Universal Executive Leadership Changes

[Magic-Man]

I found this quote from MC interesting:

I highly doubt that Epic part is true. If anything the project seems to be expanding in scope. Everything rumored for this park is currently being constructed. Not much room for cancellations there.

 

[belloq87]

This forum collectively worshipped everything UO did under his tenure…don’t now discredit the leading force behind it to defend a corporate cost-cutting move.

While I'm certainly not celebrating him leaving the company (I actually find it kind of concerning if it's truly an en masse exit at the top of Creative), I don't think it's accurate at all to say the decisions made at UO under him have been unanimously "worshipped" here. I have been vocal about my critiques, as have others.

 

[Steptwice]

TC definitely has a huge hand in EU and to see him “retired” this early makes me just a bit nervous that higher ups at Comcast ars dipping their toes where I dont think they need to be dipping. Give or take a few mishaps, but atC has been pretty damn good with UC and especially Harry Potter…

 

[OrlLover]

TC definitely has a huge hand in EU and to see him “retired” this early makes me just a bit nervous that higher ups at Comcast ars dipping their toes where I dont think they need to be dipping. Give or take a few mishaps, but atC has been pretty damn good with UC and especially Harry Potter…

Some of my thoughts now after the dust has settled is that these guys have been doing this for multiple decades and are now ready to retire and focus on other things.

They have provided stable leadership and have been able to deliver some good projects over the years. I hate to say it but it seems like Uni wants some fresh “younger” faces representing the new direction Creative is heading in.

Unfortunately we are loosing some institutional knowledge but I would assume some succession plan is already in the works. I’m willing to be a little optimistic about this recent turn of events. Certainly there has to be a ton of talent available in house to fill these leadership roles.

 

[Evan]

I highly doubt that Epic part is true. If anything the project seems to be expanding in scope. Everything rumored for this park is currently being constructed. Not much room for cancellations there.

I certainly hope you are right. Any mass creative exodus in the midst of a project of this scale makes me nervous.

 

[Legacy]

Did y’all expect these folks to die at their desks? They’ve been doing this for decades, were offered an out, and took it. If it was localized to Creative, or even just the Parks/Resorts Division, then there would be a reason to be concerned, but this is just businesses doing business things.

They’ve earned retirement.

 

[Magic-Man]

I certainly hope you are right. Any mass creative exodus in the midst of a project of this scale makes me nervous.

Canceling projects at this stage would mean demolishing foundations and/or entire buildings. Not to mention agreements with ride manufacturers and IP owners need to be upheld. It's too late to restructure rides too, animatronic parts and special effects are probably being tested right now. The time for cancelling projects would have been months ago.

 

[Steptwice]

Some of my thoughts now after the dust has settled is that these guys have been doing this for multiple decades and are now ready to retire and focus on other things.

They have provided stable leadership and have been able to deliver some good projects over the years. I hate to say it but it seems like Uni wants some fresh “younger” faces representing the new direction Creative is heading in.

Unfortunately we are loosing some institutional knowledge but I would assume some succession plan is already in the works. I’m willing to be a little optimistic about this recent turn of events. Certainly there has to be a ton of talent available in house to fill these leadership roles.

Well Im sure Disney Fans said that about Chapek saying he was groomed by Iger and look how that turned out. Who is even the underlings of TC?

 

[Steptwice]

Did y’all expect these folks to die at their desks? They’ve been doing this for decades, were offered an out, and took it. It was localized to Creative, or even just the Parks/Resorts Division, then there would be a reason to be concerned, but this is just businesses doing business things.

They’ve earned retirement.

Agreed, but it just doesnt feel like a true retirement. It seems forced and trying to save face with optics. But being 57 and having an awesome exec job at Uni, I guarantee no way anyone, especially TC wants to retire. These were dreams he worked his way up to and at 57 to just up and leave, seems off. Just my two cents

 

[Legacy]

Agreed, but it just doesnt feel like a true retirement. It seems forced and trying to save face with optics. But being 57 and having an awesome exec job at Uni, I guarantee no way anyone, especially TC wants to retire. These were dreams he worked his way up to and at 57 to just up and leave, seems off. Just my two cents

He’s been doing this for over 30 years and basically plateaued on the creative side of themed entertainment. The opening of EU is basically a crowning achievement. What is there more for h

Who is even the underlings of TC?

Creative is BIG. At one point it was over 200 people. There are a lot of underlings, the vast majority you don’t know because there’s been no need for them to be front and center.

 

[themeparkshark]

i see a lot of you guys trying to justify this… my two cents, it does feel odd. Why not see a final project through, especially one on the scope of an entire new park. How often do you get to work on the opening of an entire theme park? That’s why it feels odd.

It’s also possible I suppose that most of the heavy work for the park is behind him and now it feels as if creatively he’s essentially just waiting for their plans to be built and fleshed out while he looks at other areas of the resort. If that is the case, he could essentially be leaving feeling as if epic was his “last hoorah” and his work there is done but still, you’d think you’d wait it out until the end but maybe they are beginning the process of other major projects right now and he is allowing new blood to transition in and do their thing before it gets going.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I know folks want to be optimistic, but it is very difficult to put a positive spin on this. The entertainment industry as a whole is absolutely panicking right now - they’ve sunk billions of dollars into a streaming-first model that everyone, from Wall Street to studio board rooms, has suddenly decided is a bad idea. The studios have no clear idea of what the future looks like and no clear vision for the industry - glance at Warners or Disney for the most visible manifestations, but Universal is not immune. And they’re certainly not immune from bad decisions and groupthink.

It is absolutely a bad thing when you lose most of your senior creative department in the middle of your biggest theme park expansion in decades. That is not a sign of a healthy project. Maybe EU is escaping the chaos gripping the rest of the industry. I hope so. But given everything that’s going on in Hollywood, it would be silly to dismiss troubling rumors.

 

[Alicia]

Sure, I’ve heard complaints years ago that the final plan for Epic wasn’t as grand as what they were originally envisioning. (Which had a hotel at the back of every land, massive gardens in the center connected by boat, an even bigger show fountain, indoor lands, extravagant multi level gardens with dining and entertainment, a Lord of the Rings land, a Broadway style theater with outside guest access, etc etc…)

But that all wasn’t approved.

Everything we’ve seen in site plans. Everything they are actually building IS approved. The only changes we’ve seen from officially released concept art to now was a single burger quick service cut and a show replaced with a roller coaster.

Any complaints about Epic Universe being changed or cuts… Is likely not about what we’ve spent the last few years talking about. If there’s anything to it at all, it’s about blue sky level concepts that were never approved in the first place.

Because the Epic that was announced in 2019, is still being built before our eyes.

 

[UNIrd]

This 100% sounds like a company doing a review of their budget following an earnings call and figuring where to cut costs to boost profits. The exec salaries are always on the chopping block.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Sure, I’ve heard complaints years ago that the final plan for Epic wasn’t as grand as what they were originally envisioning. (Which had a hotel at the back of every land, massive gardens in the center connected by boat, an even bigger show fountain, indoor lands, extravagant multi level gardens with dining and entertainment, a Lord of the Rings land, a Broadway style theater with outside guest access, etc etc…)

But that all wasn’t approved.

Everything we’ve seen in site plans. Everything they are actually building IS approved. The only changes we’ve seen from officially released concept art to now was a single burger quick service cut and a show replaced with a roller coaster.

Any complaints about Epic Universe being changed or cuts… Is likely not about what we’ve spent the last few years talking about. If there’s anything to it at all, it’s about blue sky level concepts that were never approved in the first place.

Because the Epic that was announced in 2019, is still being built before our eyes.

Because typing out “someone complained about their job at a trade event” is way less scandalous or impacting the guest experience.

 

[Grabnar]

i see a lot of you guys trying to justify this… my two cents, it does feel odd. Why not see a final project through, especially one on the scope of an entire new park. How often do you get to work on the opening of an entire theme park? That’s why it feels odd.

It’s also possible I suppose that most of the heavy work for the park is behind him and now it feels as if creatively he’s essentially just waiting for their plans to be built and fleshed out while he looks at other areas of the resort. If that is the case, he could essentially be leaving feeling as if epic was his “last hoorah” and his work there is done but still, you’d think you’d wait it out until the end but maybe they are beginning the process of other major projects right now and he is allowing new blood to transition in and do their thing before it gets going.

You’re 57+, looking at retirement in the next few years. There’s likely a recession on the immediate horizon which will be driving down the value of your 401k so you’re worried about that. But lo, your employer offers a large cash deal for people in your position to retire early! You can hold off on drawing from your 401k while the markets are down, hopefully they’ll come back up some.

It’s a no brainer. I’m not surprised a lot of people chose this instead of pushing through 2+ years of crunch to get the new park done.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

You’re 57+, looking at retirement in the next few years. There’s likely a recession on the immediate horizon which will be driving down the value of your 401k so you’re worried about that. But lo, your employer offers a large cash deal for people in your position to retire early! You can hold off on drawing from your 401k while the markets are down, hopefully they’ll come back up some.

It’s a no brainer. I’m not surprised a lot of people chose this instead of pushing through 2+ years of crunch to get the new park done.

Lots of people showing they don’t work at large companies. At the place I’ve been at for 4 1/2 years I’ve seen one major early retirement push.

Plus any decision making for Epic at such a high exec level was completed years ago.

 

[GAcoaster]

And many (if not all) will probably continue to "Consult" on this and any other projects in progress. It's not like they're being fired, they're being given a nice retirement package. They have transition plans in place and the teams currently involved in projects I'm sure will receive any necessary information/files/etc. needed.

If this was a layoff it would be concerning because then you have bitter people who look to sabotage things/take things with them for future projects (like the Imagineers who were laid off and moved to UC), but being offered a retirement package is something different.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I’ve worked in Fortune 500’s my entire career. No matter how old the execs being let go are, or how fat the severance package is, wiping out your higher earners is never a good sign for a company as a whole.

I’ve also worked closely with the C suites in most of my positions—it’s very naive to think 57 is a desirable retirement age for folks at that level. Coordinators/specialists or lower level management may not think that way, but you have to be a special breed to work your way up as far as the executive council and those people aren’t wired to want to retire with any gas left in the tank.

With that being said, I dont think this will have ANY impact on Epic. In all reality, it could be good to have the lasting legacy of this round of leadership be a brand new park that fresh new talent can work with to enter the next phase of UOR’s life. I just think it’s a tough look that a group of talented individuals are being let go en masse and people are trying to act like it’s not a big deal…it’s still people’s livelihoods and it still sends a message to the lower ranks that money is tight.

 

[JungleSkip]

Only in this forum would people getting fat retirement packages (I'm sure) being construed as some great injustice, and the loss of the guy who, being generous, had spotty at best creative instincts after his project partner left for Disney.

My guess is if we weren't as plugged in as we are, we would never know this happened, moving forward.