John Carter of Studio Head Slayer

[adrotate banner=”1″]John Carter (of Mars, dammit!) has killed again, this time the victim was Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross’s job! Sure, Ross has overseen lots of billion dollar properties, but John Carter (of Mars, dammit!) needs someone to blame, and it sure ain’t going to be everyone! Ross has been chosen as the scapegoat. He joined as Chairman in October 2009, previously working on the Disney Channel and helping turn that channel into a goldmine of big money brands. John Carter was such a mess there will probably be books and books dedicated to what went wrong and where the $200 million loss came from. And while those books are being written, we are living in history. It would be cool if the John Carter (of Mars, dammit!) film tore through Disney slaying executives and underlings alike much like how John Carter carved his way through armies of Tharks, but that’s probably wishful thinking.

I’m sure it’s totally not suspicious that he’s resigning just days before The Avengers makes Disney a gazillion dollars. You know, a film that was actually marketed and not renamed “Steve Rogers”

Ross’s resignation letter:

For the last 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with incredibly talented people on behalf of the world’s best loved brand. During that time, we’ve told some amazing stories around the world, created successful TV programming, movies, and franchises that generated new opportunities for the company in the process.

I’ve always said our success is created and driven by our people – whom I consider to be the absolute best in the business. But, the best people need to be in the right jobs, in roles they are passionate about, doing work that leverages the full range of their abilities. It’s one of the leadership lessons I’ve learned during my career, and it’s something I’ve been giving a great deal of thought to as I look at the challenges and opportunities ahead.

I believe in this extraordinary Walt Disney Studios team, and I believe in our strong slate of films and our ability to make and market them better than anyone else. But, I no longer believe the Chairman role is the right professional fit for me. For that reason, I have made the very difficult decision to step down as Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, effective today.

It has been my honor to work with such incredible teams – at Disney Channels Worldwide and The Walt Disney Studios and the many other Disney businesses I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with. I know I leave the Studios in good hands and, even on separate paths, I am confident we are all destined for continued success.

-Rich

Rich Ross
Picture ganked from here

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