Dana Walden, the senior Disney executive who becomes president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company on March 18, has unveiled the leadership structure at Disney Entertainment combining streaming, film, television, games and digital entertainment.
The senior team will be led by seven executives. Alan Bergman, chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios, will continue overseeing all aspects of the company’s studios including production, marketing and distribution, and maintains shared oversight of Direct to Consumer alongside Walden.
Joe Earley and Adam Smith become co-presidents of Direct to Consumer overseeing Disney+ and Hulu and reporting to Walden and Bergman. Earley will also serve as head of content strategy for Direct to Consumer, while Smith continues as chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment, and for ESPN, where he will continue to report to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Longtime Disney business executive Debra OConnell will fill the new role of chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, overseeing television brands including ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and creative for 20th Television and 20th Television Animation. She will continue to oversee ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations.
Sean Shoptaw is EVP of the games and digital entertainment division that will now fall under Disney Entertainment. Shoptaw reports to Walden and also oversees the collaboration with Epic Games to develop a Disney universe connected to Fortnite. In 2024 Disney paid $1.5bn to acquire a minority stake in Epic.
John Landgraf, chairman of FX, will continue to report directly to Walden, while Asad Ayaz, Disney’s Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, leads teams across the company’s business segments. He will report to incoming Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and Walden.
“The strength of Disney has always been the emotional connection between our stories and the people who love them,” Walden said. “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.”
Walden currently serves as Disney Entertainment co-chairman and had been in the running to take the top job when CEO Bob Iger departs at the end of the year. Instead D’Amaro, who runs the theme parks business, was announced as incoming CEO in February.
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