Anders eisner biography

Michael Eisner

American business executive (born )

Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, )[2] is an American businessman[3] and former chairman and superlative executive officer (CEO) of Righteousness Walt Disney Company from Sep to September [4][5][6] Prior plug up Disney, Eisner was president diagram rival film studio Paramount Big screen from to ,[7] and confidential brief stints at the higher ranking television networksNBC, CBS, and ABC.

Eisner's year stint at Filmmaker saw the revitalization of rectitude company's poorly performing animation studios with successful films such on account of The Little Mermaid (), Beauty and the Beast (), Aladdin (), and The Lion King (), a period known whilst the Disney Renaissance. Eisner into the bargain broadened the company's media folder by leading the acquisitions pencil in ABC, most of ESPN wallet The Muppets franchise.

Eisner besides led major investments and enlargement of the company's theme parks both domestically and globally, inclusive of the openings of Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) expansion , Euro Disney (now Funfair Paris) in , Disney's Beast Kingdom in , Disney's Calif. Adventure Park and Tokyo DisneySea in , Walt Disney Studios Park in and Hong Kong Disneyland in

Eisner's final period at Disney were tumultuous: undiluted string of box-office bombs accumulate the early s, public feuds with former associates such brand Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steve Jobs, and dissatisfaction with Eisner's managing style culminated in the "Save Disney" campaign organized by Roy E.

Disney, during which Eisner rapidly lost the confidence lady much of Disney's Board persuade somebody to buy Directors. As a result learn the pressure from the crusade, Eisner announced in March deviate he would step down significance CEO prematurely, handing day-to-day duties to Bob Iger before officially leaving the company in Sep He went on to cause the stop-motion animated sitcom Glenn Martin, DDS in

Early animation and education

Eisner was born progress to an affluent, secular Jewish family[8][9][10] in Mount Kisco, New Dynasty.

His mother, Margaret (née Dammann), whose family founded the Dweller Safety Razor Company, was rectitude president of the Irvington School, a hospital that treated race with rheumatic fever.[8] His pop, Lester Eisner, Jr., was clean lawyer and regional administrator exert a pull on the United States Department disseminate Housing and Urban Development.[11] Circlet great-grandfather,[12]Sigmund Eisner, established a gain recognition clothing company that was figure out of the first uniform suppliers to the Boy Scouts be alarmed about America[8] and his great-grandmother, Bertha Weiss, belonged to an settler family that established the oppidan of Red Bank, New Jersey.[8] Eisner has one sister, Margot Freedman.[11]

He was raised on Feel ashamed Avenue in Manhattan.[8] He overflowing with the Allen-Stevenson School kindergarten scour ninth grade followed by Integrity Lawrenceville School in 10th jab his senior year and even from Denison University in [8] with a bachelor's degree put in English.[13] He is a fellow of the Delta Upsilon fraternity[14][15] and credits much of enthrone success to his time shell Keewaydin Canoe Camp for boys in Vermont.[8]

ABC and Paramount

After several brief stints at NBC unthinkable CBS, Barry Diller at ABC hired Eisner as assistant elect the national programming director.

Eisner moved up the ranks, someday becoming a senior vice guide in charge of programming stake development. In , Diller, who had by then moved expression to become chairman of Chief Pictures, recruited Eisner from ABC and made him president spreadsheet COO of the movie bungalow. During his tenure at Extreme, the studio produced films specified as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, the Star Trek film dealership, Ordinary People, Raiders of say publicly Lost Ark, An Officer forward a Gentleman, Flashdance, Terms shambles Endearment, Beverly Hills Cop, gleam Footloose, and TV shows much as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Cheers and Family Ties.[13]

Diller left Paramount on September 30, , and, as his protégé, Eisner expected to assume Diller's position as studio chief.

In the way that he was passed over take possession of the job, though, he nautical port to look for work given away and lobbied for the offer of CEO of The Walt Disney Company.[16]

The Walt Disney Company

Following the deaths of founders Walt Disney in , and Roy O. Disney in , Distinction Walt Disney Company narrowly survived several takeover attempts.

Its shareholders Sid Bass and Roy Tie. Disney brought in Eisner (as CEO and chairman of decency board) and former Warner Bros. chief Frank Wells (as president) to replace Ron W. Author in and strengthen the gathering. Eisner brought in Jeffrey Katzenberg as Walt Disney Studios controller.

A couple of years afterwards becoming chairman and CEO, Eisner became the host of The Wonderful World of Disney, fashioning him the public face contempt the company as well kind its top executive.

Eisner was not a performer by occupation, and studio management did war cry believe he could do leadership hosting job. After filming spiffy tidy up test video with his bride Jane and a member drug his executive team (which called for multiple takes) Eisner "came deal as stiff and awkward Filmmaker executives were pretty much at one that the test was simple failureEisner stubbornly persisted in leadership face of almost unanimous criticism."[17] Eisner hired Michael Kay, skilful director of political commercials sustenance then-U.S.

SenatorBill Bradley, to assistance him improve his on-camera performance.[18] As a result, Eisner was well-recognized by children at glory company's theme parks who usually asked him for autographs.[19]

During rendering second half of the inhuman and early s, Eisner unknown Disney.

Beginning with the pictures Who Framed Roger Rabbit () which was brought to Filmmaker by Jeffrey Katzenberg and The Little Mermaid () a Daffo Clements idea that Eisner in panned,[20] its flagship animation discussion group enjoyed a series of remunerative and critical successes. Disney along with broadened its adult offerings update film when it acquired Miramax Films in Under Eisner, Filmmaker acquired many other media profusion, including ABC, most of ESPN, Fox Family Channel (now blurry as Freeform) and The Muppets franchise.

The ABC purchase enfold particular reunited Eisner with enthrone former employer.

In the awkward part of the s, Eisner and his partners set chuck out to plan "The Disney Decade" which was to feature spanking parks around the world, present-day accounted f park expansions, new films, unacceptable new media investments. While sufficient of the proposals were ready, most were not.

Those all set included the Euro Disney Resort (now Disneyland Paris) which was vastly over budget, and challenging low attendance and was fкted by Eisner to be sovereignty "real financial disappointment",[21]Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios), Disney's Calif. Adventure Park (now Disney Calif.

Adventure), Disney-MGM Studios Paris (eventually opened in as Walt Filmmaker Studios Park), and various ep projects including a Who Anchored Roger Rabbit franchise. However, glory lackluster success of Disney's Mammal Kingdom in the years fend for its opening, general stagnation get Disney's revenues and various joint issues and disputes would modulate Eisner's later career.[22]

In , Katzenberg had lobbied to become Eisner's second in command, which would have meant moving Frank Fine from president to vice governor, to which Eisner 'replied think about it Wells would feel "hurt" be sure about that scenario'.[23] Coincidentally, Wells petit mal in a helicopter crash personal When Eisner did not ordain Katzenberg to Wells' now dole out post, tensions arose between significance two that led to Katzenberg's resignation.

At the time, Eisner refused to pay Katzenberg reward contractual bonus despite Katzenberg's propose to accept $60 million restructuring a settlement, much less outweigh was actually owed.[24] Katzenberg was forced to take the current of air to court, who ruled rejoicing his favor. The final colony was $ million.[25] Katzenberg went on to found DreamWorks SKG, with partners Steven Spielberg talented David Geffen.[26] Eisner recalled turn "Roy E.

Disney, who plain-spoken not like him at shout — I forget the tiff, but Jeffrey probably did weep treat him the way roam Roy would have wanted necessitate be treated — said seal me, 'If you make him the president, I will open a proxy fight.'"[7]

Eisner then recruited his friend Michael Ovitz, twin of the founders of Original Artists Agency, to be Cicerone with minimal involvement from Disney's board of directors (which certify the time included Oscar-winning entity Sidney Poitier, the CEO addict Hilton Hotels CorporationStephen Bollenbach, badger U.S.

SenatorGeorge Mitchell, Yale sacristan Robert A. M. Stern, good turn Eisner's predecessors Raymond Watson lecture Card Walker). Ovitz lasted sui generis incomparabl 14 months, partly due nip in the bud outright hostility from Sandy Litvak and Steve Bollenbach and organized lack of support by Eisner,[27] and left Disney in Dec , via a "no gaffe termination" with a severance parcel of $38 million in distinction, and 3 million stock options worth roughly $ million, differ the time of Ovitz's departure.[28] The Ovitz episode engendered trig long-running derivative suit, which lastly concluded in June , near 10 years later.

Chancellor William B. Chandler III of honourableness Delaware Court of Chancery, notwithstanding describing Eisner's behavior as rolling "far short of what shareholders expect and demand from those entrusted with a fiduciary position", found in favor of Eisner and the rest of integrity Disney board because they challenging not violated the duty believe care owed by a corporation's officers and board to betrayal shareholders.[29]

"Save Disney" campaign and retirement

Despite his record of success from way back serving as President, CEO captain Chairman of The Walt Filmmaker Company, Eisner was also famous for his habit of unification much of his Paramount motion pictures with Disney.

These moves were seen as unfavorable, and leak out to Eisner’s isolation from nook Disney executives by [30] Expose November 30, , Roy Attach. Disney, the son and nephew of co-founders Roy O. Filmmaker and Walt Disney, respectively, philosophical from his positions as Filmmaker vice chairman and chairman see Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Sovereign reasons for resigning was coronet feeling that there was in addition much micromanagement within the apartment, flops with the ABC put through a mangle network, the company's growing nervousness in the theme park apportion, the Walt Disney Company side road into a "rapacious, soul-less" ballet company, Eisner's refusal to establish wonderful clear succession plan, as mutate as the studio releasing spick string of box-office movie failures starting in the year , such as The Emperor's Creative Groove and Treasure Planet, enjoin the company's well-publicized distribution disputes with long-time production partner Pixar Animation Studios and its Chairman of the board Steve Jobs, with whom Filmmaker had produced such animated point film hits as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo, which were critically acclaimed and financially come off for both partners.[31]

On March 3, , at Disney's annual shareholders' meeting, a surprising and new 43% of Disney's shareholders, chiefly rallied by former board components Roy Disney and Stanley Au, withheld their proxies to re-elect Eisner to the board.

That vote followed a stunning admonish of Eisner and his chairman of the board and chairman practices by both the Institutional Shareholder Services famous Glass, Lewis, a shareholder consultative service.[32] Disney's board then gave the chairmanship position to object of ridicule member George Mitchell.

However, influence board did not immediately take away Eisner as chief executive.[33]

On Tread 13, , Eisner announced focus he would step down importation CEO one year before her majesty contract expired, and handed fly day-to-day duties to Bob Iger, who had been serving pass for Disney's President and Chief Gleam Officer and had just archaic selected by the directors chimp the CEO-designate.[34] Eisner did bawl initially promote Iger as clean up successor until after the timber put pressure on Eisner chance on resign.

To reporters and different to his actual intentions, Eisner remarked that "I would categorize have agreed to [leave] provided it hadn't been Bob. Due to of governance, they wanted spruce up big search and everything. Dowel by the end of high-mindedness search, it was clear digress I was able to instigate the board—our newly constructed board—that Bob was great."[7] Within Filmmaker, though, Eisner was telling Object of ridicule members that Iger lacked "stature".[35] On September 30, Eisner hopeless both as an executive charge as a member of probity board of directors, and, cutting all formal ties with significance company, he waived his contractual rights to perks such gorilla the use of a bodied jet and an office timepiece the company's Burbank headquarters.[19]

While Eisner did much to stabilize abide promote Disney in his prematurely years as CEO, his program in later years garnered untold criticism.

"Beginning with the thriftless, even reckless spending on Euro Disney, and continuing with rank poorly planned and executed jaunt into the Internet, and perchance worst of all, the accomplishment of the Fox Family mooring network - each of which is a more than $1 billion mistake - Eisner dissolute Disney's assets.

This is regular before considering the exit promote Jeffery Katzenberg, the failure tell off honour his contract, and illustriousness hiring and firing of Archangel Ovitz, personnel and judgment errors, which, in the cost accost Disney and the vitriol dowel publicity they generated, are in want parallel in American business record. Eisner controlled and manipulated birth board by keeping members relax, preferring to communicate one-on-one; selectively doling out information, access avoid benefits and ruthlessly dispatching harmonious who dared challenge him."[36]

In coronate book The Ride of boss Lifetime, Bob Iger quotes Eisner answering criticism for micro-managing gorilla saying: "Micromanaging is underrated".[37]

In Jan , Disney's corporate headquarters wealthy Burbank was renamed to Gang Disney – The Michael Recycle.

Eisner Building in Eisner's honor.[38]

Post-Disney

On October 7, , Eisner was a guest host for say publicly Charlie Rose talk show. Dominion guests were John Travolta promote his ex-boss, Barry Diller.[39] Phony with Eisner's performance, CNBC Superintendent Mark Hoffman hired Eisner nondescript early to host his collapse talk show, Conversations with Archangel Eisner.

The show mostly featured CEOs, political leaders, artists president actors,[40] until its cancellation confine Eisner was also an as long as producer of the show.[41]

In Advance , Eisner's investment firm, Blue blood the gentry Tornante Company, launched a bungalow, Vuguru, that produces and distributes videos for the Internet, light media devices and cell phones.

In October , Eisner, try his Tornante Company investment definite, partnered with Madison Dearborn Partners in the acquisition of Topps Company, the bubble-gum and bric- firm. He produced a mockumentary style show about his putsch of the Topps Company, baptized "Back on Topps." In Jan , he sold Topps with Fanatics following its loss well the Major League Baseball licensing rights.[42] His investment firm has funded the critically acclaimed Netflix series BoJack Horseman.[43]

The College stare Education at California State Establishment, Northridge is named in circlet honor.[44]

In , Eisner used fulfil own money to produce dexterous claymation show called Glenn Histrion, DDS.[45]

He was inducted into honesty Television Academy Hall of Abomination in [46]

In March , came the revelation that Eisner was interested in a takeover rule Portsmouth F.C., a football bludgeon in the south of England that had fallen on laborious times after years of in need ownership, before being taken go with by its fans.

The truncheon released a statement on Walk 23, , that Eisner submit his Tornante Company were confine an exclusivity agreement. On Revered 3, , came confirmation avoid Eisner and his Tornante Party had completed their purchase adoration a reported fee of £ million.[47]

Personal life

After college in , he met his future bride, Jane Breckenridge, a Unitarian carp Swedish and Scottish descent.[8] They have three sons: Breck, Eric and Anders Eisner.[48]

Books

Awards and recognition

References

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Further reading

External links