Creatives are gathering their thoughts in the two weeks since Bob Iger officially took charge again in Disney’s C-suite. 

Cyber Group USA CEO Karen Miller says she was overjoyed to hear the news. “Knowing that my former colleagues were going to [have him at the helm again] brought on a flurry of text messages and champagne toasts,” says Miller, who previously served as ​​VP of acquisitions, co-productions and global content strategy at Disney Channels Worldwide from 2010 to 2018.

Kids media consultant and Disney alum Emily Horgan says that Iger’s return is as welcome as it is sudden. “I think calmer [and] empathetic communication from the top echelon of The Walt Disney Company is to be expected,” she says. Horgan served as a content consultant and strategist at various divisions of Disney from 2009 to 2020.

David Levine, who spent 16 years at the company in senior positions including GM of Disney Channels UK and Ireland, recalls a positive experience with Iger. “He valued what Disney Channels brought to the table for classic and new IPs, and its ability to spin up new franchises like High School Musical and Hannah Montana.” 

Disney’s reinstated CEO held a town hall meeting with company employees earlier this week, where he emphasized a strong focus on creativity and a restoration of “control, responsibility and accountability” to the creative teams, according to The New York Times.

Iger’s return comes in the midst of a very challenging and transformative time for the kids industry, so it’s likely reassuring to many to believe that “magical days are ahead,” says Miller.

Horgan agrees and emphasizes Iger’s stellar track record with creatives. However, she cautions that the length of his current contract is only two years. “For us in kids media, that’s barely enough [time] to complete a production cycle of one animated season,” she says. “Producers, creators and IP owners need to know the road beyond that [in order] to make any real plans.”

Adds Levine: “The Bob Chapek-instigated DMED structure has left no one happy, so fixing that will be job one.” Another big challenge will be to reduce the cost hemorrhaging at Disney+ —which could partly be attributed to the spend involved in buying out theatrical and international TV distribution windows, he theorizes.

Creating a roadmap for profitability in streaming is a big challenge for many platforms. But Levine says it’s unlikely that kids and animated content on Disney+ will end up on the chopping block like it has at Warner Bros. Discovery this year, since it performs so well for the streamer. 

Horgan highlights succession planning as a major priority for Iger, given that Chapek (who he handpicked) ultimately didn’t work out. “[Iger] now has to fix that the second time around,” she says. “You’d have to believe that he’s coming with a plan and vision; otherwise, he’s really risking tarnishing his stellar legacy.”

She echoes Levine’s concern that the development of a good streaming strategy will be a monumental task. “It’s a new frontier, and few decisions are bullet-proof—even those made by an executive like Iger.”  

Image Courtesy of Josh Hallett via Flickr.