Profile: Michael Eisner
Entertainment Executive

"I always went into an area that was in last place, with a philosophy, 'You can't fall off the floor.' And I was lucky, was at the right time and the right place, with the right ideas, and each one of these areas became number one."

When Michael Eisner went to work for ABC Television in the 1960s, ABC was in last place of the three networks. It was number one by the time he left to take over Paramount Pictures. At that time, Paramount was dead last of the six major motion picture studios. During Eisner's presidency, Paramount moved to first place. The Walt Disney studio was believed to be suffering from a lack of direction at the time Michael Eisner became CEO. Under his direction, it became the industry leader.

The merger of The Walt Disney Company with Capital Cities/ABC made Eisner the leader of a communications and entertainment empire without precedent, and set off a wave of mergers throughout the industry. In his 21 years at the helm of the Disney Company, Michael Eisner left a lasting mark on business and society as one of the most successful and celebrated chief executives in history. He continues to pursue innovation as leader of a media and entertainment investment group, The Tornante Company.