The Walt Disney Company Names Leadership Team for Expanded Disney Entertainment Segment
ENTERTAINMENT
Disney Restructures to Unite Streaming, Film, TV, and Gaming Under Dana Walden.
The Walt Disney Company has unveiled the leadership structure for its expanded Disney Entertainment segment, bringing together streaming, film, television, and games under incoming President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden. The new organization aims to deliver content across multiple platforms as consumer engagement patterns continue to evolve.
The restructuring reflects how audiences now engage with Disney properties across streaming services, theaters, and digital games. By unifying creative businesses, Disney seeks to build a more connected experience for fans who interact with the company's stories and characters through different formats.
Walden Takes New Role
Walden becomes president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company on March 18, marking the first time this enterprise-level position has existed. She will report directly to incoming Disney CEO Josh 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."
New Leadership Structure
Alan Bergman continues as Chairman of Disney Entertainment Studios, overseeing all aspects of the company's film studios including production, marketing, and distribution. He will maintain shared oversight of Direct to Consumer alongside Walden.
Joe Earley and Adam Smith become co-presidents of Direct to Consumer, sharing responsibility for strategy and financial performance across Disney+ and Hulu. Both report 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 ESPN, where he will continue reporting to ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Television Leadership
Debra OConnell assumes the newly created 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 also continue overseeing ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations.
The creation of this position consolidates Disney's television operations under unified leadership, spanning broadcast, cable, and streaming originals across multiple brands.
Games Join Entertainment Segment
Sean Shoptaw, Executive Vice President of Games and Digital Entertainment, and his organization now join Disney Entertainment, reporting to Walden. Shoptaw oversees the company's games business and its collaboration with Epic Games, developing a Disney universe connected to Fortnite.
The move brings games into the core entertainment structure, reflecting the central role gaming plays in today's entertainment landscape. Disney positions the integration as enabling immersive new storytelling approaches across platforms.
John Landgraf, Chairman of FX, will continue reporting directly to Walden. Asad Ayaz, Disney's Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, leads teams across business segments and will report to incoming CEO Josh D'Amaro and Walden.
Strategic Rationale
The restructuring acknowledges how consumer behavior has shifted toward multi-platform engagement with entertainment properties. Audiences now move fluidly between streaming services, theatrical releases, broadcast television, and interactive gaming experiences built around the same characters and stories.
By organizing creative operations to reflect these consumption patterns, Disney aims to coordinate content development and distribution more effectively. The structure positions games as a core storytelling medium alongside film and television rather than as a separate category.
The unified approach also centralizes decision-making around content strategy, potentially enabling faster responses to audience preferences and market trends across different distribution channels.
Disney's expanded entertainment segment now encompasses streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu, film production and distribution, broadcast and cable television networks, television production studios, and games and digital entertainment. The integration takes effect as Walden assumes her new role on March 18, coinciding with incoming CEO Josh D'Amaro's transition.
The company frames the changes as building on Disney's storytelling heritage while adapting to how modern audiences choose to experience entertainment across an expanding array of platforms and formats.