By his own admission, Michael Eisner isn't ready to imagine life beyond the wonderful world of Disney.
He has said he'll soon retire as chief executive. But beyond that, "I'm not thinking about it," he said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times. "I have pushed it out of my mind."
As Walt Disney Co. shareholders gather today in Minneapolis, reality may start to sink in. The annual meeting, coming one year after a shareholder revolt stripped Eisner of the chairman's title, will probably be the last time he addresses investors while at Disney's helm.
That said, it isn't easy for people who know the 62-year-old Eisner to imagine him severing his links to Burbank-based Disney. He is a man whose attention to -- some would say obsession with -- the world's most famous entertainment company is legendary. In fact, his identity, both professional and personal, seems to be inextricably linked to the company he has run since 1984.
From hosting Disney's signature television programs to choosing the drapes for Disney hotel rooms, he has left an indelible imprint. And vice versa -- for years, he's rarely appeared in public without a Mickey Mouse tie.
"Disney has been his life," said former Disney TV executive Rich Frank, who is now chairman of The Firm, a talent management and production company. Of Eisner's impending departure, Frank added: "It has to be unbelievably tough for him."
Eisner announced last year that he would step down when his contract expired in September 2006. His exit, however, is expected to come much sooner: The Disney board has pledged to name a successor by June.
Bill Mechanic, a producer and former movie chief at 20th Century Fox, predicted Eisner wouldn't be retired for long. "He's not a leisure-time guy," he said. "I don't think you'll ever see him go off into the sunset."
There's a chance, of course, that Eisner will welcome the chance to spend more time with his wife and three sons while plotting the next chapter of his career. "The last person in this world that I'm ever going to worry about is Michael Eisner," said retired agent Sue Mengers, who has known him since his early days in the industry. "Michael has to deal all day with idiots, or certain people not up to his level. How many people is he going to miss?"
During a recent trial over Disney's hiring and firing of former President Michael Ovitz, Tom Murphy, former Capital Cities chairman, suggested that it was the corporation itself that Eisner would miss.
