When Bob Iger replaced Michael Eisner as CEO of Disney, many considered him a lightweight who lacked the creative chops. How did he transform from low-key, under-rated CEO to one of America's most successful CEOs?
to directors: “He is not an enlightened or brilliantly creative man, but with a strong board he absolutely could do the job.”
Those overtures did more than soothe bruised egos. They proved to be the foundation of Iger’s success. His charm campaign extended to Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder who propelled Pixar Animation Studios into a juggernaut with such hits as “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo.” In his book, Iger described his painstaking approach to woo George Lucas, the “Star Wars” creator. In 2011, at the opening of the Star Wars attractions in Orlando, Iger invited Lucas to breakfast at the Brown Derby restaurant nearby. There, Iger made a pitch to buy Lucasfilm because he and his lieutenants were eager to fold its “Star Wars” characters into the Disney universe.
Iger also made a priority of bolstering Disney’s theme parks, spending $1 billion to remake California Adventure in Anaheim with new Pixar-centric attractions. That park, which opened in 2001, had been thin on appeal, known as much as a place for parents to get a glass of wine as its soaring rollercoaster. Iger once called it “a brand eyesore.”
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