Walden has proven herself as a top TV executive, but some ex-Disney executives question whether her resume is suitable for the Disney CEO job.
Dana Walden is in the running to be Bob Iger's successor as Disney CEO, according to people familiar with the matter.She's proven herself as a TV executive, but some former Disney executives question whether her resume is suitable for the top job.
To get his attention, Walden decided to be bold. She told Fox executives, including Chernin, that they weren't being aggressive enough to secure top talent. Fox needed to take bigger swings to generate relationships and land shows that could make it to syndication, Walden argued. A spokesperson for Walden confirmed the details of the presentation.When the retreat ended, Chernin called Peter Roth, then president of 20th Century Fox Television, who later ran Warner Bros.' TV division.
Several executives at Disney privately told CNBC they believe Walden, 59, is the favorite to land the top job, though they have no inside knowledge of the process, and their proximity to Walden may skew their perception. Her relationship with Iger , her track record of success as a TV executive, her trust among Disney board members, and the symbolism about what it would mean to have a female executive all work in her favor.
Six former colleagues — all of whom worked closely with Walden — privately questioned her business acumen in interviews with CNBC. Walden supporters dismissed those concerns as either simply incorrect or an example of persistent stereotypes against female executives. Walden has met with many institutional investors through her years at Disney, according to people familiar with the matter.
Walden's entire life has ties to Hollywood. She grew up modestly in Studio City, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, and attended the private Westlake School for Girls , where she became friendly with Carol Burnett's daughter Carrie Hamilton. A former attorney, Newman began his partnership with Walden handling many of the business issues, while Walden developed a reputation for winning over creative talent and having impeccable taste for both dramas and comedies.
Newman recounted one difficult negotiation over a Fox-produced show with CBS. It was the day before CBS would announce its fall schedule, and it wasn't clear if the broadcast network would pick up the series. CBS gave Newman and Walden a midnight deadline to revise a deal on its terms or it would cancel the show. Walden told Newman that CBS was bluffing, realizing the show was the linchpin for other programming that day. She persuaded Fox to simply ignore the deadline.
Walden's taste, her discipline around getting talent to deliver on budget, and her honesty about what's working and what isn't have set her apart from other executives, according to Levitan. At Disney, Walden has hit several home runs, including FX's"The Bear," Hulu's"The Dropout" and"Only Murderers in the Building," and ABC's"Abbott Elementary." She has heavily invested in marketing children's show"Bluey," which in 2024 has spent time ason all streaming services.
Walden's resume sets her up as Chapek's inverse: a Disney outsider whose Hollywood ties are among the best in the industry. In the latter months of Chapek's tenure as CEO,A potential handover from Iger to Walden would also look very different from the Iger-Chapek transition, predicted United Talent Agency Vice Chairman Jay Sures, a close friend of Walden's. Chapek saw Iger as a threat to his power, according to people familiar with his thinking at the time.
"When I first met her, the writers would see Dana walk by from time to time, and we used to call her 'Why Miss Jones,'" Levitan said."Because she'd wear these glasses. So it was like in old Hollywood movies, when an actress would take off her glasses and one of the characters would say, 'Why, Miss Jones! You're beautiful!'"
"Sharp elbows, right?" Salke said, anticipating the hackneyed criticism of female leaders."So many times Dana and I have been the only women in the room. Can she be demanding and hold people to a high bar? Yes. But men come on in, and the first thing they do is fire people, and no one bats an eye."
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