Animal Kingdom VP Changing Jobs

[Ed]

From Jason Garcia's blog on Orlandosentinel.com:

One of Walt Disney World's four theme parks is about to get a new head executive.

Val Bunting, the Walt Disney World vice president in charge of Disney's Animal Kingdom, is changing jobs to become general manager at Disney's Port Orleans Resort. A Disney spokeswoman said the move is Bunting's choice, as Bunting wants to move into the resort side of the business.

Bunting has been the Animal Kingdom vice president since October 2007. The move will take effect once Disney names her successor.

[BluewaterBrad]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm interesting it is POR he is heading to. The accommodation page is full of complaints about POR.

[Ed]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm interesting it is POR he is heading to. The accommodation page is full of complaints about POR.

Pssssttttt.... Val is a she.

[ParkMan]

I'd of thought being the head of AK would be a much more desirable job...

Perhaps she's broadening her skills for a more significant position down the road.

[lockedoutlogic]

This is a classic disney sidegrade....

this is not some white knight riding to port orleans to save the day....and it's not for bad performance at the park (the park GM has no control over capital improvements....where the real power of the purse is....they are basically just yes men to whatever anaheim deems prudent and profitable)

This is a good illustration of the fact that there is nowhere for any mid level manager to go.....there's too many fish in the corporate see...especially in orlando...and nowhere for them to go....

My assumption....but a reasonable one that has born out time and again in the past

[NotaGeek]

This is a classic disney sidegrade....

this is not some white knight riding to port orleans to save the day....and it's not for bad performance at the park (the park GM has no control over capital improvements....where the real power of the purse is....they are basically just yes men to whatever anaheim deems prudent and profitable)

This is a good illustration of the fact that there is nowhere for any mid level manager to go.....there's too many fish in the corporate see...especially in orlando...and nowhere for them to go....

My assumption....but a reasonable one that has born out time and again in the past

Losing Vice President in your title isn't a "side grade" (more commonly called a Lateral Move in corporate speak) -- especially in a company like Disney. General Manger of one of the Moderate resorts can't be a lateral move from the person that was VP of Animal Kingdom -- something has to be going on.

I am not sure where you get your information about the workings of management at Disney World ... just out of curiosity is this just a cynical view of everything Disney or is it based on some actual inside knowledge?

[Mousemates]

not sure about the whole sidegrade/lateral move line of thinking here...maybe I have a lack of understanding about the two positions...but from the outside looking in "VP of a theme park" seems like a much more prestigious position than "GM of a moderate resort."

[lockedoutlogic]

Losing Vice President in your title isn't a "side grade" (more commonly called a Lateral Move in corporate speak) -- especially in a company like Disney. General Manger of one of the Moderate resorts can't be a lateral move from the person that was VP of Animal Kingdom -- something has to be going on.

I am not sure where you get your information about the workings of management at Disney World ... just out of curiosity is this just a cynical view of everything Disney or is it based on some actual inside knowledge?

Look up "Cynical" in Roget's and you'll see "realistic" lister...

I once had a department manager (one of about 10) who was formerly the General manager at Blizzard...and then went on to become "Assistant General Manager" at Pop (pop was shutdown and opened about 2 years after the original date...right at that time)...no disciplinary action

Our GM at a ridiculously busy and profitable resort left to become "Assistant Food and Beverage GM" at MGM...no disciplinary action

Another GM at a Resort (think: pricey, red, and white) had been the GM at Contemporary, Hilton Head, and All Stars....no disciplinary action

And i knew probaby 10-15 regular managers that went to a different location in the same position in a couple of year span...just cause they wanted to park in a different parking spot.

Now granted, this move could have been for disciplanary reasons....but it is a more likely explanation that it was done either because they wanted to move, or there was some kinda unwarranted political shakeup....

how can they do this? because there is logjam in the ranks of management....much moreso than the casual observer would come close to guessing....and the salaries of the managers are probably alot lower and closer together than you think amongst the different titles....

how much do you think a resort GM would make? how much do you think a park "VP" would make?

You'd probably be surprised....especially if you're from a metro area or the east coast....at what it is....

but i'll concede that this might be for sometype of downgrade....though the reality is that it will play out as a sidegrade with just a touch of shake up - briefly - and will end there

[DizneyFreak2002]

I look at this as a positive... Val was not that great of a VP, she was part of the problem.. People say she was in over her head.. and I believe it... Animal Kingdom has a lot of potential... But things are happening.. Good things... Poor managers being taken out of positions they have no business being in and maybe being put where they can perform better.. This may be one of those cases... If Val was indeed over her head running a theme park, she may be better off running a resort... Time will tell... But, people, believe me, the tide is turning.. TDO is losing on all battlefronts.. Corporate is winning.. And if what is coming up happens to succeed, be prepared to see TDO lose more and more control... With that, when I go to Disney in October, and they ask what I am celebrating, I am telling them the demise of TDO and to the dawning of a new day in WDW!!!!!

Ok, maybe just a bit of a dream there, but, really... good things are coming... sit tight... As long as Phil Holmes, Jay Rasulo and Meg Crofton don't get their hands on anything, the ride will be smooth... If they get in the way, it will be bumpy.. The Space Mountain refurb will be the last thing Phil Holmes gets to screw up..

[lockedoutlogic]

TDO?

team disney operations?

terrible dumb obnoxious?

i'm outta the loop on this one...

[TheRustyScupper]

A Disney spokeswoman said the move is Bunting's choice, as Bunting wants to move into the resort side of the business.

1) Hard to believe.
2) This is a major demotion.
3) The career path is resorts-to-parks.
4) Not the other way around (example: WL/FW to VP of Epcot)
5) It takes a long time to get back on the promotion path from this kind of demotion.
6) I think she blundered somewhere.

[GothMickey]

TDO?

team disney operations?

terrible dumb obnoxious?

i'm outta the loop on this one...

That one fits. I believe TDO stands for Team Disney Orlando.

[GothMickey]

1) Hard to believe.
2) This is a major demotion.
3) The career path is resorts-to-parks.
4) Not the other way around (example: WL/FW to VP of Epcot)
5) It takes a long time to get back on the promotion path from this kind of demotion.
6) I think she blundered somewhere.

Rusty, you are right. She blundered. Notice how all this stuff is happening after Iger toured the parks? Not a coincidence.

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

Rusty, you are right. She blundered. Notice how all this stuff is happening after Iger toured the parks? Not a coincidence.

Which, if true, is sad considering that it took the CEO physically going into the parks for change to start happening. He shouldn't have had any reason to visit the parks in the first place.

[seanyred]

Which, if true, is sad considering that it took the CEO physically going into the parks for change to start happening. He shouldn't have had any reason to visit the parks in the first place.

Huh? That's a confusing statement. I believe the CEO should be going to the parks, so he can have a better handle of things. When Walt ran things wasn't he there everyday? (I know it was just one park then) But Iger should be doing this as well and then hire quality people that report to him on park business without sugar coating it. Most people on these blogs are complaining about Disney isn't up to its own par anymore. So if that means Iger and John Lasseter need to be more hands to make improvements...I'm for it...

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

When Walt was walking around at Disneyland it was the only park they had and it was close to the Disney Studios. Walt also had an apartment above the firehouse on Main Street which he often stayed in during the park's early days.

Let's face it, the Disney Studios in Burbank isn't exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away from Orlando, nor is the Disney company as small as it was back in Walt's time. We're talking about a multi-billion dollar corporation that spans many different avenues. Bob Iger has a lot on his plate aside from the theme parks.

The fact that he had to physically come to the parks himself proves that things have gotten pretty bad. He shouldn't have to. That's why they have a Parks & Resorts Worldwide President. That's why the individual resorts have Presidents and Vice Presidents of their own. If they're not doing their jobs well enough that the CEO of the entire company has to bring the hammer down and experience the parks firsthand and start making changes, then that speaks very poorly about all the management levels below him.

[Stu29573]

I know Iger has a lot on his plate, but I think a quarterly stroll through the parks isn't a lot to ask. Personally, I'd like to think he would do that because he wants to keep an eye on things...Of course even though the company was much smaller when Walt was doing this (and there were fewer parks) one has to remember he was pretty much overseeing everything himself to a large degree. To say he was "hands on" is an understatement. It's not so much that he was a control freak (although some would argue) as it was because this was his passion. One would hope Iger has at least a taste of that in his personality.

[GothMickey]

Which, if true, is sad considering that it took the CEO physically going into the parks for change to start happening. He shouldn't have had any reason to visit the parks in the first place.

So the CEO shouldn't be touring the theme parks is his in control of? The CEO shouldn't be paying attention to parts of the business he leads? Did you know Michael Eisner toured the parks a lot? And do you know that WDW was at its cleanest and best when Michael Eisner was CEO? Iger been on the job 3-5 years now. I think it is about time he toured the parks to see the state of disarray Team Disney Orlando let the parks get into. Under this regime of terror, maintenance has slipped to unprecedented lows. All TDO wants to do is cut money here and there and not do maintenance. Yes, it is sad it took Iger to tour the parks before things were done. But, it is also sad it took Iger 3 years before touring the parks and actually doing something about the sad state WDW was falling into.

Again, higher ups are grabbing and taking control of WDW, even taking it out of Jay Rasulo's hands. Iger, the directors, and others are finally seeing the light. They are finally seeing Rasulo, Holmes, and in over her head Crofton are doing more harm than good. With Universal making some great and soon to be rewarding risks, WDW had to do something. And this current management team in WDW wasn't going to cut it. Val leaving AK and moving to a resort is really only the beginning, as stated before.

[GothMickey]

When Walt was walking around at Disneyland it was the only park they had and it was close to the Disney Studios. Walt also had an apartment above the firehouse on Main Street which he often stayed in during the park's early days.

Let's face it, the Disney Studios in Burbank isn't exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away from Orlando, nor is the Disney company as small as it was back in Walt's time. We're talking about a multi-billion dollar corporation that spans many different avenues. Bob Iger has a lot on his plate aside from the theme parks.

The fact that he had to physically come to the parks himself proves that things have gotten pretty bad. He shouldn't have to. That's why they have a Parks & Resorts Worldwide President. That's why the individual resorts have Presidents and Vice Presidents of their own. If they're not doing their jobs well enough that the CEO of the entire company has to bring the hammer down and experience the parks firsthand and start making changes, then that speaks very poorly about all the management levels below him.

Michael Eisner had a lot on his plate too, and toward the end, more than he could chew. But, that didn't stop him from visiting the parks and making sure things were on the up and up. He knew the parks were the company's cash cows. Iger should recognize this as well. Seems he is finally learning that, after 3 to 5 years on the job?

And you are right. There is terrible management in WDW and in the Parks and Resorts division in general, starting with Jay Rasulo. DIzneyfreak, me and others have been shouting this out loud for a while now. Phil Holmes is a poor VP for Magic Kingdom, maintenance in Animal Kingdom under Val was terrible, and Meg Crofton is was over her head in her job. The only VPs worth anything right now are in DHS and Epcot. They know how to handle their parks. And before bashing the VP of DHS for Fantasmic show cuts, that wasn't his doing. He was forced by those in Anaheim, ie Jay Rasulo and his henchmen.

[GothMickey]

I know Iger has a lot on his plate, but I think a quarterly stroll through the parks isn't a lot to ask. Personally, I'd like to think he would do that because he wants to keep an eye on things...Of course even though the company was much smaller when Walt was doing this (and there were fewer parks) one has to remember he was pretty much overseeing everything himself to a large degree. To say he was "hands on" is an understatement. It's not so much that he was a control freak (although some would argue) as it was because this was his passion. One would hope Iger has at least a taste of that in his personality.

You are correct in saying Iger should take a trip through all his parks. Sadly, he doesn't have a management team in place that is worth the price of admission. I do believe he is finally seeing the light. The CEO is the ultimate person responsible for everything. Do you honestly think the Disney shareholders would let Iger off the hook if, after HP opens, that Disney's attendance drops by a large amount and Universal's attendance increases? He'd be on the chopping block quicker than you can say Hogwarts. Think the campaign to oust Eisner was huge? That campaign would pale in comparison.