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Disney Launchpad: Presenting to Bob Iger

In February 2018, Julie Ann Crommett, vice president of multicultural audience engagement at the Walt Disney Studios (Disney), was preparing to lead a meeting with Bob Iger, head of Disney. She would be pitching Launchpad, her plan to increase diversity among directors and writers at Disney, if not the film industry at large. Crommett had spent significant time developing the initiative and building support for it with other Disney teams, but she needed to decide what data to present, how deep to go with the data she had, and what framing would make Launchpad appealing to Disney's most powerful executives. She had to anticipate questions and avoid "rabbit holes" that would cut into the limited time she had to pitch her idea. Crommett was a confident person, but she couldn't deny that she was nervous about how the meeting might go. How should she prepare?ExcerptDisney Launchpad: Presenting to Bob IgerI hate when someone says play it safe, be careful, don't stand out. That's just ridiculous. There's a way to express yourself, particularly at lower-level positions, so the people have an idea of who you are and what you stand for, without being obnoxious.—Bob Iger, CEO, the Walt Disney Company (Disney)In February 2018, Julie Ann Crommett, vice president of multicultural audience engagement at the Walt Disney Studios, was preparing to lead a meeting with “one of the world's most admired chief executives”—Bob Iger, head of Disney. In Crommett's view, Iger carried a lot of influence not only within the company, but across the entertainment industry, which she considered insular in its own way.Nervously, she thought, “If I flub this…”Crommett had never met Iger, and while she had been able to learn some about him from colleagues, she'd gotten most of her information from the executive's public persona. It was not lost on her that someone at her level typically did not lead a meeting with Iger. (See Exhibit 1 for an abbreviated Disney organizational hierarchy.). . .

Elsevier BV

Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt Allison Elias Aldo Sesia

SSRN Electronic Journal

2026

Title: Disney Launchpad: Presenting to Bob Iger

Description:

In February 2018, Julie Ann Crommett, vice president of multicultural audience engagement at the Walt Disney Studios (Disney), was preparing to lead a meeting with Bob Iger, head of Disney.

She would be pitching Launchpad, her plan to increase diversity among directors and writers at Disney, if not the film industry at large.

Crommett had spent significant time developing the initiative and building support for it with other Disney teams, but she needed to decide what data to present, how deep to go with the data she had, and what framing would make Launchpad appealing to Disney's most powerful executives.

She had to anticipate questions and avoid "rabbit holes" that would cut into the limited time she had to pitch her idea.

Crommett was a confident person, but she couldn't deny that she was nervous about how the meeting might go.

How should she prepare?ExcerptDisney Launchpad: Presenting to Bob IgerI hate when someone says play it safe, be careful, don't stand out.

That's just ridiculous.

There's a way to express yourself, particularly at lower-level positions, so the people have an idea of who you are and what you stand for, without being obnoxious.

—Bob Iger, CEO, the Walt Disney Company (Disney)In February 2018, Julie Ann Crommett, vice president of multicultural audience engagement at the Walt Disney Studios, was preparing to lead a meeting with “one of the world's most admired chief executives”—Bob Iger, head of Disney.

In Crommett's view, Iger carried a lot of influence not only within the company, but across the entertainment industry, which she considered insular in its own way.

Nervously, she thought, “If I flub this…”Crommett had never met Iger, and while she had been able to learn some about him from colleagues, she'd gotten most of her information from the executive's public persona.

It was not lost on her that someone at her level typically did not lead a meeting with Iger.

(See Exhibit 1 for an abbreviated Disney organizational hierarchy.

).

.

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