Key Points
- Dana Walden outlined a new leadership structure for Disney Entertainment as she prepares to take on expanded oversight of film, television, streaming and games.
- Debra OConnell was promoted to Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, overseeing ABC, Hulu Originals and other TV brands.
- The reorganization consolidates creative, distribution and technology leadership across Disney’s entertainment and streaming businesses.
The Walt Disney Company’s incoming President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden has outlined a new leadership structure for the company’s entertainment division as she prepares to move to a new, expanded role this week.
In a memo to staff on Monday, Walden detailed a management structure that consolidates oversight of the company’s creative and distribution businesses across film, television, streaming and interactive entertainment. The reorganization comes as Walden takes on broader responsibilities that include film, television and direct-to-consumer operations, while also adding games and digital entertainment to her portfolio.
The games and digital entertainment business, previously overseen by incoming Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro, will now operate within Disney Entertainment. Sean Shoptaw will lead that unit and report directly to Walden.
Walden’s leadership team will include several senior executives who will report directly to her, including Alan Bergman, Sean Shoptaw, Debra OConnell, John Landgraf, Joe Earley, Adam Smith and Asad Ayaz.
Bergman will remain Chairman of Disney Entertainment Studios and will continue to share oversight of the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming services, including Disney Plus and Hulu, alongside Walden.
One of the most notable changes involves OConnell, who has been promoted to the newly created role of Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television. Previously serving as President of the ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, OConnell will now oversee the company’s television brands, including ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals and National Geographic content. She will also supervise creative operations for 20th Television and 20th Television Animation while continuing to oversee ABC News and the company’s owned television stations.
Landgraf will remain Chairman of FX and continue reporting directly to Walden while maintaining oversight of Onyx Collective. However, National Geographic will no longer fall under his supervision after being added to his portfolio in 2023. The brand has shifted away from producing original scripted programming, an area closely associated with Landgraf’s expertise.
Additional reporting changes affect Disney Television Studios. Eric Schrier, the division’s president, will now report to Earley instead of Walden.
Earley, currently President of Disney’s direct-to-consumer division, will become Co-President of the unit alongside Smith. Earley will continue leading content strategy for the streaming business, while Smith will remain Chief Product and Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Smith will also continue reporting to ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, reflecting the growing importance of technology and platform development within the company’s streaming strategy.
Walden’s memo did not clarify the reporting structure for Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, who previously reported to Walden. With OConnell now overseeing television operations, it is possible Erwich may report to her, though that has not been confirmed.
Ayaz will continue serving as Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, reporting directly to Walden.
“The strength of Disney has always been the emotional connection between our stories and the people who love them,” Walden said in the memo. “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.”
Walden’s full memo is below:
Team,
This is a momentous week for the company, as Josh becomes our new CEO, and I want to thank Bob for his remarkable leadership and the strong foundation he leaves for all of us. I’m incredibly excited to work with Josh and an extraordinary group of leaders to build on all our recent success as we begin this new chapter together.
As I step into my new role, I’m pleased to share the new structure of Disney Entertainment, which integrates our games business together with our streaming, film, and television teams, aligning Disney’s world-class creative engines and platforms. Fans today want to engage with Disney’s storytelling and characters in a multitude of ways — whether on Disney+, in theaters, or through the digital games they love to play. With this unified approach, Disney can deliver the world’s most beloved entertainment to fans across the many ways they choose to enjoy it.
My leadership team for Disney Entertainment is as follows:
Alan Bergman, as Chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios, will continue overseeing all aspects of our industry-leading film studios including production, marketing, and distribution. Together with Bob, Alan has played a central role in the success of our film business, which produced three billion-dollar films in the last year alone and has led the global box office for nine out of the past 10 years. Alan’s steady and visionary leadership will continue to guide these efforts going forward.
Alan and I will maintain oversight of Disney+ and Hulu, which will be led by Joe Earley and Adam Smith as Co-Presidents of Direct to Consumer. Joe and Adam will share responsibility for strategy and financial performance across Disney+ and Hulu, enabling a more unified approach to content and partnership strategy, product, and technology. Joe, who also will serve as Head of Content Strategy for DTC, and Adam, who continues as Chief Product and Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, have done an exceptional job helping to shape and grow our streaming business, and they bring a powerful combination of creative, strategic, and technological expertise to this next phase for Disney+ and Hulu. Eric Schrier, who has done terrific work building out our local originals slate, will now report to Joe. This puts our international local originals, which are exclusive to Disney+, inside our DTC organization, enabling a more effective international content strategy. Eric will also oversee the strategy for alternative forms of content and maintain oversight of television Business Affairs, Production, and Labor Relations.
Debra OConnell has been named Chairman of Disney Entertainment Television. I’m thrilled that Debra will be taking on this newly created role, overseeing our television brands, including ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and the creative strategy for 20th Television and 20th Television Animation. She will also continue to oversee ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations.
John Landgraf, Chairman of FX, will continue reporting directly to me, and maintain oversight of Onyx Collective. Under John’s leadership, FX has become one of the industry’s most prestigious and critically acclaimed brands, delivering shows that consistently shape the cultural conversation — most recently with the breakout success of Love Story.
Sean Shoptaw, EVP, Games and Digital Entertainment, and his organization are moving from Disney Experiences to Disney Entertainment. This is an important, strategic shift that aligns our games business more closely with Disney+ and Hulu, enabling us to expand the ways fans can engage with our stories, characters, and worlds. I’ve been very impressed with Sean. He has strong command of the tremendous opportunities ahead, including our collaboration with Epic Games, developing a Disney universe connected to Fortnite — and I’m looking forward to this exciting new partnership.
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Asad Ayaz, Disney’s Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, will be instrumental in all this work. Asad leads the unparalleled marketing teams across the company’s business segments. He and his teams have a stellar track record of creating bold, inventive campaigns — most recently with the launch of Hoppers and looking ahead to The Devil Wears Prada 2 — that continue to set the bar for marketing across the globe. Asad will report to Josh and me.
Through all of this, our focus is on empowering great creators to tell the next generation of Disney stories and bringing our powerful IP to fans wherever they are — whether through streaming, film, television, games, or immersive experiences. This new structure is designed to strengthen collaboration, foster an even more seamless environment for our creative partners, and build on our rich legacy as the best storytelling company in the world.
I’m extremely confident in this team and in the remarkable talent across this organization. As I’ve said before, this is truly a dream job for me and I’m grateful to be doing this work with all of you. Your creativity, commitment, and passion are what make this company so special. Thank you for all you do.
Dana
