Walt Disney Co. incoming president and chief creative officer Dana Walden has introduced her leadership team, which includes several familiar faces from the company's film, television and marketing units.
Walden will become Disney's first female president on Wednesday. She will report to Josh D'Amaro, who will succeed Bob Iger as Disney CEO, following the company's annual meeting with shareholders and its high-profile leadership handover.
Walden's senior team includes his longtime creative partner, Alan Bergman. As president of Disney Entertainment Studios, Bergman will continue to oversee Disney's film studios, including production, marketing and distribution.
Bergman will also maintain oversight of Disney's streaming programming alongside Walden.
Disney executives Joe Earley and Adam Smith were named co-presidents of Disney Entertainment's direct-to-consumer offerings, Disney+ and Hulu. Both executives will be responsible for strategy and financial performance and will report to Walden and Bergman.
Earley and Walden worked together when they were Fox executives; Earley will also serve as head of content strategy.
Smith continues in his role as chief technology and product officer for Disney Entertainment. He will also continue to collaborate with ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro on matters related to ESPN and ESPN+.
Debra O'Connell will assume the new role of president of Disney Entertainment Television.
It will have an extensive television portfolio that includes ABC Entertainment, Disney-branded cable channels, Hulu Originals, as well as programming from National Geographic, 20th Television and 20th Television Animation.
OConnell will continue to oversee ABC News and ABC-owned television stations, including KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles.
In a separate memo Monday night, OConnell introduced his team, including Craig Erwich, who will now oversee 20th Television and 20th Television Animation, in addition to ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals.
Several executives report to OConnnell, including Ayo Davis of Disney Branded Television; Courteney Monroe of National Geographic Content;
Almin Karamehmedovic of ABC News; Chad Matthews of ABC stations; advertising executives Rita Ferro and Jimmy Zasowski (who will also report to Bergman and Pitaro); and Sean Cocchia, who is responsible for overseas scheduling and strategic programming.
Disney's incoming president, Dana Walden, has established her senior leadership team.
(Richard Shotwell / Invision/AP)
Sean Shoptaw, who serves as executive vice president of games and digital entertainment, and his organization will move from Disney Experiences to the Walden division.
Shoptaw oversees Disney's gaming business and its collaboration with Epic Games to develop a Disney universe connected to Fortnite.
John Landgraf remains president of FX and will continue to report directly to Walden.
Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, has influential competencies across Disney's various business segments. It will depend on D'Amaro and Walden.
“Disney's strength has always been the emotional connection between our stories and the people who love them,” Walden said in a statement. “As fans engage with Disney across more formats and platforms than ever before, we're bringing together the full power of our creative businesses to build an even more connected experience for audiences.”
