Disney: The first fifty days of Rich Ross (LAT)

By Nancy Tartaglione

The Los Angeles Times today looks at the first 50 days of the Rich Ross administration at Disney, saying the novice movie chairman has swiftly put his imprimatur on the studio as he and CEO Bob Iger look to create a new business model.

In meetings with producers, filmmakers and agents, Ross has attacked the industry custom of spending $40 million on a TV advertising blitz two weeks before a film's opening, rather than enlisting more targeted campaigns. And he's raised the touchy subject advanced by Iger that consumers are demanding that release windows be shortened.

"Any of us that are sitting around protecting old business models unfortunately are destined to have a hard time succeeding in the coming years," Paradigm chairman Sam Gores told the LAT. "We have to maximize our existing models and, more importantly, build new ones."

Still, it's too soon to know whether Ross can pull off his ambitious plan, says the paper. He has surely been busy, though.

Since he took over in early October - following the surprise ouster of movie chairman Dick Cook - he has dismissed several top executives and begun restructuring operations. In the process, some say, the executive displays flashes of brusqueness and impatience, reports the LAT.

Among those to leave since Ross' arrival are Miramax head Daniel Battsek, Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group president Mark Zoradi and marketing president Jim Gallagher.

In the coming weeks, Ross plans to hire a new marketing chief who will have a broad mandate to handle the promotion of films from multiplexes to living rooms, says the LAT.

Ross' vision of the films that will define the studio in this new era is also beginning to emerge: His main focus will be developing family-friendly movies under the Disney label which dovetails with Iger's overarching strategy to amass a stable of recognizable entertainment brands and exploit the films across its TV, theme parks, consumer products and game divisions.

"It's brand over everything else," Joe Roth told the LAT. It's a strategy, he notes, that although designed to reduce risk, is not without a downside. "What may get lost in the shuffle are non-branded original ideas that have no pre-awareness."

One of the things Ross has told agents is that he's looking to make more movies that appeal to women.

"He seems to be open to broadening what it means to be a Disney movie," UTA partner Jeremy Zimmer told the paper, "and to have more diversity and stronger execution of movies."

He's also shoring up relationships with Disney's key partners. Shortly after he took over, he went to DreamWorks' headquarters to meet with Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, the LAT says. The two - who have a distribution deal with Disney - were distraught over Cook's departure. Snider told LAT that Ross assured them that DreamWorks was an "important partner" and "was not going to let any balls fall." She and Spielberg in turn said to Ross, "We were sad that Dick was no longer there but that we're completely on board with him."