A film blog for students of my classes at Santa Clara University. Use this blog to discuss the films we are studying, classic films, current releases or production issues you encounter while making your own films.
Monday, January 18, 2016
A Modern Disney - for Comm 138A
After reading the article "Disneyland" who do you think is acting like a modern day Walt Disney in the world of television?
I'm not sure there will ever be another Walt Disney in the realm of television. At least, not in the magnitude of the impact he had. I believe a modern day Walt Disney-type would be Netflix. I know Netflix isn't a person, but I believe Netflix has a lot of the same characteristics: 1. Netflix rose to popularity by recycling old content. They didn't have to make any new content themselves for years. 2. They started out with movies. They didn't make these movies, but they became known as a movie distributor. 3. Their original intent was for people to watch these movies on their TV (remember their by-mail service?). Walt Disney also wanted people to be able to watch his content on television from their couches. 4. They eventually did make their own content, which achieved huge success. 5. They also partially relied on nostalgia to make money. Everyone had a field day when "Friends" was available on Netflix. People binge-watched "Gilmore Girls." I even threw it back further and have watched episodes of "Arthur" and "Blues Clues" on Netflix as an adult. Many of the syndicated shows Netflix retained the rights to felt like they were in a vault. There was no way to watch them "on demand" unless you owned all of the DVDs or happened to catch them on TBS or FX. In the same way that Walt Disney revolutionized "family tv time," Netflix revolutionized personalized watching. You can watch family content, comedies, horror films, etc. In Disney's time, the demand was for family-centric content, while now the demand is for personal, on demand content. Both Disney and Netflix met the needs of their respective time periods.
I agree with Alex in that sense that I do not believe that there can be another Walt Disney because it would be difficult to cover all the different realms that he reached, the impact that he made, and the brand that he developed. Netflix has created this Disneyesque idea the way that they produce television shows and how they have transformed their business over the years in order to keep up with the times and what the customers wanted. They have become very creative in what they have been able to do, and I think they do have a lot more to develop off of so I think looking into Netflix in about 10 years would be an even more interesting topic. When I think of a producer, director, writer in this sense though one that comes to mind is Jon Favreau. He has worked in both film and television (and I'm sure there are many others who have as well) in all different positions; producer, writer, director, actor. However, he never created this brand that Disney had. In another way I also think of someone like Shonda Rhimes and I think she could delve more into other aspects. I have seen some board games based off of Grey's Anatomy, and I think she could take her television shows into different realms. Again, this could be another interesting topic in about 10 years. I think what Disney did was extremely out of the box and I believe it would be very difficult for someone to create that kind of impact today with how advanced and individualized our technology has come.
I agree with what everyone has been saying in that there can be another Walt Disney in television today. He revolutionized television in a way that I do not think can be done in today's industry. It will be difficult for someone to make such a large impact on as many different aspects as Disney did. However, the person that I think has revolutionized television today is Oprah Winfrey. She revolutionized the genre of day time talk shows and created her style of a more confessional and intimate dialogue. Her talk show often includes self-help and improvement and involves guests who discuss their personal life in a confessional format. Oprah was the host of the revolutionary Oprah winfrey show, owns and runs her production company, Harpo Productions as well as her own television station, OWN. Overall, i feel that Oprah has built an empire that is, similar in some ways to the empire that Disney has built and therefore, should be considered as one of the modern walt disneys of television today.
Disney was a genius at creating content and branding it. This type of success was probably only possible with animation, due to it's timeless nature. His business model and grit were just as important as his brilliant content. Obviously no one compares to Disney's creative genius but in terms of content, creativity, and marketing, I think Mark Burnett's got a shot at the throne. He's been extremely prolific and all of his shows appeal to a wide range of people. The Apprentice, Survivor, The Voice, and Shark Tank have all been extremely successful. And he's produced countless other shows. Burnett might be the reality TV version of Disney. As a generation, we consider his shows our guilty pleasures. Although he lacks the branding that Disney had, I don't think his shows require it to be successful. As an individual making an impact on television, Mark Burnett makes a dent in Disney's success. In terms of marketing and branding, Shonda Rhyme's TGIT is pretty genius but without that I don't think her shows would be nearly as successful. Mark gets my vote, thank you and good night.
I also agree that there is nobody in today's film industry that truly emulates Walt Disney, partially because of how far television has come since Mr. Disney's time. When Disney was producing Disneyland for ABC, television was still a relatively new medium, so people were still figuring out how to best capitalize on this new technology. Everyone in the industry was more or less experimenting with form, content, financials, etc. Walt Disney created something nobody had considered before, and opened a door for other people in the industry to experiment as well. Now, we are in a period where we no longer experiment with content and format as much, and we have turned to revolutionizing distribution. We prefer to build on the revolutionary ideas of Mr. Disney and his contemporaries rather than completely re-invent the wheel ourselves.
However, I don't mean to say that today's television producers are completely lacking in ingenuity. In my opinion, Lorne Michaels embodies many of Walt Disney's creative qualities. He has been the executive producer of SNL for decades, and has been a producer since the show's inception in 1975. Under his leadership, SNL has been an American cultural icon for decades, and has an enormous influence in the entertainment industry. While there have been similar comedy programs, none have come close to SNL's popularity. While the show is not designed to promote branding or merchandising ventures in the way that Disneyland was, SNL has created iconic sketches and characters that lead to spin-off movies, or inspire merchandise like t-shirts, coffee mugs, or various other items that NBC sells.
As mentioned earlier, I believe that the closest thing we have to a modern-day Walt Disney is Oprah Winfrey. From her talk show to her books to her magazine to her very own television network, she has built an empire from the ground up. Something that stands out about Walt Disney was his ability to include cross-promotion at any opportunity. If Oprah ever wants to promote something she has supported, financed or made, she always has the platform to do so. To an extent, Oprah has complete control over what her network shows and what she choose to promote. She revolutionized the television industry and quickly became the most powerful woman in television. She paved the way for many women to seize opportunities and make a difference in the entertainment industry. Walt Disney was able to bring joy and cartoons to people through television, while Oprah chose to bring self-help and the importance of physical and mental health to the forefront. In almost every comment, people have the described the difficulty of choosing the "Walt Disney" of television today and I complete agree. While it is easy to pick out the influential people in television, Walt Disney was one of a kind and it is hard to imagine any other person having that large of an effect on the television medium. I really look forward to looking back on this blogpost and reading about other people's opinions and views on the people who, on some level, mirror the success and influence that Walt Disney achieved.
To be honest, I'm not sure anyone compares to Walt Disney. I'm sure this has something to do with the fact he made just about every single one of my favorite childhood films, but perhaps that is another reason to put him up on a pedestal, rather than discredit my awe for his work. If I had to pick someone, I guess I would say Brad Bird. I didn't really know who he was until I watched a video about the production of Ratatouille, but now that I do, I guess I can say he's the closest thing we may have to a Modern Day Disney. Bird is similar to Disney for the reason that he truly believes his work in animation to be an art form. Bird went to Cal-Arts on a scholarship from Disney, which I think is something special in and of itself, and as such has a clear passion for animation in a way that not many people today do. Bird is known for his work on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Iron Giant, the Simpsons, Ratatouille, and most famously, the Incredibles. The work he did, specifically on the Incredibles was...how should I put it...incredible! His animation style largely compares to that of Disney, though definitely in a more modern sense. While I think Bird is far from Disney now, I think with another decade of animation under his belt, he will be well on his way to potentially comparing to someone like "The Great Lord Disney".
Since a lot of people named television contributors I was thinking of already, I'm going to say that co-founder and CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings is a "modern day Walt Disney." Netflix originated the online subscription service for media but they also innovated the realm of streaming with the original programming they have developed over the past few years. Since a lot of media viewers are "cord-cutting" and removing cable from their lives, Netflix has become the future of television. Reed Hastings is a supporter of "Internet television" being the future of media consumption and this new concept makes me feel that he is an innovator just like Walt Disney was.
In media, things are constantly changing and the streaming model is obviously still very new. I believe that Netflix launched a new model for Internet + television that will continue to develop over the next few years. As this becomes more of the standard in television, we will see how the intersection of tech and media sets itself in history with people like Reed Hastings possibly becoming of a similar status to Walt Disney.
This discussion of “revolutionaries” led me to think of the role of YouTube and how the medium of web television is something that has been really changing the physical space of television consumption (from the TV to the computer). Scott Zakarin was the name that I found when I tried to trace the history of web series to its origin. In 1995, Zakarin created “The Spot,” which was the “first interactive entertainment web series” that combined online diary entries with photos and video into as a new storytelling medium (called “webisodics”). ( Here’s a news segment from 1995 I found that briefly explains it.) The genre of “webisodics” eventually died down, although at its peak even an Internet “network” was created to host and broadcast different web series. This column from 1998 asks the question, “Is the genre truly dead? Or is it awaiting revival in the hands of smaller, smarter individuals?
With the introduction of YouTube and social media, this idea of the interactive web series has been reborn and revived. More independent web productions like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) utilize multi-platform models that allow viewers to interact with characters (e.g. tweet them through character accounts on Twitter, follow their blogs on Tumblr, ask them question in the comments section on YouTube, etc.) the way that Zakarin first imagined it on The Spot.
But even looking at it from a broader perspective, YouTube allows people to be celebrities without having to be professional actors and allows people to generate revenue through their own content simply by uploading it to the video sharing site (although they do have to reach a certain number of views on their videos to actually make decent money). Many short films and web series allow producers to cut a lot of costs, and the realm of watching things online rather than on the TV is growing exponentially.
Overall, I’m not sure if Scott Zakarin is on the same level as Walt Disney, but he is the guy who first successfully introduced this concept of putting television series on the Internet, and with what people on YouTube are doing, it really is fascinating and revolutionary.
If you really think about how expansive the works of Walt Disney are, then you realize why he was looked so highly upon back when he was alive and why he is still revered today. Because of his epic fame and countless number of works, I don’t really think there is any comparison today. However, if I had to choose someone, the first person that shoots into my mind is Ellen DeGeneres. Someone else talked about talk show hosts as well, but I just think Ellen really revolutionized television in a way no one thought she would. By first starting out as a female stand up comedian to having one of the most successful shows on television as a gay women, really says something about her motivation and work ethic. Her brand appeals to most everyone as she coined the voice of “Dory” in the popular kids movie, Finding Nemo as well. She’s creative and inspiring just as Disney was and I believe that her name will live on in infamy.
In the most literal sense, I think that TV personalities with their own networks/magazines/merchandise such as Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart are the most similar to Walt Disney today. Walt Disney’s brilliance came from the cross marketing between his theme park and shows, as well as cutting costs from his animations. Oprah Winfrey has successfully built an empire in which she can practically sell anything, and Martha (although not as popular as she was before 2004) was the leader in all things home and still has a popular magazine and merchandise.
Yet I think it is important to remember how revolutionary Walt Disney’s work was, and use that as a basis for comparison. He found ways to cut corners in TV that nobody else had, and completely changed the process. That’s why I agree with others in thinking that today’s subscription TV services mirror that innovation. In particular, I think that HBO is a leader in the popularity that we now see with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc., because HBO was the first one to create their own shows for subscribers. While Netflix has always been a useful service, I think it only rose to what it is today when they started creating their own original series.
Although it physically pains me to say this, I'm going to have to say the Kardashians. They started out as an upper class Armenian family living in LA and now they pretty much run multiple industries: fashion, TV, beauty products, social media, and they each even have their own virtual reality apps. Kim Kardashian was in a movie with Kevin Hart once and Khloe just came out with her own talk show (which I know about because it is ALL OVER social media. I can't escape). This type of cross-media domination and branding is the strongest example of a modern Disney that I can think of.
Like everyone above, I agree that there will never be another Walt Disney. What Walt Disney did, at the time that he did it, was utterly amazing. He did things that no one could even think about happening, and he did it for years. When I think of Walt Disney, I think of someone who completely changed what television is about and goes against the normal culture of what television was. I really agree with a lot of my classmates who said Oprah and Ellen. Like I said about Disney (someone who changed the way we look at television) I think Oprah and Ellen have some of those traits. Both of these women took modern television and did a 180 degree spin to it. I think the way they talk on their shows has brought a complete different style to television and the way their shows are have had a real and meaningful point to them. Like Disney, Ellen and Oprah both have their own shows, where they do what they want. They control what is said and what is performed during their shows. Disney was used a lot for promoting items. Both Oprah and Ellen have the power and control to do this on their shows, and they do so in a very creative fun way. I don't think anyone can come close to the dynasty Walt Disney created, however I do believe that individuals such as Oprah and Ellen have started to climb that mountain.
I agree with many of my classmates in seeing the likes of Oprah, Lorne Michaels, and Netflix as modern day Walt Disneys, but for originality I will throw out the idea of Ryan Seacrest being a modern day Disney. Granted, there are countless ways in which Seacrest and Disney differ, but I also notice a few interesting similarities.
Seacrest had been in the business for a while before being named host of American Idol, but that show introduced Seacrest to countless families and fans across the country.
Seacrest has also become a staple on ABC’s New Year’s Eve special, historically created and hosted by Dick Clark, eventually co-hosted by Seacrest, and now hosted by Seacrest.
Branching away from television in his off-time, Seacrest is the host of the syndicated weekly countdown show, American Top 40, in addition to his own radio hour on the Los Angeles radio station KIIS.
Seacrest’s prominence in television production demonstrates the clearest connection between his and Disney’s careers, in my opinion. After hosting various programs on E!, Seacrest launched his own production company that produces Keeping up with the Kardashians and all of the tragic yet prosperous spin-offs. While the content of these shows is often seen as trashy, their popularity and success in our society cannot be denied.
The way that Ryan Seacrest has shifted between playing the role of host on two uber-popular and notably family-aimed programs (American Idol, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve) and finding success in multiple other forms of media is, in my opinion, similar to the trajectory of Walt Disney.
Although nobody really can compare to the success and impact that Walt Disney had, I think that there are a few Walt Disney's In the Making who are on television today. Ellen, Oprah, John Stewart, David Letterman and Larry King all represent different aspects of what made Walt Disney so influential. A couple more that come to mind are Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, two comedians who have had success in the entertainment and political worlds. In television today, I think that individuals are able to become more versatile than they previously were, so various talk show hosts, news hosts, investigative reporters and comedians all can generate their own brand through television. Many individuals on television today are able to explore different areas of expertise such as politics, entertainment, sports and global events. Through these different areas each of these individuals has come to develop their own brand around their name.
Probably one of the toughest questions to answer because of the fact that Walt Disney is one of a kind and made a huge change in our society and television. I don't think there will ever be another one like him but some can be compared because of their ability to make subtle changes in our society and television. I have to agree with my fellow classmates with people like Oprah or David Letterman. However, I went a different route. Technology is always changing around us and the biggest changes that we see constantly is in our televisions. So I thought of George Lucas making the biggest change to our society, influence on the world and changing the world of television. Examples like Star Wars and Indian Jones have taken off to the world. Like Disney he brought different worlds to the audiences and made them beg for more. As well, influenced them to want more in our real society. Star Wars was his biggest accomplishment, bringing a brilliant scyfy galaxy, with limitless imagination, that has a total of nine theater movies releasing as well as influencing children with their favorite toys or cartoon. 10 years later J.J. Abrams follows in his steps and possibly could have the biggest profit out of all movies. George Lucas started a chain reaction that impacted multiple people in the world and not just one demographic like Walt Disney. He may have come much shorter than Disney but I believe that is my modern day comparison of Walt Disney.
I don't necessarily agree with what the others have said up top in that there won't ever be another Walt Disney in television. I think that right now there isn't one that matches, or even comes close to for that matter, his level of success in television and extending that branding to the other branches of his empire. I do agree with everyone in that Oprah and Ellen are good examples of people who have made successful branding with their television presence, in particular Oprah. The fact that she has her own television channel and her own magazine is an impressive feat. As for Ellen, her talk show is well known, she has an enormous presence in entertainment, and she even has slot machines for her show at Vegas (I was there recently and was surprised to see them. I was even more surprised when they robbed me of my money). But as Daphne mentioned, and it pains me to agree with this as well, but I don't think other public faces of television have been quite as successful as Kim and the other Kardashians in branching out from television. Like Daphne mentioned, the Kardashians have branched out into multiple venues and their apps were surprisingly popular. It's pretty much impossible to go into a store that sells magazines and not see one of their faces plastered onto it. And now that Kylie and Kendall have entered the spotlight as well, I think the Kardashian/Jenner family will be around for awhile so in some ways, that compares a bit more to Walt Disney and is more relevant I think.
I'd argue that writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams is on the path to becoming the next Walt Disney, even if there might never be another quite like Walt. Disney brought imagination and animation to the forefront of people's minds, and Abrams has done the same with sci-fi and mystery. He first achieved success with sci-fi disaster films Armageddon and Cloverfield, and went on to create Bad Robot Productions in 1998. Bad Robot has been responsible for television shows like Alias and Lost, as well as films such as Super 8 and the most recent three installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Abrams also successfully rebooted both Star Trek and Star Wars, which have received praise from critics and die-hard fans alike for sticking to the core of those franchises. Abrams has formed his own brand as well, as he has become known to shroud his upcoming projects with mystery and anticipation. A trailer for his next film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, was surprisingly revealed last week, as most people didn't even know the sequel was greenlit, let alone already filmed. Beyond TV and film, Abrams has branched out into books, conceiving S. that is an unusual format, one of his trademarks, as it is a story within a story. Since Abrams has dabbled in multiple forms of media and is his own brand and auteur or sorts, I believe that he is on a fairly similar path as Walt Disney.
Today, I believe there are a few individuals who you could argue are a modern day Disney. One that stands out to me is Dick Wolf. Dick Wolf is the producer behind the various Law and Order series and now the Chicago Fire/PD/Med/Law(?). I believe Dick Wolf is similar to Disney in his cross-promotion tactics. With his different line-up of shows, Wolf has often crossed plotlines and draws viewers from one show to the other. Similar to how Disney used his shows to draw people to his theme parks. Also, the success of Law & Order and its related series have lead to massive syndication success for Wolf, which again draws parallels to Disney for me. Wolf is a true television auteur with a specific genre of show that has found massive success.
20 comments:
I'm not sure there will ever be another Walt Disney in the realm of television. At least, not in the magnitude of the impact he had. I believe a modern day Walt Disney-type would be Netflix. I know Netflix isn't a person, but I believe Netflix has a lot of the same characteristics:
1. Netflix rose to popularity by recycling old content. They didn't have to make any new content themselves for years.
2. They started out with movies. They didn't make these movies, but they became known as a movie distributor.
3. Their original intent was for people to watch these movies on their TV (remember their by-mail service?). Walt Disney also wanted people to be able to watch his content on television from their couches.
4. They eventually did make their own content, which achieved huge success.
5. They also partially relied on nostalgia to make money. Everyone had a field day when "Friends" was available on Netflix. People binge-watched "Gilmore Girls." I even threw it back further and have watched episodes of "Arthur" and "Blues Clues" on Netflix as an adult.
Many of the syndicated shows Netflix retained the rights to felt like they were in a vault. There was no way to watch them "on demand" unless you owned all of the DVDs or happened to catch them on TBS or FX. In the same way that Walt Disney revolutionized "family tv time," Netflix revolutionized personalized watching. You can watch family content, comedies, horror films, etc. In Disney's time, the demand was for family-centric content, while now the demand is for personal, on demand content. Both Disney and Netflix met the needs of their respective time periods.
I agree with Alex in that sense that I do not believe that there can be another Walt Disney because it would be difficult to cover all the different realms that he reached, the impact that he made, and the brand that he developed.
Netflix has created this Disneyesque idea the way that they produce television shows and how they have transformed their business over the years in order to keep up with the times and what the customers wanted. They have become very creative in what they have been able to do, and I think they do have a lot more to develop off of so I think looking into Netflix in about 10 years would be an even more interesting topic.
When I think of a producer, director, writer in this sense though one that comes to mind is Jon Favreau. He has worked in both film and television (and I'm sure there are many others who have as well) in all different positions; producer, writer, director, actor. However, he never created this brand that Disney had. In another way I also think of someone like Shonda Rhimes and I think she could delve more into other aspects. I have seen some board games based off of Grey's Anatomy, and I think she could take her television shows into different realms. Again, this could be another interesting topic in about 10 years.
I think what Disney did was extremely out of the box and I believe it would be very difficult for someone to create that kind of impact today with how advanced and individualized our technology has come.
No fair not picking someone!!
I agree with what everyone has been saying in that there can be another Walt Disney in television today. He revolutionized television in a way that I do not think can be done in today's industry. It will be difficult for someone to make such a large impact on as many different aspects as Disney did. However, the person that I think has revolutionized television today is Oprah Winfrey. She revolutionized the genre of day time talk shows and created her style of a more confessional and intimate dialogue. Her talk show often includes self-help and improvement and involves guests who discuss their personal life in a confessional format. Oprah was the host of the revolutionary Oprah winfrey show, owns and runs her production company, Harpo Productions as well as her own television station, OWN. Overall, i feel that Oprah has built an empire that is, similar in some ways to the empire that Disney has built and therefore, should be considered as one of the modern walt disneys of television today.
Disney was a genius at creating content and branding it. This type of success was probably only possible with animation, due to it's timeless nature. His business model and grit were just as important as his brilliant content. Obviously no one compares to Disney's creative genius but in terms of content, creativity, and marketing, I think Mark Burnett's got a shot at the throne. He's been extremely prolific and all of his shows appeal to a wide range of people. The Apprentice, Survivor, The Voice, and Shark Tank have all been extremely successful. And he's produced countless other shows. Burnett might be the reality TV version of Disney. As a generation, we consider his shows our guilty pleasures. Although he lacks the branding that Disney had, I don't think his shows require it to be successful. As an individual making an impact on television, Mark Burnett makes a dent in Disney's success. In terms of marketing and branding, Shonda Rhyme's TGIT is pretty genius but without that I don't think her shows would be nearly as successful. Mark gets my vote, thank you and good night.
Be Urself
I also agree that there is nobody in today's film industry that truly emulates Walt Disney, partially because of how far television has come since Mr. Disney's time. When Disney was producing Disneyland for ABC, television was still a relatively new medium, so people were still figuring out how to best capitalize on this new technology. Everyone in the industry was more or less experimenting with form, content, financials, etc. Walt Disney created something nobody had considered before, and opened a door for other people in the industry to experiment as well. Now, we are in a period where we no longer experiment with content and format as much, and we have turned to revolutionizing distribution. We prefer to build on the revolutionary ideas of Mr. Disney and his contemporaries rather than completely re-invent the wheel ourselves.
However, I don't mean to say that today's television producers are completely lacking in ingenuity. In my opinion, Lorne Michaels embodies many of Walt Disney's creative qualities. He has been the executive producer of SNL for decades, and has been a producer since the show's inception in 1975. Under his leadership, SNL has been an American cultural icon for decades, and has an enormous influence in the entertainment industry. While there have been similar comedy programs, none have come close to SNL's popularity. While the show is not designed to promote branding or merchandising ventures in the way that Disneyland was, SNL has created iconic sketches and characters that lead to spin-off movies, or inspire merchandise like t-shirts, coffee mugs, or various other items that NBC sells.
As mentioned earlier, I believe that the closest thing we have to a modern-day Walt Disney is Oprah Winfrey. From her talk show to her books to her magazine to her very own television network, she has built an empire from the ground up. Something that stands out about Walt Disney was his ability to include cross-promotion at any opportunity. If Oprah ever wants to promote something she has supported, financed or made, she always has the platform to do so. To an extent, Oprah has complete control over what her network shows and what she choose to promote. She revolutionized the television industry and quickly became the most powerful woman in television. She paved the way for many women to seize opportunities and make a difference in the entertainment industry. Walt Disney was able to bring joy and cartoons to people through television, while Oprah chose to bring self-help and the importance of physical and mental health to the forefront. In almost every comment, people have the described the difficulty of choosing the "Walt Disney" of television today and I complete agree. While it is easy to pick out the influential people in television, Walt Disney was one of a kind and it is hard to imagine any other person having that large of an effect on the television medium. I really look forward to looking back on this blogpost and reading about other people's opinions and views on the people who, on some level, mirror the success and influence that Walt Disney achieved.
To be honest, I'm not sure anyone compares to Walt Disney. I'm sure this has something to do with the fact he made just about every single one of my favorite childhood films, but perhaps that is another reason to put him up on a pedestal, rather than discredit my awe for his work. If I had to pick someone, I guess I would say Brad Bird. I didn't really know who he was until I watched a video about the production of Ratatouille, but now that I do, I guess I can say he's the closest thing we may have to a Modern Day Disney. Bird is similar to Disney for the reason that he truly believes his work in animation to be an art form. Bird went to Cal-Arts on a scholarship from Disney, which I think is something special in and of itself, and as such has a clear passion for animation in a way that not many people today do. Bird is known for his work on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Iron Giant, the Simpsons, Ratatouille, and most famously, the Incredibles. The work he did, specifically on the Incredibles was...how should I put it...incredible! His animation style largely compares to that of Disney, though definitely in a more modern sense. While I think Bird is far from Disney now, I think with another decade of animation under his belt, he will be well on his way to potentially comparing to someone like "The Great Lord Disney".
Since a lot of people named television contributors I was thinking of already, I'm going to say that co-founder and CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings is a "modern day Walt Disney." Netflix originated the online subscription service for media but they also innovated the realm of streaming with the original programming they have developed over the past few years. Since a lot of media viewers are "cord-cutting" and removing cable from their lives, Netflix has become the future of television. Reed Hastings is a supporter of "Internet television" being the future of media consumption and this new concept makes me feel that he is an innovator just like Walt Disney was.
In media, things are constantly changing and the streaming model is obviously still very new. I believe that Netflix launched a new model for Internet + television that will continue to develop over the next few years. As this becomes more of the standard in television, we will see how the intersection of tech and media sets itself in history with people like Reed Hastings possibly becoming of a similar status to Walt Disney.
This discussion of “revolutionaries” led me to think of the role of YouTube and how the medium of web television is something that has been really changing the physical space of television consumption (from the TV to the computer). Scott Zakarin was the name that I found when I tried to trace the history of web series to its origin. In 1995, Zakarin created “The Spot,” which was the “first interactive entertainment web series” that combined online diary entries with photos and video into as a new storytelling medium (called “webisodics”). ( Here’s a news segment from 1995 I found that briefly explains it.) The genre of “webisodics” eventually died down, although at its peak even an Internet “network” was created to host and broadcast different web series. This column from 1998 asks the question, “Is the genre truly dead? Or is it awaiting revival in the hands of smaller, smarter individuals?
With the introduction of YouTube and social media, this idea of the interactive web series has been reborn and revived. More independent web productions like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012) utilize multi-platform models that allow viewers to interact with characters (e.g. tweet them through character accounts on Twitter, follow their blogs on Tumblr, ask them question in the comments section on YouTube, etc.) the way that Zakarin first imagined it on The Spot.
But even looking at it from a broader perspective, YouTube allows people to be celebrities without having to be professional actors and allows people to generate revenue through their own content simply by uploading it to the video sharing site (although they do have to reach a certain number of views on their videos to actually make decent money). Many short films and web series allow producers to cut a lot of costs, and the realm of watching things online rather than on the TV is growing exponentially.
Overall, I’m not sure if Scott Zakarin is on the same level as Walt Disney, but he is the guy who first successfully introduced this concept of putting television series on the Internet, and with what people on YouTube are doing, it really is fascinating and revolutionary.
If you really think about how expansive the works of Walt Disney are, then you realize why he was looked so highly upon back when he was alive and why he is still revered today. Because of his epic fame and countless number of works, I don’t really think there is any comparison today. However, if I had to choose someone, the first person that shoots into my mind is Ellen DeGeneres. Someone else talked about talk show hosts as well, but I just think Ellen really revolutionized television in a way no one thought she would. By first starting out as a female stand up comedian to having one of the most successful shows on television as a gay women, really says something about her motivation and work ethic. Her brand appeals to most everyone as she coined the voice of “Dory” in the popular kids movie, Finding Nemo as well. She’s creative and inspiring just as Disney was and I believe that her name will live on in infamy.
In the most literal sense, I think that TV personalities with their own networks/magazines/merchandise such as Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart are the most similar to Walt Disney today. Walt Disney’s brilliance came from the cross marketing between his theme park and shows, as well as cutting costs from his animations. Oprah Winfrey has successfully built an empire in which she can practically sell anything, and Martha (although not as popular as she was before 2004) was the leader in all things home and still has a popular magazine and merchandise.
Yet I think it is important to remember how revolutionary Walt Disney’s work was, and use that as a basis for comparison. He found ways to cut corners in TV that nobody else had, and completely changed the process. That’s why I agree with others in thinking that today’s subscription TV services mirror that innovation. In particular, I think that HBO is a leader in the popularity that we now see with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc., because HBO was the first one to create their own shows for subscribers. While Netflix has always been a useful service, I think it only rose to what it is today when they started creating their own original series.
Although it physically pains me to say this, I'm going to have to say the Kardashians. They started out as an upper class Armenian family living in LA and now they pretty much run multiple industries: fashion, TV, beauty products, social media, and they each even have their own virtual reality apps. Kim Kardashian was in a movie with Kevin Hart once and Khloe just came out with her own talk show (which I know about because it is ALL OVER social media. I can't escape). This type of cross-media domination and branding is the strongest example of a modern Disney that I can think of.
Like everyone above, I agree that there will never be another Walt Disney. What Walt Disney did, at the time that he did it, was utterly amazing. He did things that no one could even think about happening, and he did it for years. When I think of Walt Disney, I think of someone who completely changed what television is about and goes against the normal culture of what television was.
I really agree with a lot of my classmates who said Oprah and Ellen. Like I said about Disney (someone who changed the way we look at television) I think Oprah and Ellen have some of those traits. Both of these women took modern television and did a 180 degree spin to it. I think the way they talk on their shows has brought a complete different style to television and the way their shows are have had a real and meaningful point to them. Like Disney, Ellen and Oprah both have their own shows, where they do what they want. They control what is said and what is performed during their shows. Disney was used a lot for promoting items. Both Oprah and Ellen have the power and control to do this on their shows, and they do so in a very creative fun way. I don't think anyone can come close to the dynasty Walt Disney created, however I do believe that individuals such as Oprah and Ellen have started to climb that mountain.
I agree with many of my classmates in seeing the likes of Oprah, Lorne Michaels, and Netflix as modern day Walt Disneys, but for originality I will throw out the idea of Ryan Seacrest being a modern day Disney. Granted, there are countless ways in which Seacrest and Disney differ, but I also notice a few interesting similarities.
Seacrest had been in the business for a while before being named host of American Idol, but that show introduced Seacrest to countless families and fans across the country.
Seacrest has also become a staple on ABC’s New Year’s Eve special, historically created and hosted by Dick Clark, eventually co-hosted by Seacrest, and now hosted by Seacrest.
Branching away from television in his off-time, Seacrest is the host of the syndicated weekly countdown show, American Top 40, in addition to his own radio hour on the Los Angeles radio station KIIS.
Seacrest’s prominence in television production demonstrates the clearest connection between his and Disney’s careers, in my opinion. After hosting various programs on E!, Seacrest launched his own production company that produces Keeping up with the Kardashians and all of the tragic yet prosperous spin-offs. While the content of these shows is often seen as trashy, their popularity and success in our society cannot be denied.
The way that Ryan Seacrest has shifted between playing the role of host on two uber-popular and notably family-aimed programs (American Idol, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve) and finding success in multiple other forms of media is, in my opinion, similar to the trajectory of Walt Disney.
Although nobody really can compare to the success and impact that Walt Disney had, I think that there are a few Walt Disney's In the Making who are on television today. Ellen, Oprah, John Stewart, David Letterman and Larry King all represent different aspects of what made Walt Disney so influential. A couple more that come to mind are Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, two comedians who have had success in the entertainment and political worlds. In television today, I think that individuals are able to become more versatile than they previously were, so various talk show hosts, news hosts, investigative reporters and comedians all can generate their own brand through television. Many individuals on television today are able to explore different areas of expertise such as politics, entertainment, sports and global events. Through these different areas each of these individuals has come to develop their own brand around their name.
Probably one of the toughest questions to answer because of the fact that Walt Disney is one of a kind and made a huge change in our society and television. I don't think there will ever be another one like him but some can be compared because of their ability to make subtle changes in our society and television. I have to agree with my fellow classmates with people like Oprah or David Letterman. However, I went a different route. Technology is always changing around us and the biggest changes that we see constantly is in our televisions. So I thought of George Lucas making the biggest change to our society, influence on the world and changing the world of television. Examples like Star Wars and Indian Jones have taken off to the world. Like Disney he brought different worlds to the audiences and made them beg for more. As well, influenced them to want more in our real society. Star Wars was his biggest accomplishment, bringing a brilliant scyfy galaxy, with limitless imagination, that has a total of nine theater movies releasing as well as influencing children with their favorite toys or cartoon. 10 years later J.J. Abrams follows in his steps and possibly could have the biggest profit out of all movies. George Lucas started a chain reaction that impacted multiple people in the world and not just one demographic like Walt Disney. He may have come much shorter than Disney but I believe that is my modern day comparison of Walt Disney.
I don't necessarily agree with what the others have said up top in that there won't ever be another Walt Disney in television. I think that right now there isn't one that matches, or even comes close to for that matter, his level of success in television and extending that branding to the other branches of his empire. I do agree with everyone in that Oprah and Ellen are good examples of people who have made successful branding with their television presence, in particular Oprah. The fact that she has her own television channel and her own magazine is an impressive feat. As for Ellen, her talk show is well known, she has an enormous presence in entertainment, and she even has slot machines for her show at Vegas (I was there recently and was surprised to see them. I was even more surprised when they robbed me of my money). But as Daphne mentioned, and it pains me to agree with this as well, but I don't think other public faces of television have been quite as successful as Kim and the other Kardashians in branching out from television. Like Daphne mentioned, the Kardashians have branched out into multiple venues and their apps were surprisingly popular. It's pretty much impossible to go into a store that sells magazines and not see one of their faces plastered onto it. And now that Kylie and Kendall have entered the spotlight as well, I think the Kardashian/Jenner family will be around for awhile so in some ways, that compares a bit more to Walt Disney and is more relevant I think.
I'd argue that writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams is on the path to becoming the next Walt Disney, even if there might never be another quite like Walt. Disney brought imagination and animation to the forefront of people's minds, and Abrams has done the same with sci-fi and mystery. He first achieved success with sci-fi disaster films Armageddon and Cloverfield, and went on to create Bad Robot Productions in 1998. Bad Robot has been responsible for television shows like Alias and Lost, as well as films such as Super 8 and the most recent three installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Abrams also successfully rebooted both Star Trek and Star Wars, which have received praise from critics and die-hard fans alike for sticking to the core of those franchises. Abrams has formed his own brand as well, as he has become known to shroud his upcoming projects with mystery and anticipation. A trailer for his next film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, was surprisingly revealed last week, as most people didn't even know the sequel was greenlit, let alone already filmed. Beyond TV and film, Abrams has branched out into books, conceiving S. that is an unusual format, one of his trademarks, as it is a story within a story. Since Abrams has dabbled in multiple forms of media and is his own brand and auteur or sorts, I believe that he is on a fairly similar path as Walt Disney.
Today, I believe there are a few individuals who you could argue are a modern day Disney. One that stands out to me is Dick Wolf. Dick Wolf is the producer behind the various Law and Order series and now the Chicago Fire/PD/Med/Law(?). I believe Dick Wolf is similar to Disney in his cross-promotion tactics. With his different line-up of shows, Wolf has often crossed plotlines and draws viewers from one show to the other. Similar to how Disney used his shows to draw people to his theme parks. Also, the success of Law & Order and its related series have lead to massive syndication success for Wolf, which again draws parallels to Disney for me. Wolf is a true television auteur with a specific genre of show that has found massive success.
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