --> 06:34.160 Experiences level and before that, you 06:34.160 --> 06:35.919 know, at a parks level, uh, 06:35.919 --> 06:38.240 individually, but how does he take that 06:38.240 --> 06:41.360 and scale it up for the entirety of the 06:41.360 --> 06:43.759 Walt Disney Company? He will now be 06:43.759 --> 06:47.600 overseeing, you know, studios, ESPN, and 06:47.600 --> 06:49.440 so many other things that happen. I 06:49.440 --> 06:50.960 think there's like 200 companies that 06:50.960 --> 06:52.800 make up the Walt Disney Company or 06:52.800 --> 06:54.800 something like that when you uh consider 06:54.800 --> 06:56.880 all the subsidiaries. But I think he's 06:56.880 --> 06:58.800 the right guy for the job. He's 06:58.800 --> 07:01.039 currently leading the the largest 07:01.039 --> 07:02.880 segment of the Walt Disney Company. It's 07:02.880 --> 07:05.360 been the most profitable and in recent 07:05.360 --> 07:08.080 years, and it'll be exciting to see what 07:08.080 --> 07:10.880 comes next. Another exciting part of the 07:10.880 --> 07:14.479 news today though is Dana Walden taking 07:14.479 --> 07:17.280 on the role of president and chief 07:17.280 --> 07:19.440 creative officer of the Walt Disney 07:19.440 --> 07:21.440 Company. This is the first time that the 07:21.440 --> 07:23.360 Walt Disney Company has had a female in 07:23.360 --> 07:26.400 that role. So, this isn't just exciting 07:26.400 --> 07:29.039 because of who she is and what she can 07:29.039 --> 07:31.919 do cuz she has a fantastic resume, but 07:31.919 --> 07:33.919 this is also breaking that glass ceiling 07:33.919 --> 07:35.599 and taking it one level higher. And 07:35.599 --> 07:37.759 that's going to be super exciting to see 07:37.759 --> 07:41.280 what happens in this role as well. And 07:41.280 --> 07:43.120 she will be reporting directly to Josh 07:43.120 --> 07:45.360 as you would expect in this new role. 07:45.360 --> 07:48.160 And her job is really to focus on the 07:48.160 --> 07:49.840 storytelling 07:49.840 --> 07:53.280 and that's across the entire company. So 07:53.280 --> 07:56.960 she's been the co-chairperson 07:56.960 --> 07:59.599 of entertainment and really her focus in 07:59.599 --> 08:01.280 the last couple of years. She came over 08:01.280 --> 08:04.240 when they purchased 20th Century, but uh 08:04.240 --> 08:06.160 for the last five, six years, her focus 08:06.160 --> 08:08.960 really has been on on streaming and 08:08.960 --> 08:10.879 building that up. And I think she 08:10.879 --> 08:13.440 oversees linear television as well. But 08:13.440 --> 08:17.360 that's been her her purview. And now 08:17.360 --> 08:18.479 she's going to be taking the 08:18.479 --> 08:20.160 storytelling that we've seen on Disney 08:20.160 --> 08:22.720 Plus, Hulu, you name it, and she's going 08:22.720 --> 08:26.240 to be applying that to every touch point 08:26.240 --> 08:28.639 of the Walt Disney Company. So, you 08:28.639 --> 08:30.240 know, that could be in the parks, that 08:30.240 --> 08:33.120 could be on a ship, that could be, you 08:33.120 --> 08:36.479 know, Epic Games somehow, that could be 08:36.479 --> 08:38.880 ESPN. Like, there's some really 08:38.880 --> 08:41.360 incredible stories coming out of ESPN. 08:41.360 --> 08:43.680 And you think of that, it's not just 08:43.680 --> 08:47.440 focused on studios, it's focused on 08:47.440 --> 08:50.240 everything the Walt Disney Company does 08:50.240 --> 08:52.080 and is about. And I think that's an 08:52.080 --> 08:56.480 important thing because one of the the 08:56.480 --> 08:58.399 focal points, I guess you could say, of 08:58.399 --> 09:00.560 the announcement of both Josh and Dana 09:00.560 --> 09:04.399 this morning is that the number one 09:04.399 --> 09:07.360 thing is storytelling. 09:07.360 --> 09:09.760 And I think there's going to be new ways 09:09.760 --> 09:11.519 that we experience that and new ways 09:11.519 --> 09:14.240 that that's presented. But at the end of 09:14.240 --> 09:16.800 the day, they're really bringing both 09:16.800 --> 09:21.440 Josh and Dana in to be the ultimate 09:21.440 --> 09:23.120 storytellers. 09:23.120 --> 09:24.320 And that's going to be an interesting 09:24.320 --> 09:27.600 thing because both of them, I would say, 09:27.600 --> 09:30.160 have creative elements and both of them, 09:30.160 --> 09:32.399 I would say, have very solid uh 09:32.399 --> 09:34.800 operational elements to their jobs. And 09:34.800 --> 09:36.320 so you've got Josh coming out of 09:36.320 --> 09:38.000 experiences, you've got Dana coming out 09:38.000 --> 09:40.560 of entertainment, and you've got two 09:40.560 --> 09:43.120 people that have similar, but probably 09:43.120 --> 09:46.640 contrasting at some level of gifts for 09:46.640 --> 09:49.600 both operation and imagination. And 09:49.600 --> 09:51.120 traditionally what we've seen with the 09:51.120 --> 09:52.880 Walt Disney Company, when you have two 09:52.880 --> 09:54.640 people that are kind of paired up like 09:54.640 --> 09:57.040 this, you see a Walt and a Roy or you 09:57.040 --> 09:59.360 see a Michael Eisner and a Frank Wells. 09:59.360 --> 10:01.279 Uh Bob Iger kind of just did his own 10:01.279 --> 10:03.839 thing and and I think he's an anomaly 10:03.839 --> 10:06.080 both as a CEO and then also as a leader 10:06.080 --> 10:08.959 of the Walt Disney Company, but with 10:08.959 --> 10:11.120 what we're going to see with Josh and 10:11.120 --> 10:13.440 Dana is two people that are very 10:13.440 --> 10:15.519 talented on multiple fronts that are 10:15.519 --> 10:17.600 really sharing the load. And I think 10:17.600 --> 10:19.440 it's smart to set things up this way 10:19.440 --> 10:20.880 because you do have to have a person 10:20.880 --> 10:22.880 where the buck stops and that will be 10:22.880 --> 10:24.720 Josh. 10:24.720 --> 10:26.720 But in this case, we're not going to see 10:26.720 --> 10:29.440 a true like this is the creative person 10:29.440 --> 10:32.320 and this is the operational person. Um 10:32.320 --> 10:34.720 because both have proven that they can 10:34.720 --> 10:37.200 be quite competent with this. And so I 10:37.200 --> 10:39.279 kind of almost think you're seeing a 10:39.279 --> 10:43.760 more um a teamwork approach where the 10:43.760 --> 10:45.839 load is shared 10:45.839 --> 10:48.079 probably based on passion points if I 10:48.079 --> 10:51.200 were to make a guess versus being, hey, 10:51.200 --> 10:53.839 this is Josh. he's our creative guy and 10:53.839 --> 10:55.360 Dana's going to take care of the 10:55.360 --> 10:57.920 operational components so that Josh can 10:57.920 --> 10:59.440 keep being creative, which would be a 10:59.440 --> 11:02.399 very Walt and Roy approach. And I just 11:02.399 --> 11:04.320 don't think that's what we're looking at 11:04.320 --> 11:06.000 here. I don't think it's that 11:06.000 --> 11:09.760 traditional creative and supporting, you 11:09.760 --> 11:11.680 know, supported by an operational uh 11:11.680 --> 11:13.519 person at the top. I think what we're 11:13.519 --> 11:16.079 seeing is two people that are competent 11:16.079 --> 11:19.120 leaders and competent executives that 11:19.120 --> 11:21.440 know how to inspire and lead people at 11:21.440 --> 11:24.000 the top and together they're going to 11:24.000 --> 11:27.279 just have a a reach where, you know, 11:27.279 --> 11:29.600 there might be different strengths and 11:29.600 --> 11:31.279 weaknesses that each have that they can 11:31.279 --> 11:34.160 help supplement. But it'll be very it'll 11:34.160 --> 11:35.760 be very interesting to watch and that's 11:35.760 --> 11:38.240 a little bit harder to predict. It'll 11:38.240 --> 11:40.720 also be very interesting to see how 11:40.720 --> 11:42.640 their relationships with the segments 11:42.640 --> 11:45.360 they haven't necessarily uh been working 11:45.360 --> 11:48.480 with on a day-to-day basis in the the 11:48.480 --> 11:50.480 traditional sense work. So, you know, 11:50.480 --> 11:53.600 Dana with Experiences and in ESPN and 11:53.600 --> 11:57.040 Josh with with Entertainment and uh ESPN 11:57.040 --> 11:59.279 as well. And the thing to to keep in 11:59.279 --> 12:00.720 mind with this, at least from my 12:00.720 --> 12:02.880 observations, is they're already all 12:02.880 --> 12:04.800 working together. Like the synergy at 12:04.800 --> 12:07.120 the Walt Disney Company is incredible. 12:07.120 --> 12:09.360 and they've already got working 12:09.360 --> 12:12.959 knowledge of how these things operate. 12:12.959 --> 12:14.560 What they might not have though is the 12:14.560 --> 12:17.680 day-to-day intricacies of, you know, 12:17.680 --> 12:19.680 this is how movies are made 12:19.680 --> 12:21.600 specifically. You know, these are the 12:21.600 --> 12:23.839 the the right ways to go about things. 12:23.839 --> 12:24.800 You know, there there's going to be a 12:24.800 --> 12:27.360 learning process. I can only assume. 12:27.360 --> 12:29.279 What I do know though is that learning 12:29.279 --> 12:33.120 process has already begun. So Bob Iger, 12:33.120 --> 12:34.480 we've known he's going to be retiring 12:34.480 --> 12:36.959 for quite some time. He came back three 12:36.959 --> 12:39.440 years ago, I believe it is now, and 12:39.440 --> 12:44.240 almost four. Uh, but he came in really 12:44.240 --> 12:47.120 to write the ship. And the Walt Disney 12:47.120 --> 12:49.120 Company was was kind of in in a 12:49.120 --> 12:51.839 dangerous place where it had gotten 12:51.839 --> 12:55.680 itself into a a position where activist 12:55.680 --> 12:59.200 investors could have come in and really 12:59.200 --> 13:02.320 made some changes that probably would 13:02.320 --> 13:04.560 have led to short-term financial 13:04.560 --> 13:06.880 benefits for shareholders, but really 13:06.880 --> 13:09.600 could have damaged the brand long term. 13:09.600 --> 13:11.760 And and so when Bob Iger was brought 13:11.760 --> 13:15.519 back in, he really focused on riding the 13:15.519 --> 13:18.720 ship, creating a solid 13:18.720 --> 13:21.200 foundation for whoever would be his 13:21.200 --> 13:24.480 eventual successor and and really 13:24.480 --> 13:26.480 setting up 13:26.480 --> 13:28.959 the, you know, setting up the shot to 13:28.959 --> 13:30.800 use a ba a baseball or basketball 13:30.800 --> 13:33.680 analogy, but uh he really was setting up 13:33.680 --> 13:36.320 the company for who came next and what 13:36.320 --> 13:39.040 the future of the company would be. And 13:39.040 --> 13:42.000 he did that by reorganizing the company 13:42.000 --> 13:43.760 into what it is today, which will be 13:43.760 --> 13:46.880 experiences, ESPN or sports, and then 13:46.880 --> 13:48.560 also the entertainment segments, which 13:48.560 --> 13:50.959 is just three segments. It's a very 13:50.959 --> 13:52.800 solid and easy to understand 13:52.800 --> 13:54.320 organizational structure. It'll be 13:54.320 --> 13:56.560 interesting to see if that gets tweaked 13:56.560 --> 13:58.800 at all in the future. You know, you 13:58.800 --> 14:00.399 could almost argue now that there's a 14:00.399 --> 14:02.560 fourth segment in the marketing role 14:02.560 --> 14:05.199 under Assad Aziz. And it'll be 14:05.199 --> 14:07.680 interesting to see how that plays out. 14:07.680 --> 14:10.639 But what Bob Iger has done is he's 14:10.639 --> 14:13.600 really worked with the current board 14:13.600 --> 14:17.279 under the leadership of James Gorman to 14:17.279 --> 14:20.079 make sure that the future in this 14:20.079 --> 14:21.839 succession 14:21.839 --> 14:24.959 from his role as CEO to senior adviser 14:24.959 --> 14:27.760 to retirement 14:27.760 --> 14:30.880 is much smoother than the one that was 14:30.880 --> 14:32.800 when Bob Iger tried to do it before with 14:32.800 --> 14:36.079 Bob Chapeek. And and part of this is you 14:36.079 --> 14:38.320 learn like I I give Disney lots of 14:38.320 --> 14:40.959 credit is you see throughout the company 14:40.959 --> 14:43.040 at different points when things don't 14:43.040 --> 14:45.440 work Disney generally learns from these 14:45.440 --> 14:49.600 things and and tries to do better. 14:49.600 --> 14:52.320 And so what we're seeing now is Disney 14:52.320 --> 14:55.360 has been very rigorous about making sure 14:55.360 --> 15:00.320 that this process is very smooth. They 15:00.320 --> 15:01.519 want to make sure they have the right 15:01.519 --> 15:03.360 people in the right places and they're 15:03.360 --> 15:05.519 heading in the right direction. And so 15:05.519 --> 15:07.440 what we're seeing this time and what I 15:07.440 --> 15:09.600 predict that we will see this time is 15:09.600 --> 15:13.440 not a huge change when Josh and Dana 15:13.440 --> 15:15.440 take over on March 18th. What we're 15:15.440 --> 15:17.680 going to see instead is more of a 15:17.680 --> 15:20.480 progression instead of a pivot. And so 15:20.480 --> 15:23.440 you're not going to see a sudden like, 15:23.440 --> 15:25.440 oh, this project's not happening anymore 15:25.440 --> 15:28.000 or, oh, we're now completely 15:28.000 --> 15:30.720 reorganizing the company again. So, we 15:30.720 --> 15:33.600 will instead see, you know, the Monsters 15:33.600 --> 15:35.519 Inc. land continue to be built. The 15:35.519 --> 15:38.160 Avatar Land at or area at Disneyland 15:38.160 --> 15:39.839 probably still getting built. Coco 15:39.839 --> 15:42.560 definitely still happening. Like the the 15:42.560 --> 15:45.920 projects that are already in process are 15:45.920 --> 15:47.440 going to keep going and you're going to 15:47.440 --> 15:49.600 see more progress on them. And this is 15:49.600 --> 15:52.160 as I'm thinking about this 15:52.160 --> 15:55.040 with Josh Dearo at the top. Of course, 15:55.040 --> 15:56.480 the projects that he put at Disney 15:56.480 --> 15:57.920 Experiences are going to keep moving 15:57.920 --> 16:01.360 forward. It'll be interesting to see how 16:01.360 --> 16:04.480 the initiatives and the movies and the 16:04.480 --> 16:06.399 different things coming out of 16:06.399 --> 16:09.199 entertainment and and sports continue as 16:09.199 --> 16:11.839 well. But I would predict that we are 16:11.839 --> 16:14.800 going to see a pretty 16:14.800 --> 16:17.680 I don't know a pretty straightforward 16:17.680 --> 16:20.639 uh transition that we'll see Josh and 16:20.639 --> 16:24.639 Dana continuing to move forward. What 16:24.639 --> 16:26.639 we're also going to see as this moves 16:26.639 --> 16:31.279 forward is not just a status quo. That's 16:31.279 --> 16:34.000 dangerous. What we are going to see is 16:34.000 --> 16:38.240 the probably gradual peeling of the 16:38.240 --> 16:41.600 onion of what Josh and Dana's visions 16:41.600 --> 16:43.440 are for the future. And they've shared 16:43.440 --> 16:45.120 this with the board over the course of 16:45.120 --> 16:49.360 this um secession process that 16:49.360 --> 16:52.959 succession process I can speak. Um so 16:52.959 --> 16:55.279 the board already knows a lot of this. 16:55.279 --> 16:57.120 We're going to hear these things in the 16:57.120 --> 16:59.839 coming days, months, and years. And I 16:59.839 --> 17:01.600 think one of the big places we'll hear 17:01.600 --> 17:03.759 some of this will be at D23 this summer 17:03.759 --> 17:06.000 in August. And that will be very fun to 17:06.000 --> 17:09.438 hear. Um what's coming in the future, 17:09.439 --> 17:11.678 you know, from Disneyland Abu Dhabi to 17:11.679 --> 17:14.319 future movies to 17:14.319 --> 17:16.400 uh streaming even like what is the 17:16.400 --> 17:17.918 future of streaming look like? Because 17:17.919 --> 17:20.400 we're still in this uh pivot. This is 17:20.400 --> 17:21.918 where we are in a pivot point is we're 17:21.919 --> 17:25.280 kind of pivoting from the old way of uh 17:25.280 --> 17:28.319 digesting media to a new way. I mean, 17:28.319 --> 17:29.919 how many people still have cable? How 17:29.919 --> 17:33.360 many people, even fewer, still watch off 17:33.360 --> 17:36.240 of uh airwaves? Like, people just don't 17:36.240 --> 17:40.160 use antennas anymore to to watch TV. We 17:40.160 --> 17:42.240 use our phones, we use computers, we use 17:42.240 --> 17:44.720 iPads, whatever it is. And it'll be very 17:44.720 --> 17:47.200 interesting to see how that progresses 17:47.200 --> 17:50.880 and how the the innovation and the 17:50.880 --> 17:53.600 immersiveness continues to grow because 17:53.600 --> 17:55.440 I think one of the things you could see 17:55.440 --> 18:00.160 as we move forward is the lines between 18:00.160 --> 18:02.400 entertainment and the experiences 18:02.400 --> 18:06.960 segments uh get further blurred and this 18:06.960 --> 18:08.880 will be fantastic. So, you know, the 18:08.880 --> 18:11.360 lines between a Star Wars movie and in 18:11.360 --> 18:13.760 Galaxy's Edge, further blurred. The 18:13.760 --> 18:15.919 lines lines between uh you know, we've 18:15.919 --> 18:17.600 got Avengers Doomsday coming out later 18:17.600 --> 18:19.600 this year and what we see in Avengers 18:19.600 --> 18:23.440 Campus also further blurred. And these 18:23.440 --> 18:25.760 stories that we see on screens, big and 18:25.760 --> 18:29.440 small, will just continue onto, you 18:29.440 --> 18:31.679 know, our phones and our our devices at 18:31.679 --> 18:34.559 home and then into the parks as well. 18:34.559 --> 18:36.480 And not only will they continue these 18:36.480 --> 18:38.720 stories, but I actually do think we're 18:38.720 --> 18:41.200 going to see that people will become 18:41.200 --> 18:44.400 more of the stories as they they get to 18:44.400 --> 18:46.559 experience them and be a part of them. 18:46.559 --> 18:49.440 And I think Galaxy's Edge really is for 18:49.440 --> 18:51.600 all of its pros and cons with with 18:51.600 --> 18:53.919 making guests and cast members part of 18:53.919 --> 18:55.440 the stories. They've done a really good 18:55.440 --> 18:57.760 job of it. I was spending an afternoon 18:57.760 --> 19:01.200 out there a week or two ago and just 19:01.200 --> 19:04.240 watching, you know, Ry interacting with 19:04.240 --> 19:08.320 little recruits or you've got um the 19:08.320 --> 19:10.880 First Order running around looking for 19:10.880 --> 19:12.559 spies for the resistance. Like, they've 19:12.559 --> 19:15.840 really done a good job of taking that 19:15.840 --> 19:18.160 era of Star Wars and taking it to a new 19:18.160 --> 19:19.440 level. Actually, multiple levels because 19:19.440 --> 19:21.039 we've got the Mandalorian stuff going 19:21.039 --> 19:24.000 on, too. But they've done a great job of 19:24.000 --> 19:25.919 taking what you see on screen and 19:25.919 --> 19:28.080 letting you be a part of that story. And 19:28.080 --> 19:30.000 I think we're going to see more of that 19:30.000 --> 19:33.200 in the future. So the big date for all 19:33.200 --> 19:37.520 of this is going to be March 18th, 2026. 19:37.520 --> 19:41.200 And then we really maybe we'll see it 19:41.200 --> 19:42.640 beforehand. Then we're going to really 19:42.640 --> 19:45.919 start seeing what does that future look 19:45.919 --> 19:47.440 like. There's going to be new 19:47.440 --> 19:48.960 technology. You know, you've got the 19:48.960 --> 19:50.799 open AI deal going on. and you've got 19:50.799 --> 19:53.600 the new NFL partnership, 19:53.600 --> 19:57.679 but I really think there's a a spirit of 19:57.679 --> 20:02.240 Walt that is definitely embodied in in 20:02.240 --> 20:05.200 Josh Demaro. And as we get to know Dana 20:05.200 --> 20:07.200 Walden better, I think is there as well. 20:07.200 --> 20:10.480 They're both worldclass storytellers and 20:10.480 --> 20:13.679 they legitimately care about the stories 20:13.679 --> 20:16.080 that are told and how they're told and 20:16.080 --> 20:18.559 and the people that get to to experience 20:18.559 --> 20:22.799 them. And that's an exciting place for 20:22.799 --> 20:26.559 us to be as Disney fans because what 20:26.559 --> 20:30.799 we're now seeing is we're in a an era of 20:30.799 --> 20:34.799 Disney where Bob Iger has basically run 20:34.799 --> 20:37.840 the company for about 20 years. And 20:37.840 --> 20:41.919 during those 20 years, we've seen really 20:41.919 --> 20:45.200 an expansion of the foundation that's 20:45.200 --> 20:47.679 going to take us to the future 20 or the 20:47.679 --> 20:50.000 next 20 years. So we've seen, you know, 20:50.000 --> 20:51.919 the studios being purchased, whether 20:51.919 --> 20:54.960 it's Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel, 20th 20:54.960 --> 20:59.120 Century. Those are stories that are 20:59.120 --> 21:01.360 foundational to what's going on in the 21:01.360 --> 21:03.440 future of the Walt Disney Company. And 21:03.440 --> 21:05.360 and so we'll have more Pixar, we'll have 21:05.360 --> 21:08.159 more Star Wars, we'll have more um 21:08.159 --> 21:12.159 Simpsons, we'll have more Avengers, all 21:12.159 --> 21:15.679 of these stories. And what Bob Iger 21:15.679 --> 21:18.080 really did was he he built up the 21:18.080 --> 21:21.600 library of possibilities 21:21.600 --> 21:24.080 for where the Walt Disney could go. And 21:24.080 --> 21:27.120 and so now you have or or an arsenal 21:27.120 --> 21:28.640 actually is probably a better word. He 21:28.640 --> 21:31.600 he filled that arsenal and he will be 21:31.600 --> 21:35.280 passing that on to Josh and Dana and 21:35.280 --> 21:37.919 they get to take that and use this 21:37.919 --> 21:41.600 arsenal of tools and stories and studios 21:41.600 --> 21:44.559 and technology that have been integrated 21:44.559 --> 21:46.080 into the Walt Disney Company over the 21:46.080 --> 21:49.679 last 20 years. And they really get to to 21:49.679 --> 21:52.880 fine-tune them and 21:52.880 --> 21:55.280 really reimagine what they're going to 21:55.280 --> 21:57.120 look like in the future. You think of 21:57.120 --> 22:00.240 20th century, this this, 22:00.240 --> 22:02.640 you know, fantastic 22:02.640 --> 22:05.039 old school studio that's being, you 22:05.039 --> 22:07.039 know, reinvented as we're moving to the 22:07.039 --> 22:09.520 future. And 22:09.520 --> 22:11.919 it'll be very interesting to see what 22:11.919 --> 22:14.000 exactly they do with all of these tools 22:14.000 --> 22:16.799 in their arsenal. And 22:16.799 --> 22:20.960 where Bob Iger's reign was very much an 22:20.960 --> 22:25.360 acquisition era, I kind of think we're 22:25.360 --> 22:28.159 turning and pivoting into an innovation 22:28.159 --> 22:30.400 era. And and we'll see if this turns out 22:30.400 --> 22:33.760 to be right. But um it'll be 22:33.760 --> 22:35.679 interesting. I I think, you know, as we 22:35.679 --> 22:38.159 look back, we're going to see the IGER 22:38.159 --> 22:40.000 era was I'm going to go with this. The 22:40.000 --> 22:44.159 Iger era was an acquisition growth era. 22:44.159 --> 22:46.480 And I think the next era, especially 22:46.480 --> 22:49.520 with just how technology and how 22:49.520 --> 22:53.200 accessible technology is and um the 22:53.200 --> 22:55.520 possibilities that are there, that the 22:55.520 --> 22:58.960 next era there might be acquisitions. I 22:58.960 --> 23:00.400 really think it's going to be more about 23:00.400 --> 23:02.799 innovation. And and as I'm thinking and 23:02.799 --> 23:05.200 flushing this thought out in my head um 23:05.200 --> 23:07.200 as I do this live because the news just 23:07.200 --> 23:10.159 came out um I think that's something 23:10.159 --> 23:13.120 we've already been seeing Josh Dearo do 23:13.120 --> 23:15.440 in the experiences segment whether it's 23:15.440 --> 23:17.840 through you know the robots that are you 23:17.840 --> 23:19.679 know the BDX robots that are absolutely 23:19.679 --> 23:23.039 adorable and and semiautonomous and some 23:23.039 --> 23:25.600 of the new you know attraction 23:25.600 --> 23:28.240 experiences we've had in the last couple 23:28.240 --> 23:30.000 of years and the ones we have to look 23:30.000 --> 23:32.320 forward too. I I really I'm going to 23:32.320 --> 23:33.679 double down on that. I think the next 23:33.679 --> 23:35.360 era is going to be one of innovation and 23:35.360 --> 23:38.080 that's going to be very fun to see how 23:38.080 --> 23:40.480 they innovate and imagine new ways to 23:40.480 --> 23:43.520 storytell uh as we're looking towards 23:43.520 --> 23:47.440 this new era with uh Josh Diamaro and 23:47.440 --> 23:49.360 Dana Walden leading the Walt Disney 23:49.360 --> 23:51.120 Company. What it comes down to for 23:51.120 --> 23:53.120 movies, I don't know. Like that will be 23:53.120 --> 23:56.080 a very interesting thing to see as well. 23:56.080 --> 23:58.320 I'm also very curious. I think a big 23:58.320 --> 24:00.559 question mark is who will end up leading 24:00.559 --> 24:02.240 Disney experiences. I think there are 24:02.240 --> 24:04.720 some fantastic candidates out there um 24:04.720 --> 24:07.280 that are on our horizon. Um whether 24:07.280 --> 24:08.880 it's, you know, the leader of of 24:08.880 --> 24:11.120 Disneyland Paris, you could see Ken 24:11.120 --> 24:13.760 Patra, you could see Thomas Masloom, you 24:13.760 --> 24:16.400 could see Michael Morardi. Um, there's 24:16.400 --> 24:17.760 quite a few different people and those 24:17.760 --> 24:19.120 are just the ones that popped into my 24:19.120 --> 24:21.600 head and that could be an entire podcast 24:21.600 --> 24:24.720 on its own uh discussing who could end 24:24.720 --> 24:26.159 up taking the reigns of Disney 24:26.159 --> 24:29.039 experiences in taking this segment to 24:29.039 --> 24:31.360 the next level. And a a lot of what we 24:31.360 --> 24:33.760 do as Disney fans is focused on Disney 24:33.760 --> 24:35.360 experiences because we go to the parks 24:35.360 --> 24:38.799 and because we love seeing, you know, 24:38.799 --> 24:40.960 the new attractions that come and the 24:40.960 --> 24:43.200 new shows and the new parades and the 24:43.200 --> 24:45.760 new fireworks and and other innovations 24:45.760 --> 24:47.919 that are coming and we don't even know 24:47.919 --> 24:51.679 like it's going to be great. So, I think 24:51.679 --> 24:54.159 it's going to be a very exciting era to 24:54.159 --> 24:56.240 follow along with Disney news. I hope 24:56.240 --> 24:58.960 that you will follow along with us as we 24:58.960 --> 25:01.440 continue to cover this story and so many 25:01.440 --> 25:03.919 more on dapsmagic.com. [music] We do 25:03.919 --> 25:07.039 have an article about Dana and Josh's 25:07.039 --> 25:09.039 announcement this morning that has 25:09.039 --> 25:11.279 quotes [music] from them and kind of a 25:11.279 --> 25:12.960 definition of what's going on moving 25:12.960 --> 25:15.039 forward and how this [music] transition 25:15.039 --> 25:16.720 is actually going to take place. You can 25:16.720 --> 25:18.720 find that on dapsmagic.com. 25:18.720 --> 25:20.960 Make sure as always to head on over to 25:20.960 --> 25:23.200 Dapsmagic HQ [music] so that you can 25:23.200 --> 25:26.159 geek out about this and so much more as 25:26.159 --> 25:29.600 we uh we just love covering this stuff. 25:29.600 --> 25:31.679 You know, we love to focus on Disney and 25:31.679 --> 25:34.320 positive stuff. And in the world that's 25:34.320 --> 25:36.320 so difficult and has so many things 25:36.320 --> 25:40.080 throwing at you on on a daily basis, I 25:40.080 --> 25:41.760 think it's good to have a place that you 25:41.760 --> 25:44.799 can escape and and focus on some of the 25:44.799 --> 25:46.640 fun things in life. And and I firmly 25:46.640 --> 25:48.960 believe that what you focus on grows and 25:48.960 --> 25:50.640 I think you do need to have that 25:50.640 --> 25:52.159 positivity that you can [music] focus 25:52.159 --> 25:55.120 on. Um just cuz you know let's have more 25:55.120 --> 25:57.440 positive. Let's let's build that up. So 25:57.440 --> 26:00.000 we'd love to see you over on DAPS HQ and 26:00.000 --> 26:01.520 uh you could also connect with us on 26:01.520 --> 26:04.400 social media on YouTube. We're there. 26:04.400 --> 26:06.480 It's fantastic and and we love geeking 26:06.480 --> 26:08.720 it out out about Disney and positive 26:08.720 --> 26:11.679 stuff with you. Also, if you feel like 26:11.679 --> 26:13.919 it, I would love a review wherever 26:13.919 --> 26:15.919 you're listening to this podcast. It 26:15.919 --> 26:18.880 does help us get seen. It helps us get 26:18.880 --> 26:21.520 uh more opportunities. And I'd love to 26:21.520 --> 26:23.200 hear from you what you would like to 26:23.200 --> 26:26.480 hear on future episodes of DAPS magic, 26:26.480 --> 26:28.320 Disney, and positive stuff because at 26:28.320 --> 26:30.559 the end of the day, we do this together. 26:30.559 --> 26:32.799 And I would much rather have 26:32.799 --> 26:35.760 conversations with [music] you that are 26:35.760 --> 26:37.520 really your core interest. Like, let's 26:37.520 --> 26:39.840 make it as fun as we can for everybody. 26:39.840 --> 26:41.440 doesn't always need to be me picking all 26:41.440 --> 26:43.458 the topics and the interviews and 26:43.458 --> 26:46.000 [music] and whatever else is going on. 26:46.000 --> 26:47.919 As always, remember every Tuesday night 26:47.919 --> 26:49.919 you can catch us live on Geekscorner and 26:49.919 --> 26:51.919 you can go to geekscorner.live to do 26:51.919 --> 26:54.960 that. And we are on 8:30 every Tuesday 26:54.960 --> 26:56.880 night live. And then if you're a member 26:56.880 --> 26:59.520 of Dapsmagic HQ, you can catch us 26:59.520 --> 27:01.360 afterwards for a special after show 27:01.360 --> 27:03.840 called Daps After Dark. And you can bet 27:03.840 --> 27:06.960 that this week will be focused on Dana 27:06.960 --> 27:09.840 and Josh. Once again, a huge 27:09.840 --> 27:11.919 congratulations to Josh Diamaro. We 27:11.919 --> 27:13.679 couldn't ask for a better guy to lead 27:13.679 --> 27:16.159 Disney into this next era and a huge 27:16.159 --> 27:18.320 congratulations to Dana Walden. I can't 27:18.320 --> 27:20.320 wait to see what you do in this new 27:20.320 --> 27:23.600 role. And I just can't wait to see 27:23.600 --> 27:26.080 what's coming for the future with 27:26.080 --> 27:28.880 Disney. This feels like the right people 27:28.880 --> 27:31.279 at the right time heading in the [music] 27:31.279 --> 27:33.440 right direction. Let me know what your 27:33.440 --> 27:35.520 thoughts are. I'd love to hear them. Let 27:35.520 --> 27:37.600 me know who you think should take over 27:37.600 --> 27:39.200 Disney Experiences and let me know where 27:39.200 --> 27:41.840 you think the company is going. I have 27:41.840 --> 27:45.360 my own ideas, but uh I am not the only 27:45.360 --> 27:48.799 person that knows anything. You know, I 27:48.799 --> 27:50.240 might just be a talking head for all I 27:50.240 --> 27:52.799 know. Who knows? [music] Anyway, hope 27:52.799 --> 27:55.120 you're having a fantastic week. Hope you 27:55.120 --> 27:57.840 make it a fantastic week. And always 27:57.840 --> 28:01.880 remember, keep kind.