A livestream interview with IU alumnus and Disney CEO Bob Chapek

00:49:14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8kL_kMwmt0

摘要

TLDRIndiana University celebrated its notable alumni in an event that highlighted their various contributions to fields like science, entertainment, and leadership. The event featured prominent alumni such as Bob Chapek, CEO of Disney, who shared insights into his career evolution from microbiology to leading Disney amidst challenges like the pandemic. The discussion emphasized Disney's commitment to innovation, diversity, and ethical leadership. The strategic vision, known as the "North Star," is central to guiding Disney’s future. The event concluded by highlighting IU's integral role in shaping successful professionals and acknowledged its ongoing impact on alumni's lives.

心得

  • 🎓 Indiana University celebrates the impact of its alumni.
  • 🌟 Bob Chapek shares his journey from microbiology to Disney CEO.
  • 🎬 Alumni have made significant contributions to cinema, like 'The Hunger Games.'
  • 🚀 Disney focuses on innovation and expanding digital media with Disney+.
  • 🌍 Diversity and inclusion are prioritized at Disney.
  • 👥 Leadership is guided by a strategic 'North Star' direction.
  • 🏆 Ethical integrity is fundamental to Disney’s corporate culture.
  • 🌌 Technology and creativity are balanced at Disney parks and attractions.
  • 📖 Content creation focuses on culturally relevant stories.
  • 🤝 Community and corporate responsibility are vital to Disney.

时间轴

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Rick Van Goon, Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, opens the Alumni Contributions event, highlighting the achievements of IU alumni in various fields, from scientific discoveries to contributions in the entertainment industry. He introduces Bob Chapeck as a distinguished alumnus, noting his connection to Disney, and hints at discussing his journey and experiences, including significant projects like Shanghai Disney Resort.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Bob Chapeck, in conversation with Douglas Freeland, reflects on his upbringing in a tough environment in Northwest Indiana, crediting his parents and various mentors for shaping his career. Mentions his career trajectory from a scientist to a creative role at Disney, emphasizing the importance of a liberal arts education in adapting to diverse fields.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Chapeck describes his transition from science to consumer goods and eventually Disney, emphasizing the balance of right-brain and left-brain skills. He discusses Disney's innovation and his approach towards maintaining Disney's legacy while also driving the company forward with new ideas and embracing cultural changes.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    In response to audience questions, Chapeck shares insights on maintaining Disney's iconic guest experience by exceeding expectations, suggesting a focus on a clear 'north star' for decision-making. He narrates the importance of strategic vision beyond mere tactical execution and acknowledges the influence of mentors, particularly Bob Iger.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Chapeck elaborates on Disney’s approach to storytelling, highlighting how technology and innovation drive immersive experiences like the 'Rise of the Resistance' at Disney Parks. He addresses Disney's stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion, focusing on changing old narratives to reflect modern values and committing to authentic cultural representation.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    Chapeck outlines Disney's initiatives to increase diversity within its content and workplace, referring to 'The Undefeated' as an example. Discusses the importance of content that resonates with today’s world, emphasizing partnerships and internal councils aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion across Disney’s global operations.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    Chapeck emphasizes the importance of living ethically, which is part of the core culture and identity at Disney. He advises students to pursue careers with flexibility and patience, balancing immediate opportunities with long-term goals, backed by a strong ethical foundation.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:40:00

    Describes the pandemic as a critical period for Disney, requiring tough decisions like closing major divisions while advancing towards a direct-to-consumer model. Chapeck shares leadership lessons learned, highlighting the need for resilience, innovation, and maintaining focus on core values during crises.

  • 00:40:00 - 00:49:14

    Chapeck shares personal reflections on the significance of his IU education and experiences, including meeting his spouse and witnessing landmark events. Closes the session by reaffirming IU’s impact on his life, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to engage with the audience and emphasizing the importance of continued alumni support for future generations.

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思维导图

Mind Map

常见问题

  • Who is Bob Chapek?

    Bob Chapek is the CEO of Disney and a distinguished alumnus of Indiana University with a degree in microbiology.

  • How has Disney been involved with Indiana University?

    Disney and Indiana University have intersected through programs like the Disney College Program and alumni like Howard Ashman and Glenn Close's contributions.

  • What were Bob Chapek's early career goals?

    Bob Chapek initially majored in microbiology and worked in environmental science before transitioning to a business role and eventually joining Disney.

  • What has been Bob Chapek's focus during his time at Disney?

    Bob Chapek has focused on expanding Disney's reach, improving park experiences, and leading the company into the digital media space with Disney+.

  • What are key leadership lessons mentioned by Bob Chapek?

    Key lessons include having a clear strategic direction (north star), balancing creativity with science, and maintaining ethical behavior.

  • How has Disney addressed diversity, equity, and inclusion?

    Disney has implemented initiatives like content that reflects diverse perspectives, supporting diverse storytellers, and changing attractions that aren't culturally sensitive.

  • What connection does IU have to 'The Hunger Games'?

    Alumni from Indiana University have contributed to cinematic projects such as 'The Hunger Games.'

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  • 00:00:07
    welcome everyone to the celebrating
  • 00:00:08
    alumni contributions event
  • 00:00:11
    i'm rick van goon executive dean of the
  • 00:00:12
    college of arts and sciences at indiana
  • 00:00:14
    university bloomington
  • 00:00:16
    following the successful conclusion of
  • 00:00:18
    the for all bicentennial campaign in
  • 00:00:19
    september 2020
  • 00:00:21
    the college embarked on a year-long
  • 00:00:23
    celebration of our alumni
  • 00:00:24
    and all the ways that they contribute to
  • 00:00:26
    the university their communities and
  • 00:00:28
    their professions
  • 00:00:29
    our alumni are amazing they have
  • 00:00:31
    co-discovered the structure of dna and
  • 00:00:32
    made other major scientific discoveries
  • 00:00:35
    they have wowed audiences with their
  • 00:00:36
    stories and cinematic marvels like
  • 00:00:38
    hoosiers
  • 00:00:39
    the hunger games and game of thrones
  • 00:00:42
    their titles range from ceo to president
  • 00:00:44
    of ireland
  • 00:00:45
    our alumni are thought leaders who make
  • 00:00:47
    a difference and we're incredibly proud
  • 00:00:48
    of them
  • 00:00:49
    as part of the celebration we have asked
  • 00:00:51
    notable alumni like bob chapeck
  • 00:00:53
    to spend time speaking about their
  • 00:00:55
    experiences with the iu and iu alumni
  • 00:00:57
    communities
  • 00:00:58
    we are honored to count bob as a
  • 00:01:00
    distinguished alumnus of the college
  • 00:01:02
    with a degree in microbiology
  • 00:01:04
    and we're grateful to have him to
  • 00:01:05
    participate in today's event
  • 00:01:08
    it's also worth noting that the college
  • 00:01:10
    of disney have intersected in quite a
  • 00:01:11
    few interesting ways
  • 00:01:12
    many of our students have participated
  • 00:01:14
    in the disney college program
  • 00:01:16
    and disney professional internships the
  • 00:01:18
    famed lyricist howard ashman
  • 00:01:20
    who wrote the lyrics for the little
  • 00:01:21
    little mermaid beauty and the beast in
  • 00:01:23
    aladdin was an iu theater alumnus
  • 00:01:26
    glenn close donated her costumes from
  • 00:01:28
    her films to iu to be part of iu's sage
  • 00:01:30
    collection
  • 00:01:31
    including her infamous cruella deville
  • 00:01:33
    costumes from disney's live action
  • 00:01:35
    101 dalmatians finally a faculty member
  • 00:01:38
    in our department of psychological brain
  • 00:01:40
    sciences jonathan ledbetter
  • 00:01:42
    previously worked at disney and whose
  • 00:01:44
    human factor research
  • 00:01:45
    includes a scholarly publication with
  • 00:01:47
    the title your wait time from this point
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    is
  • 00:01:49
    dot dot dot practices for designing
  • 00:01:52
    amusement park cues
  • 00:01:55
    at this point it's my great pleasure to
  • 00:01:57
    introduce our distinguished guest bob
  • 00:01:59
    chapeck
  • 00:02:02
    bob chapek became only the seventh ceo
  • 00:02:04
    in disney's nearly 100 year
  • 00:02:06
    history on february 25th 2020 so he's
  • 00:02:09
    about to celebrate his one year
  • 00:02:10
    anniversary
  • 00:02:11
    he previously served as chairman of
  • 00:02:13
    disney parks experiences and products
  • 00:02:15
    and prior to that he was chairman of
  • 00:02:18
    walt disney's parks and resorts
  • 00:02:20
    he oversaw the company's six parks and
  • 00:02:22
    resorts in the u.s europe and asia
  • 00:02:24
    the disney cruise line disney's global
  • 00:02:27
    consumer products business and more
  • 00:02:30
    during bob's tenure disney park saw the
  • 00:02:32
    largest investment expansion in its
  • 00:02:33
    60-year history
  • 00:02:35
    including the successful opening of
  • 00:02:36
    shanghai disney resort
  • 00:02:38
    in mainland chant mainland china as well
  • 00:02:41
    as the most technologically advanced and
  • 00:02:42
    immersive lands
  • 00:02:44
    in disney parks history star wars
  • 00:02:46
    galaxy's edge
  • 00:02:47
    at both disneyland resort and walt
  • 00:02:49
    disney world
  • 00:02:51
    he began his career at disney in 1993
  • 00:02:54
    almost 30 years ago
  • 00:02:55
    starting out in the home entertainment
  • 00:02:56
    division and later serving as president
  • 00:02:59
    of distribution for walt disney studios
  • 00:03:02
    bob was invited by our students to serve
  • 00:03:03
    as one of our first college luminaries
  • 00:03:05
    in 2013
  • 00:03:07
    and in 2016 bob was honored with the
  • 00:03:09
    college of arts and sciences
  • 00:03:10
    distinguished alumni award
  • 00:03:14
    also as part of our conversation today
  • 00:03:16
    we're also joined by fellow college
  • 00:03:18
    alumnus douglas freeland
  • 00:03:20
    who earned his bachelor's degree in
  • 00:03:21
    telecommunications in the college
  • 00:03:23
    in 1980. douglas enjoyed a successful
  • 00:03:26
    35-year career in marketing
  • 00:03:29
    and brand content at mcdonald's
  • 00:03:30
    including overseeing the world renowned
  • 00:03:32
    monopoly at mcdonald's promotion as
  • 00:03:35
    executive director of
  • 00:03:37
    the mcdonald's all-american high school
  • 00:03:39
    basketball games
  • 00:03:40
    douglas raised more than 3 million
  • 00:03:41
    dollars for ronald mcdonald's house
  • 00:03:43
    charities
  • 00:03:44
    from 2011 to 2016. i'm personally
  • 00:03:47
    pleased to work closely with him as a
  • 00:03:48
    member
  • 00:03:49
    of the iu college of arts and sciences
  • 00:03:51
    executive dean's advisory board
  • 00:03:53
    on which he has served since 2014.
  • 00:03:55
    douglas also served on the chicago
  • 00:03:57
    sports commission from 2013 to 2016
  • 00:04:00
    and most recently in 2017 he launched an
  • 00:04:03
    always entertaining and informative blog
  • 00:04:05
    the weekly opine commenting on politics
  • 00:04:08
    sports and current events
  • 00:04:11
    before we get started i want to be sure
  • 00:04:13
    to mention that closed captions are
  • 00:04:14
    available as part of today's program
  • 00:04:16
    you should have seen a note about that
  • 00:04:17
    in the chat log and i would like to
  • 00:04:19
    thank the audience members who submitted
  • 00:04:21
    some really great questions ahead of
  • 00:04:22
    time for
  • 00:04:23
    uh for douglas and bob to discuss
  • 00:04:28
    and finally i'd like to thank bob and
  • 00:04:30
    douglas once again
  • 00:04:31
    and welcome both of them in a
  • 00:04:32
    conversation
  • 00:04:36
    today is an exciting day for all of us
  • 00:04:39
    we are looking forward
  • 00:04:40
    to hearing from bob chap in just a
  • 00:04:42
    moment
  • 00:04:43
    as rick said we met bob on zoom a few
  • 00:04:46
    weeks ago
  • 00:04:47
    and had a delightful conversation so
  • 00:04:49
    today
  • 00:04:50
    should be an informative treat for the
  • 00:04:52
    audience
  • 00:04:53
    and let me add my welcome to iu alumni
  • 00:04:56
    and friends of iu who are joining us
  • 00:04:59
    today
  • 00:05:01
    to begin i will ask bob a few questions
  • 00:05:04
    and we also have questions submitted in
  • 00:05:06
    advance by the audience
  • 00:05:08
    we received more than 1700 rsvps for
  • 00:05:11
    today
  • 00:05:12
    so as you can imagine we will not get to
  • 00:05:15
    everyone's question
  • 00:05:18
    in fact i can imagine tomorrow's
  • 00:05:20
    headlines
  • 00:05:21
    reading and freeland
  • 00:05:25
    attract 1700 rsvps for today's live
  • 00:05:29
    stream
  • 00:05:31
    now the audience submitted over 200
  • 00:05:33
    inquiries
  • 00:05:35
    and we will get to as many as possible
  • 00:05:38
    as i mentioned
  • 00:05:39
    and the inquiries really fell into
  • 00:05:43
    several key categories
  • 00:05:46
    including bob's career
  • 00:05:50
    a disney specific questions and i use
  • 00:05:53
    specific questions
  • 00:05:55
    questions surrounding diversity equity
  • 00:05:57
    and inclusion
  • 00:06:00
    leadership and the pandemic
  • 00:06:04
    so let's get started good morning bob
  • 00:06:06
    it's great to see you again
  • 00:06:08
    hello rick hello doug it's uh a pleasure
  • 00:06:11
    to be here
  • 00:06:11
    with all of you um uh always
  • 00:06:14
    nice to reconnect with my iu brethren
  • 00:06:18
    well let's go back to the beginning you
  • 00:06:21
    grew up in northwest indiana
  • 00:06:23
    in what's referred to as the region
  • 00:06:26
    now the region has a reputation for
  • 00:06:28
    being a no-nonsense
  • 00:06:30
    tough environment describe what it was
  • 00:06:32
    like growing up there
  • 00:06:34
    i think i think your headline is perfect
  • 00:06:37
    no nonsense tough environment
  • 00:06:39
    um you get what you earn in the region
  • 00:06:42
    and you don't expect anything uh beyond
  • 00:06:45
    what it is that you work hard for
  • 00:06:48
    i was always uh just amazed
  • 00:06:51
    at my parents and how hard they worked
  • 00:06:54
    uh you know sort of coming out of world
  • 00:06:56
    war ii
  • 00:06:57
    and to build a life for them and
  • 00:07:01
    my sister and myself our family and i
  • 00:07:03
    think some of those
  • 00:07:04
    lessons and that work ethic really
  • 00:07:07
    resonate sort of to this day
  • 00:07:09
    and it's really part of my dna
  • 00:07:12
    so who are some of the people that
  • 00:07:14
    influenced or mentored you
  • 00:07:16
    well you know obviously my parents uh
  • 00:07:19
    early on in my life
  • 00:07:20
    really uh shaped uh who i am and i
  • 00:07:23
    you know i'm not i i wouldn't say that
  • 00:07:26
    i've ever had a mentor who sort of
  • 00:07:28
    followed me throughout my entire career
  • 00:07:30
    but have had mentors at different points
  • 00:07:32
    in time depending on what i'm doing
  • 00:07:34
    i've had the luxury at disney of uh
  • 00:07:37
    changing jobs quite frequently and i
  • 00:07:39
    would say every time there's somebody
  • 00:07:40
    who's
  • 00:07:41
    you know sort of there on the sideline
  • 00:07:43
    sort of
  • 00:07:44
    cheering me on most recently it would
  • 00:07:47
    probably have to be bob iger
  • 00:07:49
    uh whose shoes i'm filling now
  • 00:07:53
    bob and i uh over probably the last
  • 00:07:56
    seven years spent a ton of time together
  • 00:07:58
    because when i got the parks job we were
  • 00:08:01
    in the beginning of building the
  • 00:08:03
    shanghai disneyland resort
  • 00:08:06
    which rick had mentioned a few minutes
  • 00:08:08
    earlier
  • 00:08:09
    and i think i was in shanghai flew to
  • 00:08:11
    shanghai maybe
  • 00:08:13
    20 times a year for three years in a row
  • 00:08:16
    and bob was on about half those flights
  • 00:08:19
    with me and
  • 00:08:20
    there's no way to get to know somebody
  • 00:08:22
    than to spend you know
  • 00:08:23
    15 16 hours you know every second week
  • 00:08:28
    on a plane so he's he's sort of been
  • 00:08:30
    there uh
  • 00:08:31
    sort of shaping me and preparing me for
  • 00:08:34
    uh
  • 00:08:34
    this job that i'm in now excellent
  • 00:08:38
    now as rick mentioned you majored in
  • 00:08:41
    microbiology early in your career
  • 00:08:44
    you are a scientist working in
  • 00:08:47
    environmental biology
  • 00:08:48
    at amuco tell us about the transition
  • 00:08:52
    from science to creativity at disney
  • 00:08:56
    how in the world did that happen right
  • 00:08:58
    well uh you know majoring in
  • 00:09:00
    microbiology i sort of assumed i would
  • 00:09:02
    work in some technical job i'd work at
  • 00:09:04
    lily or pfizer or merck and it turned
  • 00:09:06
    out that the opportunity that was
  • 00:09:08
    available to me was in
  • 00:09:09
    as you said environmental science at an
  • 00:09:12
    oil company in chicago
  • 00:09:14
    and when i was doing that job i really
  • 00:09:16
    enjoyed
  • 00:09:17
    what i was doing but at the same time i
  • 00:09:20
    got exposed to
  • 00:09:21
    something that was just a name i mean
  • 00:09:23
    all my college roommates were always
  • 00:09:24
    business majors and i never really had a
  • 00:09:26
    chance
  • 00:09:27
    to sort of explore that but when i got
  • 00:09:29
    into the work environment i'm like wow
  • 00:09:31
    there's a whole
  • 00:09:32
    range of things that you know are
  • 00:09:34
    supported by science or
  • 00:09:36
    touch science that aren't actually just
  • 00:09:38
    science and
  • 00:09:39
    always wanted to be a generalist not a a
  • 00:09:42
    specialist i know that's weird with an
  • 00:09:43
    undergraduate in microbiology but i
  • 00:09:45
    thought found it fascinating
  • 00:09:47
    and that was a fascinating time where
  • 00:09:48
    you know people were just unlocking
  • 00:09:50
    you know dna as another reference uh to
  • 00:09:52
    the opening statements
  • 00:09:54
    uh and so to me was intellectually
  • 00:09:57
    fascinating
  • 00:09:58
    but i got exposed to the business world
  • 00:10:00
    and i went and got an mba
  • 00:10:01
    and at that point uh thinking i was
  • 00:10:04
    gonna go work at a pharmaceutical
  • 00:10:05
    company you know combine the technology
  • 00:10:07
    and i found consumer package goods
  • 00:10:09
    marketing um
  • 00:10:11
    which not only was my start in business
  • 00:10:13
    once i got out of grad school but also
  • 00:10:15
    then
  • 00:10:16
    was the way that i got into disney
  • 00:10:18
    because i started at disney
  • 00:10:20
    uh working in packaged media when you
  • 00:10:23
    know people were renting dvds and just
  • 00:10:25
    starting to buy
  • 00:10:26
    uh not dvd sorry vhs way back then i'm
  • 00:10:28
    dating myself
  • 00:10:30
    way back then and uh so packaged goods
  • 00:10:34
    was sort of my entree into disney and
  • 00:10:36
    you know almost 30 years later here we
  • 00:10:38
    are
  • 00:10:39
    so going from the scientific community
  • 00:10:43
    to the creative community what does that
  • 00:10:45
    say about a liberal arts
  • 00:10:47
    education well i think
  • 00:10:52
    it's it's all about balance right
  • 00:10:55
    uh i have found in my career that
  • 00:10:58
    there's a lot of really great right
  • 00:10:59
    brain people
  • 00:11:01
    and there's a lot of really great left
  • 00:11:03
    brain people
  • 00:11:04
    the intersection of that venn diagram is
  • 00:11:07
    really small
  • 00:11:09
    the very few people that can operate
  • 00:11:11
    both the right and left
  • 00:11:13
    hand side of the brain and i think
  • 00:11:14
    that's one of the things that
  • 00:11:15
    distinguishes disney
  • 00:11:17
    from a lot of other companies you know
  • 00:11:19
    there's a lot of companies where you can
  • 00:11:20
    be a subject matter expert
  • 00:11:22
    and rice sort of you know rise to the
  • 00:11:25
    top
  • 00:11:26
    uh you know maybe if you work in a
  • 00:11:28
    logistics company you can be the very
  • 00:11:29
    best logistics person
  • 00:11:31
    and rise to the top but in a company as
  • 00:11:33
    broad as disney
  • 00:11:34
    having to have knowing that your core
  • 00:11:36
    product isn't something that's developed
  • 00:11:38
    in a lab
  • 00:11:39
    but it's developed in the uh you know
  • 00:11:42
    concept of the conceit of somebody's
  • 00:11:44
    brain means that
  • 00:11:45
    your product development team are human
  • 00:11:48
    beings
  • 00:11:48
    that literally conceive of everything uh
  • 00:11:52
    uh uh you know one synapses fire in in
  • 00:11:55
    in their minds but i think a liberal
  • 00:11:58
    arts education
  • 00:11:59
    while i didn't realize it when i was in
  • 00:12:01
    school a liberal arts education really
  • 00:12:04
    prepares you for sort of that
  • 00:12:06
    elastic if you will that elasticity
  • 00:12:09
    that's necessary for
  • 00:12:10
    a career particularly in media or
  • 00:12:14
    uh the creative arts and i think it
  • 00:12:17
    really has shaped
  • 00:12:18
    you know again who i am and what i've
  • 00:12:20
    been doing
  • 00:12:21
    great okay we're going to go to a couple
  • 00:12:24
    of audience questions
  • 00:12:26
    uh the first question is what will you
  • 00:12:28
    do and by the way this is coming from
  • 00:12:30
    david
  • 00:12:30
    who's an alumnus what will you do
  • 00:12:34
    or implement that embodies the spirit of
  • 00:12:37
    walt disney
  • 00:12:38
    while continuing to build upon his
  • 00:12:40
    legacy
  • 00:12:42
    yeah you know when you work at disney
  • 00:12:44
    obviously you have
  • 00:12:45
    uh walt sort of watching over everything
  • 00:12:49
    you do
  • 00:12:50
    and uh you you find out that
  • 00:12:54
    the legacy of disney is really important
  • 00:12:56
    at the same time walt was
  • 00:12:57
    always emphasizing the future
  • 00:13:01
    and not becoming uh locked in
  • 00:13:05
    to a certain way of doing things as a
  • 00:13:06
    matter of fact one of my favorite quotes
  • 00:13:08
    from walt is
  • 00:13:09
    we keep moving forward doing new things
  • 00:13:11
    because we're curious and curiosity
  • 00:13:13
    keeps leading us down new paths uh
  • 00:13:17
    we have a lot of super fans at disney
  • 00:13:19
    and our super fans
  • 00:13:21
    really don't like change uh but the very
  • 00:13:24
    dna
  • 00:13:25
    of what walt has given us through some
  • 00:13:28
    quotes like that
  • 00:13:30
    and his inspiration is that you've got
  • 00:13:33
    to keep
  • 00:13:33
    evolving or you'll become a dinosaur and
  • 00:13:36
    i think in this new media world that we
  • 00:13:38
    live in
  • 00:13:38
    that's particularly important and uh so
  • 00:13:42
    i
  • 00:13:42
    you know we we have a basis a foundation
  • 00:13:47
    a set of values
  • 00:13:48
    a culture that's been there since the
  • 00:13:51
    beginning
  • 00:13:52
    but exactly how you operate in that
  • 00:13:54
    environment
  • 00:13:55
    is a function of all the constituents
  • 00:13:58
    that we have to please
  • 00:13:59
    right we have we have to please our our
  • 00:14:02
    cast members we have to please our
  • 00:14:03
    shareholders
  • 00:14:04
    we have to please our guests we have to
  • 00:14:07
    please our local communities that we
  • 00:14:09
    operate in
  • 00:14:10
    and we want to be good corporate
  • 00:14:11
    citizens so um
  • 00:14:13
    with those uh um
  • 00:14:16
    with that framework that's how we
  • 00:14:18
    operate in but beyond that
  • 00:14:20
    we want to innovate and we want to be on
  • 00:14:22
    the front end of the innovation curve
  • 00:14:25
    great uh the next question comes from
  • 00:14:28
    kama
  • 00:14:28
    she's an alumna disney is known for
  • 00:14:32
    providing a world-class experience for
  • 00:14:34
    its guests
  • 00:14:36
    what's one thing we could all do to
  • 00:14:38
    replicate that
  • 00:14:40
    right well for me i'll go to my parks
  • 00:14:43
    experience
  • 00:14:44
    because i think sort of the epitome of
  • 00:14:47
    disney uh dna is is the park
  • 00:14:51
    and you know what essentially we say is
  • 00:14:54
    that we want to exceed guest
  • 00:14:57
    expectations
  • 00:14:58
    every day to create magical memories
  • 00:15:00
    that last a lifetime
  • 00:15:02
    that is our mantra in parks and i think
  • 00:15:06
    the core of that
  • 00:15:07
    that goes to your question is exceeding
  • 00:15:09
    guest expectations
  • 00:15:10
    every day there are
  • 00:15:14
    many many decisions we make i was a head
  • 00:15:17
    of parks and resorts for
  • 00:15:19
    i don't know seven years i think uh
  • 00:15:22
    there are many decisions you have to
  • 00:15:24
    make where you have to balance all those
  • 00:15:25
    different constituencies
  • 00:15:27
    and i would say that if you keep that as
  • 00:15:31
    your north star you have to have a north
  • 00:15:32
    star
  • 00:15:33
    because when the noise comes in
  • 00:15:37
    and there's a lot of different signals
  • 00:15:38
    and inputs and you have to make a
  • 00:15:40
    decision
  • 00:15:41
    you have to think about what your north
  • 00:15:43
    star and that being our north star
  • 00:15:45
    made complex decisions with lots of
  • 00:15:48
    different interference and competing
  • 00:15:50
    priorities really made things easy and
  • 00:15:53
    so i would say
  • 00:15:54
    you know pick a north star and
  • 00:15:57
    make sure that's the highest value you
  • 00:15:59
    have
  • 00:16:01
    and we talked about north star when we
  • 00:16:04
    met a few weeks ago and i want to touch
  • 00:16:05
    on that
  • 00:16:06
    again a little bit later in the in the
  • 00:16:09
    program today
  • 00:16:10
    but here's another question from a
  • 00:16:12
    student a current student this is from
  • 00:16:14
    emma
  • 00:16:15
    what's the worst career advice
  • 00:16:18
    you've ever been given and you do not
  • 00:16:20
    have to name the person who gave
  • 00:16:22
    you the advice so we'll we'll keep that
  • 00:16:24
    secret
  • 00:16:25
    okay um it i i will give you one
  • 00:16:28
    it was from a long time ago this was
  • 00:16:30
    i'll just say this it was
  • 00:16:32
    pre-disney and i had a supervisor
  • 00:16:36
    that said uh uh tactics
  • 00:16:39
    are all that matter just execute
  • 00:16:43
    and uh obviously if you don't have that
  • 00:16:46
    north star if you don't
  • 00:16:47
    know what hill you're going to take you
  • 00:16:50
    can execute the tactics as well as you
  • 00:16:53
    you possibly could but if it's the wrong
  • 00:16:55
    strategy so particularly as you
  • 00:16:57
    develop in your career and you're
  • 00:17:01
    charged with more responsibility for
  • 00:17:02
    charting a course
  • 00:17:04
    you have to pick that hill and you have
  • 00:17:06
    to figure out
  • 00:17:07
    where everyone else is going to go
  • 00:17:09
    because it's not like you're just
  • 00:17:11
    managing yourself you know at disney we
  • 00:17:13
    have over 200 000 we call them cast
  • 00:17:15
    members
  • 00:17:16
    employees and the single best thing i
  • 00:17:19
    can do the only thing i really do
  • 00:17:21
    is pick where we're going to go and then
  • 00:17:23
    motivate 200 000 people
  • 00:17:25
    to go row in the same direction so um
  • 00:17:29
    i think i think again big picture
  • 00:17:31
    knowing where you're going
  • 00:17:33
    and leading a bunch of people to that to
  • 00:17:35
    that goal
  • 00:17:36
    is really all that matters and
  • 00:17:39
    everything else is
  • 00:17:40
    frankly superficial excellent
  • 00:17:44
    multiple audience members asked what is
  • 00:17:47
    the future of disney plus
  • 00:17:50
    and the streaming television and film
  • 00:17:52
    world
  • 00:17:55
    yeah disney plus has been a tremendous
  • 00:17:57
    success for us and we've made the
  • 00:17:59
    transition essentially from
  • 00:18:00
    uh at least the way people saw us as an
  • 00:18:02
    old media company to a new media company
  • 00:18:05
    and i think that again goes back to that
  • 00:18:07
    walt disney quote that
  • 00:18:08
    you know yes we've had a lot of success
  • 00:18:10
    in traditional uh
  • 00:18:12
    film and television distribution but
  • 00:18:13
    we're not going to let that stop us and
  • 00:18:15
    that takes risks
  • 00:18:17
    that takes uh informed risk but it takes
  • 00:18:20
    some
  • 00:18:21
    some guts and some dogma breaking
  • 00:18:24
    the future is really going to be what
  • 00:18:26
    the consumer tells us it is
  • 00:18:28
    we are very consumer driven company uh
  • 00:18:30
    we want to escape though to where the
  • 00:18:32
    puck's going to be
  • 00:18:33
    not to where the puck is i like that
  • 00:18:35
    analogy because
  • 00:18:37
    we're not going to build it for today
  • 00:18:39
    we're going to build it for tomorrow
  • 00:18:41
    so we have to have some insight we have
  • 00:18:43
    to assimilate all the information that
  • 00:18:44
    we have
  • 00:18:45
    and create a vision for where we think
  • 00:18:47
    the consumer is going to want to go
  • 00:18:49
    in the future as an investment but i
  • 00:18:52
    tell you what what it will do it will
  • 00:18:54
    play off our strengths
  • 00:18:56
    as as a company that has tremendous
  • 00:18:59
    franchises
  • 00:19:00
    and uh it's that is really what makes
  • 00:19:05
    aside from the disney difference which
  • 00:19:06
    is the disney brand and all the values
  • 00:19:08
    that we've talked about
  • 00:19:09
    you know the power that we've got to
  • 00:19:11
    create new things that go off
  • 00:19:14
    and embellish the stories of star wars
  • 00:19:16
    marvel
  • 00:19:17
    pixar disney both in animation and live
  • 00:19:20
    action movies and the great library we
  • 00:19:22
    have
  • 00:19:23
    is tremendous so that will be the
  • 00:19:25
    creative fodder if you will
  • 00:19:27
    that will be the catalyst for news
  • 00:19:30
    stories going forward
  • 00:19:31
    but it will all be done with an eye
  • 00:19:33
    towards where is that puck
  • 00:19:35
    going in the future and how can we best
  • 00:19:37
    satisfy our our consumers and our guest
  • 00:19:39
    needs
  • 00:19:41
    uh next question technology
  • 00:19:44
    has always been part of disney's magic
  • 00:19:47
    so without
  • 00:19:48
    bob without giving us any of your trade
  • 00:19:51
    secrets
  • 00:19:52
    can you talk about some of the
  • 00:19:54
    technological innovation
  • 00:19:56
    that you have implemented and how you
  • 00:20:00
    have transformed
  • 00:20:01
    the walt disney company as well as the
  • 00:20:04
    broader
  • 00:20:05
    media landscape well let's
  • 00:20:08
    certainly let's take the digital media
  • 00:20:11
    world that we live in right now
  • 00:20:13
    um most people would make the assumption
  • 00:20:16
    that
  • 00:20:17
    you know they first heard the word
  • 00:20:18
    disney plus 18 months ago
  • 00:20:21
    and as such we started disney plus 18
  • 00:20:24
    months ago
  • 00:20:25
    we had the very embryonic beginnings of
  • 00:20:28
    this a decade ago
  • 00:20:30
    i worked on a project when i was head of
  • 00:20:33
    studio distribution
  • 00:20:34
    called keychest and keychest
  • 00:20:38
    was essentially a way to have
  • 00:20:41
    what was then the dominant way of
  • 00:20:42
    getting content into the homes which was
  • 00:20:44
    a physical disk
  • 00:20:46
    being able to unlock a digital file
  • 00:20:48
    through
  • 00:20:49
    a physical blu-ray disc and
  • 00:20:52
    that was was really the embryonic
  • 00:20:56
    beginnings
  • 00:20:56
    of disney plus not in terms of
  • 00:20:59
    conceiving of exactly what the service
  • 00:21:01
    is going to be and because
  • 00:21:02
    obviously a lot's changed it doesn't
  • 00:21:04
    need to be tethered to a physical disk
  • 00:21:05
    so a lot's chained changed but that
  • 00:21:08
    technology
  • 00:21:09
    really uh got us exercising a a muscle
  • 00:21:13
    that frankly
  • 00:21:14
    we never had uh and that's the new media
  • 00:21:18
    muscle
  • 00:21:19
    and so you know the development of
  • 00:21:23
    new technologies tend to be embryonic
  • 00:21:25
    and they last
  • 00:21:26
    a long time and they cook for quite a
  • 00:21:28
    while and it enabled us to hit the
  • 00:21:31
    ground running when we finally decided
  • 00:21:32
    we were ready to
  • 00:21:34
    completely jump in uh more recently
  • 00:21:37
    in the parks i don't know how many
  • 00:21:39
    people have had a chance to
  • 00:21:41
    go to galaxy's edge in either disneyland
  • 00:21:43
    or walt disney world
  • 00:21:44
    obviously we opened up those lands and
  • 00:21:47
    very shortly thereafter
  • 00:21:49
    very shortly the pandemic hit and so not
  • 00:21:51
    as many guests have been able to enjoy
  • 00:21:53
    it as we obviously would like nor would
  • 00:21:55
    they like
  • 00:21:55
    but there's a particular attraction
  • 00:21:57
    called rise of the resistance in our uh
  • 00:22:00
    star wars
  • 00:22:00
    uh galaxy's edge land both at land and
  • 00:22:04
    world
  • 00:22:05
    and uh there's five million lines of
  • 00:22:08
    code
  • 00:22:09
    that went into that immersive
  • 00:22:11
    interactive
  • 00:22:12
    experience and
  • 00:22:15
    it's impossible to separate technology
  • 00:22:18
    from the guest experience
  • 00:22:20
    although we believe that any technology
  • 00:22:23
    should be hidden
  • 00:22:24
    and all you should see is the interface
  • 00:22:26
    of that
  • 00:22:27
    uh experience so it needs to operate in
  • 00:22:30
    the background
  • 00:22:31
    it's not about the technology but the
  • 00:22:33
    technology needs to do one thing
  • 00:22:35
    and that's help you tell the story help
  • 00:22:37
    you round out the experience
  • 00:22:39
    and that's what rise of the resistance
  • 00:22:41
    does it is
  • 00:22:42
    mind-boggling how interactive it is and
  • 00:22:46
    and how uh immersive it is so there's
  • 00:22:49
    two examples
  • 00:22:50
    great thank you let's shift over to
  • 00:22:54
    diversity equity and inclusion
  • 00:22:57
    which are now more than buzzwords they
  • 00:23:00
    are expected to be purposefully
  • 00:23:02
    activated at all levels of society in
  • 00:23:05
    the workplace
  • 00:23:06
    at school in government etc
  • 00:23:10
    what is disney doing in this regard
  • 00:23:13
    well i think you know everybody in
  • 00:23:15
    society uh
  • 00:23:17
    had got a a pretty big wake-up call
  • 00:23:20
    uh over the last year in terms of
  • 00:23:24
    something that we all knew needed to be
  • 00:23:26
    addressed and we all
  • 00:23:27
    worked on it but i think we need to do
  • 00:23:31
    more
  • 00:23:31
    bigger faster and stronger uh so
  • 00:23:34
    this all happened uh when i got this job
  • 00:23:37
    not only at the time that
  • 00:23:39
    uh the pandemic was upon us but all the
  • 00:23:41
    social
  • 00:23:42
    unrest was happening at the same time so
  • 00:23:45
    i thought i would uh seize the
  • 00:23:46
    opportunity by setting up six pillars
  • 00:23:48
    for the company that would
  • 00:23:51
    be a way for the company to rally around
  • 00:23:53
    these efforts
  • 00:23:54
    uh the six pillars are transparency
  • 00:23:58
    representation accountability community
  • 00:24:01
    culture and of course
  • 00:24:03
    our content because our content is the
  • 00:24:06
    biggest way
  • 00:24:07
    that we have the ability to influence
  • 00:24:11
    the world around us right i mean
  • 00:24:15
    certainly disney writes big checks to
  • 00:24:17
    good causes
  • 00:24:18
    but it's not about the big checks the
  • 00:24:20
    biggest thing we can do is make content
  • 00:24:22
    that's representative
  • 00:24:24
    of the world around us and filmmakers
  • 00:24:27
    uh that have points of view that all of
  • 00:24:29
    us may not
  • 00:24:30
    have had just like my upbringing in the
  • 00:24:33
    region
  • 00:24:34
    shaped me filmmakers have all been
  • 00:24:37
    shaped
  • 00:24:38
    by their own experiences and we want to
  • 00:24:42
    ensure that our content represents the
  • 00:24:44
    world
  • 00:24:45
    not as people saw it 5 10 15
  • 00:24:48
    20 50 years ago but
  • 00:24:52
    as people see the world and should see
  • 00:24:54
    the world more broadly today
  • 00:24:58
    several alumni are curious if disney has
  • 00:25:01
    any initiatives
  • 00:25:02
    similar to the cbs naacp partnership
  • 00:25:06
    intended to increase diversity
  • 00:25:09
    and access and shows creators and so
  • 00:25:11
    forth
  • 00:25:12
    yeah well everything that we do involves
  • 00:25:14
    some type of partnership generally with
  • 00:25:16
    the creative community okay but we did
  • 00:25:19
    not tie ourselves to one particular
  • 00:25:21
    entity
  • 00:25:22
    instead what we did and this is very
  • 00:25:24
    typical of disney we built our own
  • 00:25:26
    and the project is called the undefeated
  • 00:25:28
    i don't know how many of you have seen
  • 00:25:30
    it
  • 00:25:30
    uh it's uh was created out of espn which
  • 00:25:33
    is another disney company
  • 00:25:35
    and it's the intersection of sports
  • 00:25:39
    culture and entertainment and it's
  • 00:25:42
    just phenomenal and it has become if you
  • 00:25:45
    will a beacon of inspiration for the
  • 00:25:47
    rest of the company
  • 00:25:49
    and uh it has been something that
  • 00:25:52
    uh we would look to expand as a brand
  • 00:25:54
    within the walt disney company
  • 00:25:56
    uh so that we can help filmmakers uh
  • 00:25:59
    uh diverse filmmakers tell stories so if
  • 00:26:02
    you haven't checked out undefeated it's
  • 00:26:04
    it's really incredible the other thing
  • 00:26:06
    we've done is created
  • 00:26:07
    a a a few councils uh bob
  • 00:26:11
    iger chairs a creative console where uh
  • 00:26:14
    we work
  • 00:26:15
    very aggressively against that one
  • 00:26:16
    pillar that last pillar i talked about
  • 00:26:18
    the creative pillar
  • 00:26:20
    where we try to inspire the people that
  • 00:26:23
    work in our studios
  • 00:26:24
    and tv areas to go out and find and find
  • 00:26:28
    diverse directors actors in front and
  • 00:26:30
    back of the camera
  • 00:26:32
    uh so that we are representative i
  • 00:26:35
    chair a ceo console consul along with
  • 00:26:39
    our head of diversity inclusion latondra
  • 00:26:41
    newton and
  • 00:26:42
    we meet regularly and tackle some really
  • 00:26:45
    tough issues
  • 00:26:48
    so one of the things that we've done out
  • 00:26:50
    of this group has made a decision
  • 00:26:52
    that at least 50 percent of our
  • 00:26:54
    charitable giving
  • 00:26:55
    goes to diverse uh sources diverse
  • 00:26:59
    organizations so now that we've got a
  • 00:27:01
    goal we can hold ourselves accountable
  • 00:27:02
    to that goal
  • 00:27:03
    and measure our progress that's great it
  • 00:27:06
    sounds like disney is
  • 00:27:07
    walking the talk and is action oriented
  • 00:27:11
    uh there's a lot of folks these days
  • 00:27:13
    talking about this out of the other and
  • 00:27:14
    it's all well intended
  • 00:27:15
    most of it but action
  • 00:27:19
    as they say speaks louder than words so
  • 00:27:21
    really impressed with what disney is
  • 00:27:22
    doing
  • 00:27:23
    in this regard one other question
  • 00:27:25
    related to
  • 00:27:26
    uh inclusion and diversity
  • 00:27:29
    again coming from the audience how do
  • 00:27:31
    you envision disney building on its
  • 00:27:33
    attempts to provide
  • 00:27:34
    culturally authentic stories like cocoa
  • 00:27:38
    moana and seoul right well you know the
  • 00:27:41
    the the
  • 00:27:42
    the it all starts with getting you know
  • 00:27:44
    script writers
  • 00:27:45
    who have broad points of view right
  • 00:27:48
    because the whole process starts in
  • 00:27:49
    development
  • 00:27:50
    with the script so you have to have the
  • 00:27:53
    the scriptwriters
  • 00:27:54
    but you also and and you you answered it
  • 00:27:56
    you have to
  • 00:27:57
    walk the talk right you can't just say
  • 00:28:00
    this
  • 00:28:00
    you actually have to do it we made a
  • 00:28:04
    decision to change some of our
  • 00:28:07
    attractions
  • 00:28:08
    that are in our parks that have been
  • 00:28:12
    around for a long long time again now
  • 00:28:13
    this goes back to the
  • 00:28:15
    legacy issue and you know super fans not
  • 00:28:17
    wanting anything to change
  • 00:28:19
    but when you really take a hard look at
  • 00:28:21
    an attraction that's been there for
  • 00:28:22
    over 60 years and you realized it's
  • 00:28:25
    based on song of the south
  • 00:28:27
    and song of the south is based on a
  • 00:28:30
    story
  • 00:28:31
    which you know depicts happy slaves
  • 00:28:34
    that is probably not you know a place
  • 00:28:38
    that we all want to be in a place that
  • 00:28:39
    disney wants to be
  • 00:28:41
    so you have to have again wrapping all
  • 00:28:42
    this up you have to have the courage
  • 00:28:45
    to go ahead and change something that's
  • 00:28:46
    been uh
  • 00:28:48
    you know pleasing a good number of
  • 00:28:50
    people has really high guest ratings
  • 00:28:52
    for the last 60 years and
  • 00:28:56
    make the change so that you could
  • 00:28:59
    not only talk about making positive
  • 00:29:01
    change but
  • 00:29:02
    really get into it and make those
  • 00:29:04
    changes and
  • 00:29:06
    so we're going to walk the talk and
  • 00:29:07
    we're going to hire people that have
  • 00:29:09
    diverse the people that are working on
  • 00:29:10
    the conversion of that to the tiana
  • 00:29:13
    story
  • 00:29:14
    uh are are very diverse and so we'll
  • 00:29:17
    make sure
  • 00:29:18
    that it's not somehow lost in
  • 00:29:20
    interpretation in terms of how that
  • 00:29:21
    tourist should be
  • 00:29:24
    told in a very uplifting and accurate
  • 00:29:26
    way
  • 00:29:29
    okay we're going to shift over and talk
  • 00:29:31
    a little bit about the college of arts
  • 00:29:32
    and sciences in terms of
  • 00:29:34
    the five foundational skills that
  • 00:29:38
    the college holds near and dear first
  • 00:29:41
    skill
  • 00:29:41
    is question critically next is think
  • 00:29:45
    logically communicate clearly
  • 00:29:49
    act creatively and live ethically
  • 00:29:52
    now your business is creative centric so
  • 00:29:55
    that is a given
  • 00:29:56
    of the remaining four foundations which
  • 00:29:59
    one is the most important
  • 00:30:01
    and why it would be by far live
  • 00:30:04
    ethically
  • 00:30:05
    it's a part of our culture it's a part
  • 00:30:06
    of our dna it's a part of what makes
  • 00:30:08
    us tick that is the anti to play the
  • 00:30:12
    game
  • 00:30:13
    so you're right we're in a creative
  • 00:30:15
    business and so that's a given
  • 00:30:17
    but the live ethically would go first
  • 00:30:20
    even beyond the creativity because
  • 00:30:23
    if that's broken then we
  • 00:30:26
    break the promise of what disney magic
  • 00:30:29
    that's what we call it disney magic
  • 00:30:31
    uh what disney magic is all about and
  • 00:30:34
    you know part of my
  • 00:30:35
    my job is to make sure all 200 000 of us
  • 00:30:38
    no matter whether they work in india or
  • 00:30:40
    whether they work in russia
  • 00:30:42
    or whether they work in europe or asia
  • 00:30:44
    that they were all
  • 00:30:46
    doing the same thing that's great so
  • 00:30:49
    when we met a few weeks ago we did talk
  • 00:30:51
    about ethics
  • 00:30:52
    and that topic is highly popular among
  • 00:30:55
    today's audience
  • 00:30:56
    those folks listening in today so how do
  • 00:30:59
    you cultivate and maintain
  • 00:31:01
    that strong foundation of ethical
  • 00:31:03
    behavior at disney
  • 00:31:04
    yeah well first of all it starts with
  • 00:31:07
    hiring people that have those
  • 00:31:10
    characteristics
  • 00:31:11
    you know so often i get
  • 00:31:14
    well so often defined as probably every
  • 00:31:17
    hour
  • 00:31:18
    i get an email or a phone call from
  • 00:31:20
    someone that says you've got to hire my
  • 00:31:22
    nephew
  • 00:31:23
    he really loves disney or you've got to
  • 00:31:25
    hire my niece you've got to hire my
  • 00:31:26
    daughter
  • 00:31:27
    they really love disney and
  • 00:31:31
    too often a love of disney is not enough
  • 00:31:36
    it certainly helps but you've got to
  • 00:31:38
    have the right
  • 00:31:41
    the right character to work at disney
  • 00:31:43
    you have to have
  • 00:31:44
    hospitality first you have to want to
  • 00:31:46
    serve you have to want to put
  • 00:31:47
    others in front of yourself because
  • 00:31:49
    essentially that's
  • 00:31:51
    the business that we're in right
  • 00:31:56
    so it really does start with making sure
  • 00:31:59
    that the people that are on the front
  • 00:32:00
    lines of people that are working all 200
  • 00:32:02
    000 again
  • 00:32:04
    really embody that not artificially or
  • 00:32:07
    not in a trained way
  • 00:32:08
    but it's part of who they are it's part
  • 00:32:11
    of their identity
  • 00:32:13
    and again that's an example of picking
  • 00:32:16
    that hill
  • 00:32:17
    integrity is everything and then making
  • 00:32:20
    sure all the people sort of
  • 00:32:21
    walk up that hill together
  • 00:32:25
    and we talked about you mentioned
  • 00:32:26
    northstar
  • 00:32:28
    earlier and we talked about that as well
  • 00:32:30
    a few weeks ago
  • 00:32:32
    one of the things that you mentioned as
  • 00:32:35
    you described
  • 00:32:36
    the career as a journey and talked about
  • 00:32:38
    finding your north star
  • 00:32:40
    you also made a point about being
  • 00:32:42
    flexible
  • 00:32:44
    can you expand on that yeah as if
  • 00:32:47
    it pertains to careers one of the
  • 00:32:48
    examples i like to use
  • 00:32:50
    often with students is a a silly one but
  • 00:32:54
    it it really captures the
  • 00:32:56
    idea of flexibility and it's i use
  • 00:33:00
    bumper bowling in other words when you
  • 00:33:01
    go to a bowling alley on a saturday
  • 00:33:03
    morning
  • 00:33:04
    and the little six-year-olds are trying
  • 00:33:06
    to learn to bowl
  • 00:33:08
    they put bumpers in the gutters so that
  • 00:33:10
    the ball can't go too far
  • 00:33:12
    off now everybody there wants to hit the
  • 00:33:14
    head pin
  • 00:33:15
    and i think a lot of people in their
  • 00:33:16
    career would like to hit the head pin
  • 00:33:18
    right away but sometimes you need
  • 00:33:21
    bumpers
  • 00:33:22
    but you can only deviate too far off
  • 00:33:24
    your given path
  • 00:33:26
    until you're wasting time or not you
  • 00:33:28
    know charting a course
  • 00:33:30
    to hit that head pin to achieve your
  • 00:33:33
    goal
  • 00:33:34
    so patience is a is a virtue in this
  • 00:33:36
    case
  • 00:33:37
    but knowing when to redirect and bounce
  • 00:33:40
    off that bumper
  • 00:33:41
    and proceed down that path towards the
  • 00:33:45
    head pin
  • 00:33:46
    is a really critical thing so again it's
  • 00:33:48
    about focus it's about knowing what you
  • 00:33:50
    want
  • 00:33:51
    and it's importantly about making
  • 00:33:53
    decisions along the way that advance
  • 00:33:56
    your achievement of that goal
  • 00:33:59
    so a lot of times when i counsel young
  • 00:34:02
    students they'll say well i've got two
  • 00:34:03
    different jobs i want
  • 00:34:05
    one's in a city that i really don't want
  • 00:34:07
    to be in and it doesn't pay as much
  • 00:34:09
    money
  • 00:34:11
    but it's really kind of in the field
  • 00:34:13
    that i want to do but another one is
  • 00:34:15
    really glamorous
  • 00:34:16
    and it's in new york and it doesn't have
  • 00:34:18
    anything to do with what i want to do
  • 00:34:20
    but it pays you know ten thousand
  • 00:34:22
    dollars a year more
  • 00:34:24
    is there a really decision to be made
  • 00:34:25
    here and so it's really about
  • 00:34:27
    you know again living true to your
  • 00:34:30
    values and living true to your goals
  • 00:34:32
    and making sure that you you live with
  • 00:34:35
    patients but at the same time
  • 00:34:37
    you're always heading towards your goal
  • 00:34:38
    in that head pin
  • 00:34:41
    as i mentioned we have three or 400
  • 00:34:43
    students in the audience
  • 00:34:45
    and they are curious to know what skills
  • 00:34:48
    you learned at iu
  • 00:34:49
    have been most useful on your path to
  • 00:34:52
    becoming ceo
  • 00:34:56
    uh determination uh
  • 00:35:01
    you know i i think it's safe to say
  • 00:35:03
    growing up in the region
  • 00:35:05
    i went to a high school
  • 00:35:08
    where not a lot of the students went to
  • 00:35:10
    college
  • 00:35:12
    uh we had some basic science
  • 00:35:15
    courses you know entry level physics
  • 00:35:18
    entry level chemistry biology
  • 00:35:20
    but when i got to iu
  • 00:35:23
    i found out that the students that i was
  • 00:35:26
    competing against
  • 00:35:27
    were much better prepared i hadn't heard
  • 00:35:29
    of something called an ap
  • 00:35:31
    class you know most of the the the
  • 00:35:34
    classes that
  • 00:35:34
    people took in my high school were shop
  • 00:35:36
    classes
  • 00:35:37
    you know um and the idea that
  • 00:35:41
    i thought i was well prepared but i got
  • 00:35:43
    in and realized i was woefully behind
  • 00:35:47
    the other students made me sort of
  • 00:35:50
    suck it up and sort of try to catch up
  • 00:35:52
    on my own because as you know once you
  • 00:35:54
    go to college
  • 00:35:55
    you know there's no there's no one you
  • 00:35:57
    know catching you if you fall
  • 00:36:00
    and that was one of my first lessons in
  • 00:36:03
    grit
  • 00:36:03
    and determination again all all part of
  • 00:36:06
    the
  • 00:36:07
    the the great upbringing that i had from
  • 00:36:10
    you know quote the region end quote
  • 00:36:12
    but you know the academic background was
  • 00:36:15
    insufficient to you know go into organic
  • 00:36:18
    chemistry
  • 00:36:19
    and i had to sort of figure that out and
  • 00:36:22
    be resourceful
  • 00:36:23
    and find a way and that has been very
  • 00:36:26
    valuable throughout my whole career
  • 00:36:27
    sort of defines who i am in some ways
  • 00:36:31
    great thank you bob uh
  • 00:36:35
    you became disney's ceo just about a
  • 00:36:37
    year ago on february 25th
  • 00:36:40
    and just a few days after that the
  • 00:36:43
    united states announced his first
  • 00:36:45
    coronavirus death what has the past
  • 00:36:48
    year been like leading one of the
  • 00:36:51
    world's greatest companies
  • 00:36:53
    during the pandemic well
  • 00:36:57
    you're right the first decision i had to
  • 00:36:58
    make was about three days after i got
  • 00:37:00
    the job and that was essentially to
  • 00:37:01
    close about 80 percent of our businesses
  • 00:37:04
    other than our tv networks and that was
  • 00:37:06
    very difficult
  • 00:37:07
    because um that was something that was
  • 00:37:11
    unprecedented unheard of i mean no one
  • 00:37:13
    could ever
  • 00:37:14
    have imagined that at the same time so i
  • 00:37:18
    was involved in a job of
  • 00:37:20
    making sure that the company frankly
  • 00:37:21
    survived
  • 00:37:23
    when you've got money flowing out
  • 00:37:25
    because we we paid
  • 00:37:26
    our cast members and our employees for a
  • 00:37:28
    long long time
  • 00:37:30
    uh before the businesses started kicking
  • 00:37:32
    in and unfortunately
  • 00:37:34
    you know we had to make some hard
  • 00:37:35
    decisions along the way uh
  • 00:37:37
    uh in order to sort of brace ourselves
  • 00:37:40
    for the long-standing impact of covid
  • 00:37:43
    but along the same time i had to make
  • 00:37:45
    the decision that
  • 00:37:46
    i wasn't going to only worry about
  • 00:37:48
    survival i was going
  • 00:37:50
    to use this as an opportunity uh
  • 00:37:53
    if you will to shoot forward as a
  • 00:37:55
    catalyst for the future
  • 00:37:56
    and so as we're you know taking on debt
  • 00:38:00
    in order to you know pay bills
  • 00:38:02
    and making sure that you know we had a
  • 00:38:04
    future uh i had one eye on that but the
  • 00:38:06
    other
  • 00:38:06
    eye was on accelerating our path our
  • 00:38:10
    pivot towards direct to consumer
  • 00:38:12
    and worrying about espn plus and
  • 00:38:16
    hulu and disney plus and our new
  • 00:38:19
    uh recently announced star general
  • 00:38:22
    entertainment
  • 00:38:23
    uh venture in the international
  • 00:38:26
    territories and really casting
  • 00:38:30
    the supply chain of new content that
  • 00:38:32
    would feed them
  • 00:38:33
    and getting that group of filmmakers and
  • 00:38:35
    scripts written
  • 00:38:36
    so part of it was about you know bailing
  • 00:38:39
    out the boat so the boat didn't sink but
  • 00:38:41
    at the same time
  • 00:38:42
    it was about charting of course for the
  • 00:38:44
    future and accelerating frankly
  • 00:38:46
    that dramatically and i think it
  • 00:38:49
    again sort of goes to the written
  • 00:38:51
    determination i could have you know gone
  • 00:38:52
    into a fetal position and
  • 00:38:54
    you know just you know hope that it
  • 00:38:56
    ended but
  • 00:38:57
    that wasn't what you know all of those
  • 00:38:59
    constituents i mentioned earlier i
  • 00:39:01
    our cast our consumers our guests our
  • 00:39:05
    owners at wall street
  • 00:39:06
    our local communities that's not what
  • 00:39:07
    they wanted they wanted leadership they
  • 00:39:09
    wanted decisiveness
  • 00:39:11
    and they wanted conviction and a sense
  • 00:39:13
    of optimism
  • 00:39:15
    and that's you know in those
  • 00:39:18
    you know three weeks or three days after
  • 00:39:20
    i get the job that's
  • 00:39:21
    sort of the cards i was dealt and but
  • 00:39:23
    that's how i played them
  • 00:39:26
    so the audience would like to know i
  • 00:39:28
    would like you to share leadership
  • 00:39:30
    lessons from this crisis
  • 00:39:33
    what have you learned during the
  • 00:39:35
    pandemic
  • 00:39:37
    uh i guess i guess i learned that
  • 00:39:41
    you have to always
  • 00:39:45
    focus on what makes a difference and
  • 00:39:48
    what makes a difference for us
  • 00:39:51
    is our cast we have direct guest
  • 00:39:54
    interaction in so many of our businesses
  • 00:39:56
    and people you know disney
  • 00:39:58
    it is yes uh just another company but no
  • 00:40:02
    it's not just
  • 00:40:03
    another company and people look to us
  • 00:40:06
    and when we say something or we do
  • 00:40:07
    something it resonates
  • 00:40:09
    you know 12 companies can do the same
  • 00:40:10
    thing and disney gets the headline
  • 00:40:12
    and in this world of social media when
  • 00:40:15
    it's so easy to sort of sit back
  • 00:40:17
    and and you know criticize and feel
  • 00:40:20
    supported by
  • 00:40:21
    groups of people that you know you're
  • 00:40:23
    you're in your social media loop
  • 00:40:25
    um you've got to stand strong and you've
  • 00:40:29
    got to do
  • 00:40:30
    you've got to do what you believe is
  • 00:40:32
    right and have the courage
  • 00:40:35
    knowing that no matter what you say in
  • 00:40:36
    this divided world you're going to get
  • 00:40:38
    criticized
  • 00:40:40
    and so it's really about finding your
  • 00:40:42
    element of truth
  • 00:40:44
    and representing that truth and
  • 00:40:46
    everything you do
  • 00:40:48
    and pillars such as transparency and a
  • 00:40:51
    high degree of
  • 00:40:52
    high degree of ethics certainly
  • 00:40:55
    uh bode well for you guys as you go
  • 00:40:58
    forward
  • 00:41:00
    um we've got a few more well i've got
  • 00:41:02
    one more question on the pandemic uh
  • 00:41:06
    you announced that disneyland will serve
  • 00:41:08
    as a
  • 00:41:09
    mass vaccination site so what prompted
  • 00:41:13
    that decision
  • 00:41:15
    well basically doing the right thing you
  • 00:41:17
    know if there's one thing we do is
  • 00:41:18
    handle large numbers of people
  • 00:41:20
    uh you know we've got tens of thousands
  • 00:41:23
    of industrial engineers
  • 00:41:24
    whose job it is is basically to make
  • 00:41:26
    sure the flow of people
  • 00:41:28
    is such that everyone has a you know a
  • 00:41:30
    good experience
  • 00:41:31
    and if you think about the process that
  • 00:41:35
    it takes to go through the various steps
  • 00:41:36
    of getting a vaccination
  • 00:41:38
    um you know maybe we can possibly help
  • 00:41:42
    and but at a minimum even if
  • 00:41:45
    uh you know the government had its own
  • 00:41:48
    way of doing its vaccinations
  • 00:41:50
    we had the facilities and everyone knows
  • 00:41:53
    where disneyland's at
  • 00:41:55
    in southern california and they
  • 00:41:57
    certainly needed a place to distribute
  • 00:41:59
    it so
  • 00:42:00
    we provided it and it was just the right
  • 00:42:02
    thing to do
  • 00:42:05
    okay we've got some more audience
  • 00:42:06
    questions
  • 00:42:08
    multiple audience members would like to
  • 00:42:10
    know what is your favorite
  • 00:42:13
    iu memory now like many of us i'm sure
  • 00:42:15
    you've got
  • 00:42:16
    a slew of fond memories from your time
  • 00:42:18
    at iu
  • 00:42:19
    but what are one or two that stand out
  • 00:42:23
    well first uh you know i met my wife
  • 00:42:25
    there
  • 00:42:26
    uh my second day on campus so
  • 00:42:29
    she's listening in i'm sure uh so that
  • 00:42:32
    that's that's a good decision to say
  • 00:42:34
    that no it's true uh that's that's the
  • 00:42:36
    best one
  • 00:42:37
    uh uh never forget it uh but also
  • 00:42:40
    uh how about the 1981 national
  • 00:42:43
    championship
  • 00:42:44
    that was my senior year uh i remember
  • 00:42:48
    it vividly like it was yesterday and
  • 00:42:50
    that obviously is going to be a
  • 00:42:51
    highlight for anyone
  • 00:42:52
    i was on campus when they filmed
  • 00:42:54
    breaking away which might was my first
  • 00:42:55
    exposure again for somebody from the
  • 00:42:57
    region
  • 00:42:58
    to filmmaking and so i would as i'm
  • 00:43:01
    walking to and from class stop and you
  • 00:43:04
    know
  • 00:43:05
    experience several scenes that they were
  • 00:43:06
    shooting and couldn't believe
  • 00:43:08
    you know what a big complicated deal it
  • 00:43:10
    was
  • 00:43:11
    now maybe some ways that what my whistle
  • 00:43:13
    for what i eventually
  • 00:43:15
    uh do now but i had no idea i actually
  • 00:43:19
    sat in the audience at the old little
  • 00:43:21
    500 stadium
  • 00:43:22
    uh during a filming of the filming of
  • 00:43:24
    the race
  • 00:43:26
    scene so those were i'd probably say
  • 00:43:30
    uh probably the biggest memories
  • 00:43:33
    those are great so i was on campus in
  • 00:43:36
    1976
  • 00:43:38
    when we won the national championship
  • 00:43:40
    that certainly is one of my favorite
  • 00:43:42
    uh iu memories i ended up in showwalter
  • 00:43:44
    fountain actually
  • 00:43:48
    came down with strep throat i was tossed
  • 00:43:50
    in the fountain during the celebration
  • 00:43:53
    and when i went over the categories at
  • 00:43:55
    the top of the
  • 00:43:56
    discussion that the audience
  • 00:43:59
    was interested in surprisingly
  • 00:44:03
    sports or specifically iu basketball
  • 00:44:06
    was was not a category but we we both
  • 00:44:10
    had a great experience being there when
  • 00:44:12
    they won a national championship
  • 00:44:14
    i'll take the 76 team by 10
  • 00:44:18
    over the 81 team yeah well
  • 00:44:21
    you also have what was the 87s team with
  • 00:44:23
    keith smart who made that shot from the
  • 00:44:25
    corner so
  • 00:44:26
    yeah you know we've we've had a good
  • 00:44:28
    fortune of having great players and
  • 00:44:31
    a great program uh over the years
  • 00:44:34
    a couple more questions this is a very
  • 00:44:38
    important question i'm going to stay on
  • 00:44:39
    this
  • 00:44:39
    in the sports uh arena
  • 00:44:43
    disney owns espn espn
  • 00:44:46
    broadcasts the rose bowl
  • 00:44:50
    if iu football makes it to the rose bowl
  • 00:44:52
    next year
  • 00:44:53
    bob can i count on you for a pair of
  • 00:44:54
    tickets
  • 00:44:58
    uh i will not give you an answer in
  • 00:45:00
    front of several thousand people
  • 00:45:03
    because i know what will happen but you
  • 00:45:05
    have my number
  • 00:45:06
    [Laughter]
  • 00:45:09
    thank you you talked about we talked
  • 00:45:11
    about your college career a little bit
  • 00:45:14
    what motivating forces and obviously
  • 00:45:17
    getting good grades
  • 00:45:18
    is a motivator but what motivating
  • 00:45:21
    forces propelled you during college
  • 00:45:25
    uh making a better life for myself
  • 00:45:29
    uh you know i really had my eyes opened
  • 00:45:32
    up
  • 00:45:32
    when i got to bloomington
  • 00:45:35
    uh you know work growing up in a working
  • 00:45:39
    class area
  • 00:45:41
    you have a fairly narrow view of what
  • 00:45:45
    success is and then you get exposed to a
  • 00:45:48
    much broader
  • 00:45:50
    group of people a diverse group of
  • 00:45:52
    people
  • 00:45:53
    and you learn what success can be
  • 00:45:57
    and i set my sights high
  • 00:46:00
    and uh i've been setting him high ever
  • 00:46:04
    since
  • 00:46:05
    well i think we're just about uh out of
  • 00:46:08
    time here we want to give you a chance
  • 00:46:10
    to wrap things up from your perspective
  • 00:46:13
    this kind of an open forum open-ended if
  • 00:46:16
    there's anything else you would like to
  • 00:46:18
    add
  • 00:46:18
    yeah before we uh wrap up wrap up the
  • 00:46:21
    event
  • 00:46:22
    yeah all i would say is that you know uh
  • 00:46:25
    indiana university has stayed with uh me
  • 00:46:28
    and
  • 00:46:28
    my family most of my wife's family or iu
  • 00:46:32
    grads
  • 00:46:33
    uh some of them are i'm guessing
  • 00:46:35
    listening right now
  • 00:46:37
    and it's really been a part of who our
  • 00:46:40
    family is for a
  • 00:46:41
    long time and it will continue to be i
  • 00:46:44
    don't get back there
  • 00:46:45
    nearly as much as i'd like because
  • 00:46:48
    i have other competing priorities
  • 00:46:52
    but it's always there and it's it's been
  • 00:46:56
    it's been great for us
  • 00:46:57
    and uh part of who i am now great
  • 00:47:00
    well bob thank you very much for being
  • 00:47:03
    with us this morning
  • 00:47:04
    and i it's a great way to to kick off
  • 00:47:07
    the weekend
  • 00:47:08
    and i would also like to thank dean van
  • 00:47:11
    kooten for
  • 00:47:12
    inviting me to serve as today's
  • 00:47:14
    moderator and thank his staff
  • 00:47:16
    for all the assistance that they gave me
  • 00:47:18
    as we prepared for this
  • 00:47:19
    with this event audience members again
  • 00:47:22
    thank you for joining us
  • 00:47:24
    uh marvelous turnout today and now i'll
  • 00:47:27
    hand it back over to rick to close out
  • 00:47:29
    the session
  • 00:47:31
    thanks doug douglas and bob that was
  • 00:47:33
    fantastic i think that was uh
  • 00:47:35
    just a wonderful just
  • 00:47:39
    example of the embodiment of liberal
  • 00:47:41
    arts education and how
  • 00:47:42
    you know bob you're able to move
  • 00:47:44
    smoothly from all the different areas of
  • 00:47:46
    your career
  • 00:47:47
    and it really struck me the north star
  • 00:47:48
    the curiosity and the need to keep
  • 00:47:50
    evolving i think our real
  • 00:47:51
    takeaways i also want to just express
  • 00:47:53
    just realization of just how
  • 00:47:55
    big a part of society disney is
  • 00:47:59
    and the fact that just how proud i am i
  • 00:48:01
    think the rest of the college is
  • 00:48:03
    to have a college alumnus at the helm of
  • 00:48:05
    probably the most trusted company
  • 00:48:07
    in the entire world um so just in
  • 00:48:10
    closing i'd like to thank
  • 00:48:12
    thank everybody here for joining us and
  • 00:48:13
    participating in today's live stream
  • 00:48:15
    once again express my my really deep and
  • 00:48:18
    sincere gratitude to bob and douglas
  • 00:48:20
    for their time and expertise and we're
  • 00:48:22
    grateful to you all
  • 00:48:24
    finally i want to acknowledge that
  • 00:48:26
    events like this would not be possible
  • 00:48:27
    without the support of donors who
  • 00:48:28
    understand the value of a liberal arts
  • 00:48:30
    education
  • 00:48:31
    that is given by the college and for
  • 00:48:33
    those of you who support the college
  • 00:48:34
    with your philanthropy
  • 00:48:36
    i thank you on behalf of all of our
  • 00:48:37
    students and students our faculty and
  • 00:48:39
    students
  • 00:48:40
    who do benefit from that and if you
  • 00:48:42
    enjoyed today's program
  • 00:48:44
    i hope you'll join us you'll join us for
  • 00:48:46
    our next
  • 00:48:47
    celebrating alumni contributions event
  • 00:48:49
    with alumnus and rolling stone
  • 00:48:50
    contributing editor
  • 00:48:52
    anthony de curtis on wednesday april
  • 00:48:54
    21st which i'm sure is going to be
  • 00:48:56
    very entertaining so in closing be safe
  • 00:48:59
    enjoy the snow and the rest of your
  • 00:49:01
    friday and the weekend
  • 00:49:03
    take care thank you
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