Scan barcode
rembrandt1881's review against another edition
4.0
I had long wanted to read or listen to the audio version of this book and when I began the time in listening (23 Hours!) seemed insane. Told in a narrative format the book didn't big down as much as it could have for so much material. For the 20 years that Michael Eisner ran Disney he built the brand up and saved off takeovers multiple times. While like most regimes you can look at the early changes that were made and see the improvement, early success would seem to have gone to his head and as many people know already, wrapped his hand around the power of running the company and only let go when forced.
One of the amazing things that gets documented is just how much material that the author has that could have been avoided had Eisner and the company paid attention to the outside world and not hid in the sand hoping that things would go away or thag they could bully their way over people. There is so much communication that details exactly what was happening from all sides that made this fascinating.
If you have the stomach for lengthy and sometimes dense and dry business history I think you can learn a lot from this book about how to move people in your direction and the dangers of too openly courting power and authority.
Merged review:
I had long wanted to read or listen to the audio version of this book and when I began the time in listening (23 Hours!) seemed insane. Told in a narrative format the book didn't big down as much as it could have for so much material. For the 20 years that Michael Eisner ran Disney he built the brand up and saved off takeovers multiple times. While like most regimes you can look at the early changes that were made and see the improvement, early success would seem to have gone to his head and as many people know already, wrapped his hand around the power of running the company and only let go when forced.
One of the amazing things that gets documented is just how much material that the author has that could have been avoided had Eisner and the company paid attention to the outside world and not hid in the sand hoping that things would go away or thag they could bully their way over people. There is so much communication that details exactly what was happening from all sides that made this fascinating.
If you have the stomach for lengthy and sometimes dense and dry business history I think you can learn a lot from this book about how to move people in your direction and the dangers of too openly courting power and authority.
One of the amazing things that gets documented is just how much material that the author has that could have been avoided had Eisner and the company paid attention to the outside world and not hid in the sand hoping that things would go away or thag they could bully their way over people. There is so much communication that details exactly what was happening from all sides that made this fascinating.
If you have the stomach for lengthy and sometimes dense and dry business history I think you can learn a lot from this book about how to move people in your direction and the dangers of too openly courting power and authority.
Merged review:
I had long wanted to read or listen to the audio version of this book and when I began the time in listening (23 Hours!) seemed insane. Told in a narrative format the book didn't big down as much as it could have for so much material. For the 20 years that Michael Eisner ran Disney he built the brand up and saved off takeovers multiple times. While like most regimes you can look at the early changes that were made and see the improvement, early success would seem to have gone to his head and as many people know already, wrapped his hand around the power of running the company and only let go when forced.
One of the amazing things that gets documented is just how much material that the author has that could have been avoided had Eisner and the company paid attention to the outside world and not hid in the sand hoping that things would go away or thag they could bully their way over people. There is so much communication that details exactly what was happening from all sides that made this fascinating.
If you have the stomach for lengthy and sometimes dense and dry business history I think you can learn a lot from this book about how to move people in your direction and the dangers of too openly courting power and authority.
kaylajean324's review against another edition
4.0
As a Disney fan, this was an interesting look into a troubled point in the leadership. It’s really interesting to see the similarities to this current time in the Walt Disney Company. The book itself was well written and researched, but did drag at points.
charlottedow's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
TW: Harvey Weinstein and a lot of other Hollywood types who have not aged well
michelefortie's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
Fabulous audiobook on the rise and fall of Michael Eisner's era, and all the various leaders who flew in his orbit. It's a great deep dive into the history of Disney in the 80s, 90s and early 00s, with a detailed look into the creative decisions and how Disney shaped and developed the films and stories we know now. Eisner was definitely kinda nuts, and sometimes it paid off, but eventually led to a tainted legacy as the former leader of The Walt Disney Company.
jdk_andes's review against another edition
4.0
A pretty astounding account of the boardroom politics that underpin the film industry. Stewart's writing is always engaging as he tracks the rise and fall of Michael Eisner in his time as CEO of Disney.