hollywood melon man

Chapter 158 Fighting
Disney was in decline for a while after the death of Walt Disney.

Under the leadership of Walt Disney, Disney has created a content ecosystem with three main businesses: content production, channel distribution, and peripheral derivatives.

In the early days of Hollywood, the status of directors and actors was far less important than it is now.

At best, they are employees of the film company, far inferior to their current status as partners, which results in very low utilization of personnel and assets.

In order to reduce costs, leading Hollywood film and television companies have carried out project system reforms, treating the production and distribution of each movie as an independent project.

When establishing a project, a team is temporarily formed in the form of outsourcing to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

But this outsourcing operation model is also a double-edged sword. While reducing costs, it also lowers the entry threshold for the entire industry.

This is one of the reasons why when the Internet era came, Netflix and Apple, whose main content was streaming media, were able to have a huge impact on traditional giants.

However, for Disney, it has not carried out a thorough project system reform in order to thoroughly implement the company's corporate culture and output unified values ​​and content.

So when Disney is raising employees while developing new technologies, the system will inevitably become rigid over time.

By the time Michael Eisner came on stage, employees in Disney's film and television department had developed a lazy style of clocking in and out on time, and had long since lost the fighting spirit and creativity they had during the Walt Disney era.

Content creation was just one of the many problems faced by Disney at the time. In terms of distribution channels, most live-action films were not associated with Disney because of its adherence to the company's corporate cultural values.

Although Disney can still maintain its animated film business with the copyright it holds, the collapse of its live-action film business prompted Michael Eisner to make up his mind to carry out reforms.

Since 1984, Disney has continuously acquired and created various subsidiaries, including Buena Vista Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, and just at the beginning of the year, it also acquired Miramax Pictures.

Michael Eisner has only one reform strategy, which is to align everything with money, with all business sectors aiming at profit, establishing a system of accountability, and professionals taking charge of professional matters.

Under a series of reforms, Disney was reborn. Animated films such as "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" were all born during this period.

Judging from the development of Disney, Michael Eisner has contributed a lot.

Logically speaking, such a leader with outstanding merits should be given higher respect within Disney, but the fact is exactly the opposite.

Perhaps because he felt that he had devoted a lot of effort to Disney, Michael Eisner was not willing to be a professional manager.

Then I watched Disney, who had single-handedly brought the business empire to its peak, once again decline under the leadership of the unscrupulous descendants of the Disney family.

Michael Eisner brazenly seized power and became the chairman and CEO of Disney. He has great power, but this will inevitably affect the interests of the Disney family in Disney.

Although Michael Eisner has great power, Disney has not changed his surname to Eisner, and a large number of shares are still in the hands of Disney family members.

It's just that the Disney family is also fragmented and unable to unite effectively, so it didn't cause trouble for Michael Eisner.

But all this changed when Michael Eisner gave up his position as CEO and let his childhood friend Michael Ovitz serve as Disney CEO.

Michael Eisner's original idea was to let Michael Ovitz be a puppet and continue to hold the CEO position indirectly.

But it turns out that indirect is not as good as direct.

Due to internal pressure, Michael Eisner's originally strong style regressed, which inspired those who opposed him at the top of the board of directors.

Coupled with the fact that Michael Ovitz was not like a puppet at all and was connecting people at the top, Michael Eisner found that the company was gradually out of his control.

Especially in the live-action film business, Michael Ovitz, with the support of members of the Disney family, snatched the hottest Little Gilbert film project from him.

If Gilbert Jr. turns to Michael Ovitz in Disney's internal disputes, he will lose a trump card at Disney.

Of course, this only refers to the live-action film business.

Gilbert Jr. is important, but not as important as other parts of Disney's business.

In the final analysis, Disney's core assets are the animation copyrights, the profits from peripheral channels brought by these animations, and the world-famous Disneyland.

It can be said that even if the live-action film project completely fails, as long as these animation copyrights, peripheral products and Disneyland projects are retained, Disney will still be Disney.

But things are different now. There are big problems with the Disneyland project, and Michael Ovitz sees an opportunity.

He took the opportunity to launch an attack at the board meeting, trying to wrest more power from Michael Ainas and extend his hand into Disney's core business sectors.

"Last year, we had big problems with our park project. Compared with 1994, peripheral products dropped by %.

The revenue of park projects has dropped sharply by 5%, especially Disneyland Paris, which suffered a loss of US$3.5 million.

This is unacceptable to Disney. There is a big problem within our company and we urgently need to change it. "

Michael Ovitz made an impassioned speech at the Disney board meeting, as if he had returned to the CAA period, calling the shots and controlling everything.

But unlike during the CAA period, there was Michael Eisner above him.

The members of the board of directors were listening quietly to Michael Ovitz's speech. Some shareholders also looked at Michael Eisner, and a few of them had expressions of gloating on their faces.

Michael Eisner looked calm on the surface, as if Disney's declining performance had nothing to do with him.

But judging from his clenched fists, his heart was not as calm as his appearance.

Robert Iger, as the head of a Disney subsidiary, is certainly eligible to attend board meetings. As a confidant of Michael Eisner, he had to speak out.

"Mr. Ovitz, please note that the decline in Disney's profits is more due to objective reasons. Not only us, Warner, Fox, and Paramount also experienced declines in the peripheral business sector last year."

Michael Ovitz seemed to have anticipated this question. He patted the table to show his authority as CEO: "Bob, as a Disney executive, don't you know that these businesses are our core sectors?"

"Of course I know, but Mr. Ovitz..."

Before Robert Egger finished speaking, he was interrupted by Michael Ovitz: "As far as I know, the Disneyland Paris project was originally opposed by the board of directors, and someone forced it to be built in Paris.

However, now this project has incurred losses and someone must be held responsible. "

All the board members' eyes were on Michael Eisner, because it was Michael Eisner who had built Disneyland Paris.

Robert Egger is silent now. He is responsible for the live-action film business, and the channels and peripheral departments are not under his control.

He couldn't afford it, so he had to wait and see how Michael Eisner would deal with it.

Although Michael Ovitz suddenly attacked today, it was a bit unexpected. But Michael Eisner has been weathered for a long time, and he can still handle this scene. He drummed his fingers on the table, as was his custom.

When many shareholders heard the sound of knocking on the table, they involuntarily straightened their bodies and listened carefully to Michael Eisner's speech like respectful subordinates.

This is a phenomenon caused by Michael Eisner's autocratic power over the years, and many shareholders have involuntarily formed this attitude towards Michael Eisner.

However, today's action of knocking on the table was a bit weak. It seemed that the situation was out of Michael Asner's control.

After all the board members looked at him, Michael Eisner said: “Disneyland Paris is for the development of Disney in Europe.

Profitability is not the focus. Promoting the brand and seeking long-term development are the main goals. "

Although there are some losses, those losses are nothing to Disney and it is completely affordable. Smart board members also know that this is no reason to attack Michael Eisner.

But it depends on how to do it and how to do it.

In the past, Michael Eisner had no opponent and no one could compete with him for power, but now the situation has changed a lot.

Without Michael Ovitz speaking, a member of the Disney family immediately said: "Mr. Eisner, I remember that the directors on the board of directors were opposed to the Disneyland Paris project.

It was you who forced his way through and built Disneyland Paris.

Remember what you said originally? Through Disneyland Paris, it serves as a business card to promote Disney culture throughout Europe.

But now Europeans don't buy it. Not only are they losing money, but there have also been protests in the past few years since the park opened.

This did not achieve the effect of promoting the brand, but made Europe hate Disney even more. "

This was indeed true, and Michael Eisner could not refute it, so he had to remain silent. In the past, whenever he looked at someone, that person would be trembling with fear, but now his eyes were no longer so lethal.

Is this not possible? Seeing that Michael Eisner didn't react, Michael Ovitz's face lit up. Finally, Michael Eisner was about to give in.

He pursued victory: "I suggest promoting the reform of Disneyland Paris and cooperating with the French government and cultural circles to bring new development opportunities to Disneyland Paris."

John Disney and Michael Ovitz have been secretly linked for a long time.

He immediately stood up and said: "I suggest that Mr. Ovitz be in charge of the Disneyland Paris project and promote the development of the park project in Europe."

The suggestion was clever. He did not take the opportunity to offer to take charge of all Disneyland projects but just one of them, to avoid a backlash from Michael Eisner.

But Disneyland Paris is of great significance because it is the second Disneyland outside the United States and the first in Europe.

The first one is Tokyo Disneyland, which was developed with the economic assistance of the United States after the war. There is a widespread admiration for beauty among the younger generation of the island country, and they have a strong sense of identification with American culture.

Therefore, when Tokyo Disneyland opened, it was immediately welcomed by islanders, especially young people. According to statistics, 97% of the tourists received by Tokyo Disneyland are foreigners.

However, this park project was led by former Disney President Miller and had little to do with Michael Eisner. What was really driven by Michael Eisner was Disneyland Paris.

Unlike island countries, the French look down upon Americans on the North American continent. In addition, the United States was founded with the help of the French, which gives the French a mental advantage.

In the eyes of the French, Americans represent uneducated barbarians.

Paris is not only the capital of France, but also the birthplace and gathering place of modern European culture. As an American culture with a short history, it is indeed very difficult to break away from the traditional European thought and culture and gain a foothold in Paris.

During the construction of Disneyland Paris, some French intellectuals from all walks of life opposed Disney and called it a cultural nuclear leak in the United States.

In October 1989, Disney stock was listed in Europe. At the ceremony, some young people held anti-American placards and threw rotten eggs and tomatoes at Disney executives.

It was against this background that Michael Eisner strongly promoted the opening of Disneyland Paris.

With such a history, it is not surprising that Disneyland Paris suffers losses.

In fact, when we first selected the location, we were considering London or Rome.

But Michael Eisner is personally very obsessed with art. He believes that Paris is the art capital of the world, and building a park here can greatly enhance the cultural value of Disney.

It might be better if it were built in London, since they are cousins ​​after all and the opposition would not be very strong.

Although Britain also has a long history in Europe, the glory of the empire on which the sun never sets has faded away, and it is far inferior to the Gallic roosters who insisted on independence after de Gaulle.

Rome was not good, it was eliminated from the beginning, mainly due to the economic downturn in Italy. The project effect is estimated to be worse than Paris.

At the end of the board meeting, Michael Ovitz, with the support of most shareholders, firmly won the dominance of Disneyland Paris.

Michael Eisner was losing ground and seemed to be losing the power struggle.

But is the situation really as it appears on the board? not necessarily.

Michael Eisner has been in charge of Disney for more than ten years and has gone through ups and downs. He has had a profound impact on the entire Disney, which cannot be erased overnight.

Although Michael Ovitz now has the upper hand, as Robert Egger and Gilbert Jr. said, Michael Ovitz is not capable enough and he still cannot beat Michael Eisner.

So what does this have to do with little Gilbert? He is just a movie maker, and Disney's core business has little to do with him.

Yes, and it has a lot to do with it.

Don't look at the fact that his movies are now jointly managed by Disney's Touchstone Pictures, Warner Pictures, and 20th Century Fox, but Touchstone Pictures is undoubtedly in a dominant position.

Personally speaking, Gilbert Jr. prefers to work with Touchstone Pictures.

The reason is very simple. Warner Pictures and 20th Century Fox each have their own brands. Without Little Gilbert, it is not impossible to play.

But Disney's live-action film business cannot lose him. He is the number one in the live-action film business at Disney, and no matter who comes on stage, they must please him.

Therefore, after the board meeting, both Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz had the same reaction and asked Gilbert Jr. for his opinion.

At this time, little Gilbert was enjoying his time in England, planning to return to North America in a few days to do post-production work on "Saving Private Ryan."

In order to seize the opportunity, give little Gilbert a vaccination first. After Robert Egger talks to little Gilbert, and after little Gilbert returns to North America, he will go to the Melon Manor to communicate with little Gilbert in person.

(End of this chapter)