Let's go sit. Come on. We'll talk about the day.
I get motivated by great creativity.
It's so much a part of what we do as a company.
And there's nothing that energizes me more than that.
The Walt Disney Company occupies such a special place in the world.
We primarily, in our storytelling, manufacture happiness,
is the way I like to describe it. That's pretty motivating.
Walt Disney's name is the company's name.
I'm reminded every day that I come to work of the company's heritage.
And I never lose sight of not only the significance of that
but of just how fortunate I consider myself to be in the chair,
so to speak, atop a company that he founded.
It's pretty extraordinary working with an incredibly large and diverse group
of extremely talented people across the world,
who work at the Walt Disney Company,
that come to work every day with a passion for what they do
and, not only respect for the company that they work for,
but a respect for the people that they're trying to reach.
[fanfare music]
Anytime a child goes to his or her first movie,
it's a memorable experience.
In my particular case, my grandparents took me to see Cinderella
when, I believe, I was four years old.
In Brooklyn, New York, seeing a classic Disney film,
I think, was maybe fortuitous,
because it stuck with me my whole life.
Twenty-five thousand tickets were sold in advance for the concert...
[Iger] I knew I wanted to go into the field of television.
I didn't quite end up in the field that I wanted to be in.
I wanted to be a television news anchorman.
So, I aspired to be Walter Cronkite.
But I discovered early on that the likelihood of my being Walter Cronkite
[chuckles] was pretty, pretty low.
And so I redirected and ended up in production at ABC.
I was at ABC Sports for 13 years.
Everything starts to melt.
The bobsled run is melting.
-They can't do the downhill skiing. -[woman] That's right.
And I've got nothing to put on, except maybe Sweden versus Romania in hockey.
[people chuckle]
And so when I moved from sports to entertainment,
in reality, they were both similar in that
the most important thing about entertainment,
whether it was ABC or anywhere, was, essentially, telling a great story.
Giving a diverse group of people the opportunity
to feel that they can make something
and actually make a difference with what they make is pretty powerful.
What I want for everyone that works for us is not just success,
but I want them to experience what I've experienced over the years
and what people who have worked for The Walt Disney Company,
including Walt Disney, experienced over 96 years,
and that is the impact of telling a great story on people all over the world.
We know what the essence of a good story is
and what a good Disney story is,
and a good Marvel story, and Pixar,
and Star Wars, and I could go on and on.
There's something incredibly, not only motivating and thrilling,
but gratifying about that.
We're all, in many ways, in the--
not only in the same business, but doing the same thing,
which is trying to reach people all over the world
in very compelling ways, trying to touch people's hearts.
I'm the same guy that I was when I graduated from Ithaca College in 1973
or from Oceanside High School in 1969
or that went to see Cinderella with my grandparents in the mid-'50s
or watched Mickey Mouse Club on television.
I love a great story.
And, um, I also happen to love what I do
and consider myself extremely fortunate to be in this business,
in this company, at this time.
Where we're more energized,
more motivated, more optimistic about our company's future
than we've ever been.
And that's just fun.