Disney Fires Marvel’s Marketing Department

[Sotiris]

Ever since it purchased comics powerhouse Marvel Comics last year, the question surrounding the Walt Disney Company is whether or not the entertainment giant would make certain departments at Marvel irrelevant (and vice versa). To date, most of the public moves connected to the Marvel buyout have been more minor shifts in publishing rights – BOOM! Studios losing the ability to make Disney comics while Disney movie graphic novels like "TRON" get reprinted as single Marvel issues – however, today the first big sign of high-level redundancies has hit.

I’ve learned that yesterday Disney canned Dana Precious, EVP of Worldwide Marketing for Marvel’s LA Studios (she had replaced Doug Finberg at the end of last summer); Jeffrey Stewart, VP of Worldwide Marketing (he’d been brought in by Dana); and Jodi Miller, Manager of Worldwide Marketing. That’s essentially Marvel’s entire marketing department. Marvel redundant jobs were on the line ever since Disney bought the publisher/studio in 2009. And the marketing department even more so this summer after Paramount released Thor and Captain America domestically and internationally, thus effectively ending that studio’s marketing and distribution of Marvel pictures. I’m told that on June 24th, Rob Steffens, who is Marvel Studios’ EVP Operations, met with all of the department at the Manhattan Beach offices in what was described as a “Disney Rules of the Road” meeting. He told staff that there would be no house-cleaning by the mouse, period, so they were not to fear for their jobs and flee en masse. So much for that promise.

The official line on why Marvel’s marketing team was let go is that Disney will be taking over that function and handling the releases of The Avengers and future Marvel movies themselves. In fact I’ve learned that Marvel will bring in someone in a “project management role”. But Kevin Feige’s continued supervision of all things Marvel should resolve any doubts by fanboys that Disney will screw around or screw up the comic book films. Insiders tell me that Precious and her team were not well-loved by Marvel bigwig Feige and other top execs at Marvel or by Disney and Paramount. (Some of the comments I heard today included: “Not up to or have the skill set to release this brand properly”… “Their job was to keep track of the people doing the real work”… “Paper pushers”… ”Would it have killed them to return an email?”… “Disney doesn’t need someone to cut its trailers”…)

Now Marvel staffers wonder whether the firings were really to avoid duplicating efforts with Disney or just petty vindictiveness. If it’s the latter, then jobs are safe. But if it’s the former, then any jobs redundant in terms of Disney’s infrastructure aren’t. Trying to reassure the Marvel folks, one insider tells me today, “If you do your job and are smart and understand the business, you shouldn’t worry.”

Source: http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/disney- ... epartment/

[toonaspie]

Managing the releases?

Hell, if Disney manages the release of Marvel films in the same manner that they manage the release of other Disney films then they're screwed. Unless it's a Pirates or Pixar film, the marketing of Disney films has gone to pure crap.

[Super Aurora]

It's times like this I wish to punch Disney in the face. Disney should leave the marvel shit to marvel. But it is true that Dana Precious sucks. It's just the worry factor of the potential disney go fuck things up for marvel if they have direct control and say over Marvel's handling.

[singerguy04]

It seems kinda ridiculous to fire the marketing department of a branch that has produced fantastic marketing campaigns for two summer blockbusters, while keeping a marketing department who pitted a Winnie the Pooh sequel against the final film of the most successful film franchise of all time.

[milojthatch]

Managing the releases?

Hell, if Disney manages the release of Marvel films in the same manner that they manage the release of other Disney films then they're screwed. Unless it's a Pirates or Pixar film, the marketing of Disney films has gone to pure crap.

Amen. I'm sad for the loss of jobs. This relationship can work, I just worry it won't. Time will still tell.

[Semaj]

Big business fires instead of hires.

And that's why the economy sucks so much.

[DisneyJedi]

I thought the economy sucked because America's relying on other countries to mass-produce products or something.

That aside, I only hope that when it comes to marketing their films, Disney learns how to do it right real fast! Otherwise... they're pretty much boned.

[Super Aurora]

I thought the economy sucked because America's relying on other countries to mass-produce products or something.

One of the reason but not only one.

[singerguy04]

I thought the economy sucked because America's relying on other countries to mass-produce products or something.

Not to go into a whole thing about the failing economy, but it's both plus a lot more that adds into the failing economy. For example... The US's failing education system, over taxing of the lower class, over spending in the military, high unemployment, and the overall world economy falling apart just to name a few. It's a ridiculously complex situation and it cracks me up when politicians try to blame one man like Obama or Bush when it's truly everyone's fault.