Dana Walden unveils leaders of expanded Disney Entertainment

Walden moved into her new role this week, the same time Josh D’Amaro succeeded Bob Iger as CEO. She was previously Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment.

Key changes include Debra OConnell taking over the newly created role of Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television. In this position, she will oversee the television brands, including ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and creative for 20^th Television and 20^th Television Animation. She will also continue to oversee ABC News and the ABC Owned television stations.

Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Entertainment Studios, will continue overseeing the company’s film studios, including production, marketing, and distribution, and maintaining shared oversight of Direct to Consumer alongside Walden.

Joe Earley and Adam Smith will become Co-Presidents of the Direct-to-Consumer division, sharing responsibility for strategy and financial performance across Disney+ and Hulu. They will report to Walden and Bergman. Earley will also serve as Head of Content Strategy for the Direct-to-Consumer division. Further, Smith will continue as Chief Product and Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, where he will continue to report to Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN.

Sean Shoptaw, Executive Vice President (EVP) of Games and Digital Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company, will now join Disney Entertainment, along with his organisation, and report to Walden. Shoptaw oversees the company’s games business and its collaboration with Epic Games, developing a Disney universe connected to Fortnite.

John Landgraf, Chairman of FX, will continue to report directly to Walden.

Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer at Disney, leads teams across the company’s business segments. Ayaz will report to Walden and D’Amaro.

“The strength of Disney has always been the emotional connection between our stories and the people who love them,” said Walden. “As fans engage with Disney across more formats and platforms than ever before, we are bringing together the full power of our creative businesses to build an even more connected experience for audiences. I’m very fortunate to work alongside such a passionate and talented group of leaders who are driven by the joy of storytelling, and I’m especially excited to work with our new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, as we enter this next chapter together.”

Disney+ is launching ‘Verts,’ a new TikTok-style vertical video feed feature for its mobile app that allows users to swipe through recommended clips from Disney films and series. Discover more here.