As Josh D’Amaro prepares to step into the Disney CEO shoes, succeeding Bob Iger, he’s now opening up about his vision for the media and entertainment empire’s future.
Earlier Tuesday, the Walt Disney Co. revealed D’Amaro’s promotion, while also announcing that Dana Walden has been elevated to president and chief creative officer. The pair transitions to their new roles on March 18.
Below are excerpts from D’Amaro and Iger’s sit-down interview with David Muir for ABC World News Tonight about the future of Disney, the company’s legacy, taking risks, protecting actors while embracing AI and more.
On balancing legacy, innovation and Disney’s place in people’s lives…
“I’ve been at the company now for 27 years,” D’Amaro says. “I’ve had the great benefit and the great honor of working with Bob for all of those years. First from a distance and now much more up close and personal. And I’ve watched probably the best of the best balance those two things. As Bob talks about being close to the fans and the guests, this is something that’s important to me. I spend a lot of time in our beloved parks that hundreds of millions of people enjoy every year, and I see firsthand the importance of the brand, what Disney means to them [and] what it means to these families. And when you feel that and you understand the legacy of this place and the fact that you need to keep pushing forward and being innovative, I think I’m ready for that challenge.”
On D’Amaro’s appetite for taking risks…
“Bob’s a big risk taker. I’m a big risk taker,” D’Amaro explains. “And that’s been true my whole life, with how I’ve approached growing as an individual to how I’ve approached the business world. And I think you see that on full display today. I mean, just several months ago, we announced a massive expansion in a new part of the world in Abu Dhabi. We did that quickly, we did it ambitiously, and we knew there was a new part of the world to serve.”
On expanding to the Middle East with Disneyland Abu Dhabi…
“Bob has for quite a long time thought about the Middle East as a place that we’d like to grow,” D’Amaro shares. “And when he came back, we had an opportunity to sit down and say, ‘Let’s go for this. Can we find the right partner? Is this the right part of the world?’ And we quickly determined, yes. We have a great partner that we’re working with, and this part of the world represents a population that is young, that is huge. In fact, within a four-hour flight radius of Abu Dhabi, a third of the world’s population is there.”
On balancing protecting Disney characters and the humans behind the characters while also embracing the future of AI…
“I’m glad you raised that because one of the reasons Josh was chosen for this position is [that] I’ve observed him over the years that we’ve worked together as someone that views technology as an opportunity and not a threat,” Iger says. “And I believe that is critical because when you look at the history of human beings, no generation of human beings has ever been able to stand in the way of technological advances. It happens.”
D’Amaro adds, “The reason this company is so special is because of how creative we are and the human beings that are generating that creativity. In my mind, that never gets replaced. And in fact, this isn’t even a theory anymore. This is real. AI, to Bob’s point, is here. And it’s something that we’re embracing and you’re seeing it supercharged these creatives in amazing ways, and they’ve embraced artificial intelligence. If you were to walk over to their studios today and see them using AI, harnessing 70 years of history, this is when the Walt Disney Co. thrives, when technology intersects with brilliant people and creativity. And we’re in that moment right now.”
On D’Amaro’s hopes for Dana Walden in her new role as president and chief creative officer…
“She is an incredibly powerful executive,” D’Amaro says. “She’s got years and years of experience in this space. She’s exceptionally creative and she’s a great human being. And I think it’s absolutely the right step to continue to push us into this next frontier.”
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