disney

Can Hulu Save Traditional TV?

Chuck Salter — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Even for Hollywood, where long odds and high stakes are staples of storytelling, the plotline is a doozy: A couple of old business rivals facing the threat of a lifetime agree to put aside their differences and join forces on a half-baked experiment that makes them laughingstocks. (We're thinking Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty.) And who do they put in charge? A young guy, a newbie to the biz. He promptly cleans house and hires an even younger guy who's halfway around the globe. These renegades throw out the rule book -- and they pull it off. Their idea kills.

Jeffrey Katzenberg Plans on Living Happily Ever After

Mark Borden — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

"I'm certain when you came through those gates, your impression was, This is about a micromanaging, hands-in-every-pie, ain't-a-decision-being-made-without-him kind of place," says DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

At 59, with his tightly cropped hair and outsize biceps straining against a fine-knit black polo, Katzenberg exudes an aggressive fitness. "The myth," he says, "is a far distance from the reality."

The Princess and the Frog

Fast Company Calendar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:27:40 -0500

The Princess and the Frog is Disney's first traditionally animated feature film since 2004's Home on the Range, which eked out just $50 million at the domestic box-office; the first fairy tale we've heard of in which a princess (voiced by Dreamgirls' Anika Noni Rose) kisses a frog, then becomes one; and features a Disney cartoon's first black leading lady. Is this departure as risky as it sounds?

Panama: The Future Hong Kong of Latin America?

Kaihan Krippendorff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:20:07 -0500

I just came back from conducting my program in Panama, and while I have been through the Panama City airport several times, I had never stepped outside its walls. This is a fascinating country. We had 150 attend the seminar including government leaders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs.

Strategic vs. Traditional Investors: The Lowdown From a Venture Capital Vet

Paul H. Lee, Senior Vice President, Peacock Equity Fund — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:06:51 -0400

Every so often, I hear an early-stage venture capitalist warn a roomful of entrepreneurs about the pitfalls of taking money from strategic investors. There's too much influence involved or strings attached, or there are misaligned incentives. The end result is usually lower valuations in the next round, lower acquisition price, lower IPO range, etc.

Zazzle Dazzles on Demand

Zachary Wilson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Four-and-a-half-feet wide seemed so much smaller

The 10 Greenest Brands, Chosen by You

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:24:06 -0400

D23 Expo

Fast Company Calendar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:36:42 -0400

Mouse House enthusiasts can listen to Radio Disney, watch the Disney Channel, play at Disney World, relax aboard Disney cruise ships, and scramble Disney Eggs (which have Disney characters printed on the shells). And now they can celebrate the whole $38 billion empire at D23, Disney's first-ever fan expo.

Disney Hires Halo Creator to Manage Game Developers

Kevin Ohannessian — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:08:44 -0400

Disney hired Alex Seropian, one of the founders of Bungie Studios, to oversee Disney's video game development houses. Seropian worked on the first two games of the hugely successful Halo franchise, before leaving to create a new studio, Wideload Games. As part of the move, Disney bought Wideload.

Disney Cuts $4 Billion Deal for Marvel and Its 5,000 Characters [Updated]

Clay Dillow — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:09:24 -0400

Who can contain the likes of Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk? Disney is up to the task. The company announced this morning that it is acquiring comic book publisher turned multimedia giant Marvel Entertainment for around $4 billion.

How to Innovate, Step by Step

Fast Company staff — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:45:05 -0400

So how does a company become an engine of innovation? Although humans and the organizations they create are all unique and unpredictable in their strengths and shortcomings, most successful innovators follow some common steps in the innovation process. In his new book A Fine Line: How Design Strategies Are Shaping the Future of Business, frog design founder Hartmut Esslinger presents these steps in a broad and simple outline.

Update

Dan Macsai and Kate Rockwood — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Fast Deals

Some of the 50 Most Innovative Companies we cited in March have found one another as intriguing as we did. We named Pure Digital Technologies, maker of the supersimple Flip digital video recorders, No. 7; that month, Cisco Systems (No. 5) bought the company for $590 million in stock.

Consumers Confused About Netbooks, But Disney Isn't

Kit Eaton — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:59:47 -0400

A recent survey says that consumers have no idea about the weaknesses of netbooks versus notebooks, and have no idea how best to exploit the mini PCs. Disney meanwhile does understand, and has come up with a great netbook audience: Kids.

Meet the Famous Faces at Berkshire Hathaway's Annual Meeting

Kate Rockwood — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:00:00 -0400

ERNIE BANKS, Baseball Hall of Famer: This retired Chicago Cub met Buffett at a golf tourney in Omaha. From 1998 to 2001, he stepped into the batter's box each year when Buffett, wearing a uniform with "The Whip" emblazoned on the back, threw out the first pitch at an Omaha Royals game -- a meeting tradition.

Hulu Gets 'Lost' With Disney's Equity Stake

Chris Dannen — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:40:51 -0400

Walt Disney Company is taking an equity stake in Hulu.com, the Web's third most popular pit stop for video, according to the AP. The site, originally a joint venture between NBC Universal and Fox parent News Corp, will now have access to hundreds of television episodes and movies from Disney and its ABC network.

Earth Day 2009: Today's 5 Most Innovative Green Initiatives

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:18:05 -0400

You've probably heard the refrain "Make Earth Day every day" a thousand times, but the 40 year-old holiday has at least one important use: innovative brand initiatives. After sorting through the muck of press releases touting companies' commitment to sustainability, there are a number of gems left behind. Here are some of my favorites.

iFive: Disney-Hulu-YouTube Drama, GM's Volt Fizzles, and Web 2.0 Expo Launches in Today's Innovation News

David Lidsky — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:12:30 -0400

While you were sleeping, innovation put her cable box out on the curb for trash pickup. Here's today's innovation news:

Let This Be a Sign: Artist Shawn Wolfe's Blistering Commentary on Consumerism

Alissa Walker — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:51:39 -0400

Seattle-based designer Shawn Wolfe has built his career on cheeky and subversive work for MTV, K2, Sprite, Capitol Records and Old Navy. But at the heart of his self-initiated artwork is a critical and highly entertaining survey of consumerism. As he described his focus at the Y Conference this weekend: "Consumerism is how we choose what we wear or what we eat," he said.

Can Walgreens Solve the Health-Care Crisis?

David Lidsky — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:51:33 -0400

Use A Multi-front Battle To Beat The Competition: Nokia Is Everywhere

Kaihan Krippendorff — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:10:43 -0400

Web-based television content streaming is hot in the news at the moment, courtesy of events like the Hulu-Boxee shut down. And now there's the new ZillionTV set-top box to add to the mix, and it's a pretty interesting little gizmo.

What's Disney's Inspiration?

Kate Rockwood — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:15:11 -0500

From Lost to Wall-E to Disney.com, the media giant proves itself an exceptional idea factory and hit maker. Where do its creative heads find inspiration? We peeked inside their offices to find out.

"[Disney animation legend] Joe Grant, a personal hero of mine, gave me this pencil. Even though people look at Pixar as cutting-edge, we have one foot planted in the tradition of great storytelling. This is a way of holding onto that."

The Most Innovative Companies in Entertainment

Chuck Salter — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:29:51 -0500

Hulu: More than 1,000 shows and movies from 120 providers. Free. Coming soon, a 12-step program for Hulu addicts.
Disney: Another Pixar original with box-office appeal (Wall-E). Another $1 billion in sales for both Hannah Montana and High School Musical.
read more

Two "Lost" Producers Share Their Unlikely Sources of Inspiration [exclusive images]

Kate Rockwood — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:00:58 -0500

When we spoke with Lost’s co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse recently, plenty of questions were off limits. But this creative duo happily divulged the office keepsakes they turn to for inspiration. And, with the show's season five premiere tonight on ABC, we’ll take any insight we can get.

How Do You Attract and Retain Generation Y? Learn From Google, Intuit and Disney

Bea Fields — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:12:05 -0400

Generation Y (the young men and women born after 1977) are different
from other generations in many respects, from their political views to
the careers they choose (or don't choose). Their presence in the
workplace is truly making an impact, causing employers to worry, fret
and scratch their heads, and asking, "What do I do to attract the
20-something worker, and once I have them, how do I keep them?"