Originally Posted By TP2000 >>"What are the chances that the BOD were all in Orlando back in June to discuss this Avatar deal?"<< I think those chances are excellent. I never really bought the "Selling The Parks" thing. It just doesn't pass the smell test for me. I do know that whenever a Disney division wants to spend a major amount of money on capital investment, like say 500 Million for DAK or 1.2 Billion for DCA, the Board of Directors has to gather and vote on the expenditure and concept. That's not something exclusive to Disney's Board, but they for certain play by those rules. The Board gathers in WDW in June. Iger is seen touring DAK during the Board's visit. 90 days later they announce a 500 Million dollar expansion of DAK tied to a major partnership with James Cameron, with additional Mega-Money theme park expansions to come around the globe based on this partnership. The Board was probably with Iger on his DAK walk back in June, but who the heck knows who Susan Arnold or Aylwin Lewis or Robert Mattschullat look like, and who would care about them? Now, the Wall Street Journal could still report on Monday morning that Disney is selling its Parks division to Comcast and an Arab Sheik. But somehow I don't think that's going to happen. I bet the whole "Iger and The Board are in Orlando!" thing was simply a corporate governance required pre-cursor to signing up for at least a Billion dollars worth of theme park work with an outside contractor like James Cameron. End of story.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Right, but where is James Cameron is all this? He wasn't seen there...
Originally Posted By TP2000 James Cameron wouldn't have needed to be there. What would his purpose be? To put on a cheesy PowerPoint show for the Board showing how good his movies are? The deal had already been cooked up in Burbank, and Cameron was obliging of the concept. But before Cameron would sign the dotted line in September (in a Burbank office), Iger needed the Board to approve a Half Billion Dollar capital expenditure for DAK and support this new corporate alliance with an outside contractor (Cameron). There still could have been a few bullet points on a Board agenda in June at WDW to discuss selling the Parks division to an Arab Sheik or a Chinese industrial conglomerate, after the Avatar deal went through. But it's quite clear now that Iger taking the Board of Directors on a summer field trip to Animal Kingdom was about getting the Half Billion Dollar Avatarland concept written up, blessed by the Board, and ready to sign by Cameron. It boils down to a simple corporate governance issue, really.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>James Cameron wouldn't have needed to be there. What would his purpose be? To put on a cheesy PowerPoint show for the Board showing how good his movies are? <<< Work out terms? I think it's odder that he's not there than he IS there.
Originally Posted By TP2000 But the Board wouldn't be concerned with the actual terms, nor would they really get into the Cameron angle much. And vice-versa with Cameron and the Board. The Board would just need to be there to get the salespitch from Bob Iger, walk through the theme park that most of theme likely had never set foot in before. The pitch and tour out of the way, then they'd need to do the official voting on the capital expenditure that goes over the threshold for Board approval, and take care of the corporate governance paperwork that they get paid for in the first place. James Cameron would not need to go further east than Pasadena under such an agreement. All of Cameron's duties would have been confined to a Burbank office suite. Although there may have been a seprate trip on Disney's Gulfstream V out to Orlando for Cameron to see DAK and get him hyped about the agreement beforehand. Cameron is the bride, and Staggs is the groom. Iger is the matchmaker and patriarch of the family. But the Board was only responsible for securing the dowry beforehand to ensure the marriage could happen. There would be no need for the bride to meet the dowry team during the courting process.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Okay... While that marriage analogy actually seems to be pretty accurate, it's kind of creepy to read it back after it's been posted. Let's just not even think about the wedding night, shall we?
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Very true. And there's also the possibility that they would want to sell off the parks (and thus this bug Avatar project, eventually. ) I mean, construction isn't starting until 2013....
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer *this big avatar project. Just when you think you've mastered iPad typing....
