ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 14: Josh D’Amaro, CEO, The Walt Disney Company, speaks onstage at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on August 14, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Disney)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Disney
“It’s still strange to me to hear Josh and CEO because I’ve been here for 30 years,” says Josh D’Amaro, CEO of The Walt Disney Company during a small group media panel at Disney’s big fan expo, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. But over the past five months as the leader at The Walt Disney Company, D’Amaro has made one thing very clear: growing the company with a fans-first mindset.
Having the fans-first mentality is something that D’Amaro has carried with him since the beginning of his career. During the panel, he shared that one of his first meetings after being hired at Disney was about construction on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Park and where to move a trash can so it didn’t impact guests.
Additionally, he shared that as he grew with the company’s parks business, if he wasn’t in a meeting, he was in the parks talking with guests and cast members (what Disney calls employees), often without a large entourage. “For any leader, quite frankly, there’s nothing more important than staying in direct touch with who your consumer is, who your fan is, and what they want,” he says. Through these conversations, D’Amaro says fans and employees told him about their Disney story, hopes for the company, and even concerns about various projects.
Even now as CEO, while on a much larger scale than a Disneyland trash can, D’Amaro shares that the same level of detail, excellence and fan experience is what drives him and his teams, from Walt Disney Imagineering to the studios Disney owns. “It has to be perfect. It’s got to be right for our fans, and we take that very, very seriously,” he shares.
Disney’s Three Pillars
The Walt Disney logo is projected on a screen onstage during the Walt Disney Studios presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace at CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 11, 2024. (Photo by RONDA CHURCHILL / AFP) (Photo by RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Besides hearing fans and making sure they feel seen, D’Amaro says three things are really important to him as CEO. The first is that Disney continues to tell the world’s best stories, whether that’s through movies, park attractions, or even Broadway shows.
The second is celebrating the intersection of technology and media. “I don’t think it’s ever been more relevant and more powerful. I want to push into the technology that’s available to us, marry it with beautiful story-making, and push the company forward,” he explains.
The third pillar D’Amaro revealed is showing up as one company, regardless of the various businesses within the larger Disney ecosystem. “We’re not ESPN and streaming and theme parks and movies. We’re the Walt Disney Company, and for anyone that’s looking around contextually at the entertainment landscape right now, it kind of looks like people are trying to look like Disney,” D’Amaro says.
So what does “One Disney” really mean? D’Amaro explains that each of the company’s businesses, whether it’s streaming, sports, consumer products, theme parks or movies, can stand on its own, but they are better when they work together. “Each of the businesses alone is great, but together, when we deliver to our fans a seamless, comprehensive experience with us, it’s great for them as a fan, and it’s great for us as a business,” he says.
This idea seems comparable to D’Amaro’s previous statements about a potentially massive Disney super app that would allow fans to interact with the company’s various businesses and experiences on one platform.
Disney’s Biggest Global Opportunities
AVALON, CA – OCTOBER 26: General views of the Disney Wonder cruise ship at Avalon harbor on October 26, 2022 in Avalon, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
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Some of Disney’s biggest opportunities lie outside of the United States. In fact, D’Amaro credits Disney’s global expansion to his predecessor, Bob Iger. “One of his top priorities was to expand internationally; you saw a big opportunity for Disney to show up in other parts of the world outside of the U.S., and that’s come to fruition,” D’Amaro says.
One of the biggest areas for growth that D’Amaro sees is Disney Cruise Line. “These cruise ships are kind of like the best ambassador for our brand you can possibly have,” he tells the media group. “We can float them out to new markets and invite people into our stories and into our Disney family.”
Disney Cruise Line recently launched its first Asia-based cruise ship, Disney Adventure, which homeports in Singapore. In 2029, a new ship in partnership with Oriental Land Co., Ltd. will be based in Japan. Additionally, Disney Cruise Line has announced it is building a new class of smaller ships, sized between the Magic- and the Wish-Class ships. The upcoming mid-sized ships will be able to visit more unique destinations around the world due to their size.
D’Amaro also mentions streaming as a massive global opportunity for Disney. He says that because Disney’s streaming services exist in many parts of the world, Disney can introduce people to its other businesses as well. “The footprint is large today, and it’s only going to expand over time,” he says.
Where is Disney Going in the Future
Burbank, CA, United States – May 03, 2026:The Walt Disney Studios complex is seen on Sunday, May 3, 2026 in Burbank, CA. Disney is facing several layoffs as part of sweeping workforce reductions initiated under new CEO Josh D’Amaro.(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
After the events and showcases of D23, from screening movie trailers and clips to pulling back the curtain on what’s coming to Disney Parks around the world, D’Amaro says he hopes Disney continues to be a place where everybody is welcome, and where fans can escape from everything else that’s going on in the world.
“At the same time, I think that we need to take that same core feeling and make sure that we’re bringing it to new fans and new parts of the world,” D’Amaro continues. “We want to make sure that these stories carry into new generations where they’re discovering characters and storytelling in ways that make complete sense to them.”
That’s part of the reason Disney is getting into the gaming space and bringing TikTok and Disney+ together. Disney knows that’s where younger fans are taking in stories, and the snowball effect of interacting with the brand through digital media can entice the same fans to go to a theater or to a theme park.
“Walt was exceptional about being willing to take a next step into something that the world had never seen before. And I think the possibility of holding onto who you are and what you are, but still stepping into the unknown—that’s what Disney is,” says D’Amaro.