Parks Chief Thomas Staggs is Promoted! Will He Become the Next CEO?

No way! no way! no way!!! In a good way.

According to Reuters, Walt Disney Company named Thomas Staggs, the head of its theme parks and resorts unit, as chief operating officer of the company on Thursday.

He is in the lead to succeed Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger in 2018.The 63-year-old Iger, who has led Disney to record profits, recently extended his contract for a second time through June 2018.

Staggs is 54 years old and is a 25-year veteran of Disney and previously served as CFO. He expanded Disney’s California Adventure and oversees the Shanghai theme park that will open next year. He also introduced the well-known technology, MyMagic+ wireless wristbands, helping guests plan their visit, act as their pass, and pay for Disney merchandise easier and more efficiently.

There was no comment on Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo’s future, who is another candidate to become CEO.

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The Avengers 2: Age Age of Ultron Business Debate

Are you ready for the next Avengers movies?

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron debuts Friday- May 1, 2015. Personally, I feel that this movie will be another big hit for Disney, and it ‘s going to be a very busy year for theaters with Star Wars Episode VII which comes out December 18, 2015 and many other movies along the way.

There is some debate in the business world regarding the marketing tactics that Disney is administrating, whether giving these sneak peeks of the new movie is a good idea since almost everyone knows when Avengers 2 is coming out and is already expecting it. However, I believe what Disney is doing is smart.

The marketing tactic is not just about letting the world know about the next movie, but it allows them to use the different characters like Captain America and sell their products in their stores. Get their audience excited and prepared to experience the movie and also use the movies that are already out there and play them over. The movie industry connects with the sales industry and all the money still goes to the same pot— Mickey Mouse’s hands.

Feel free to take the poll below and if you know any news of the movie, comment below..

11 Companies Chosen for Disney Accelerator Program

How exciting! Disney announced the 11 startups that will participate in the Disney Accelerator program.

The 11 companies selected to participate in the Disney Accelerator program are:

• Buzzstarter: billed as the world’s first scalable, programmatic content-marketing platform
• ChoreMonster: web and mobile platform that makes chores fun for kids and turns parents into superheroes
• Codarica: provides a kid-focused introduction to world of computer programming with help from characters Cody Coder and Holly Hacker
• Cogo: provides video monetization solutions for content creators
• Jogg: lets users gather, edit and share video and other content from their devices
• Sphero: develops a “connected play” system that lets users create robots controlled with a smart device
• Sidelines: sources high-quality online discussions from a team of 400-plus experts, and distributes these discussions to publishers based on relevance
• SnowShoe: created an interactive-play system with “magical” pieces of plastic that interact with touchscreens to create a bridge between physical items and digital content
• Twigtale: provides parents with personalized expert advice for major childhood transitions
• TYFFON: an entertainment app-development company and creator of the ZombieBooth series with more than 25 million total downloads
• Ubooly: a learning toy that talks and listens to kids that can be customized to know a child’s name, teach lessons and more.

The Disney Accelerator companies will meet with mentors regularly and work to expand business plans, product launches, marketing campaigns and formulate long-term strategies.

Best of luck to each of these startups! I can’t wait to see what each have to offer.