Dana Walden & Alan Bergman To Run New Disney Entertainment Division
Back in November, when Bob Iger returned as the new CEO of the Walt Disney Company, he said he would be reorganising the company to fix some of the issues created by former CEO, Bob Chapek, which has resulted in the dismantling of DMED (Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution), which was a division that controlled the release of every film and show, including operating Disney+ and Hulu.
Today, during a quarterly financial investors call, Bob Iger revealed his plans for the reorganisation, which will see Disney split into three divisions, Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Experiences & Products.
Disney Entertainment will cover the film, television and streaming businesses, which Alan Bergman and Dana Walden will run. With Jimmy Pitaro continuing to run the sports division, ESPN, and Josh D’Amaro will also continue to lead parks and experiences, which include video games, merchandise and much more.
Alan Bergman has been recently serving as chairman of Disney Studios Content, which includes all the films, while Dana Walden has been serving as chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, focusing on the television side of the business.
Disney Entertainment will include global film and TV content production operations, Marvel Studios, Pixar, Disney+, Hulu, ABC, Disney Channel, and other entertainment-related assets.
Bob Iger explained what this new structure would mean for the Disney Entertainment group:
“Our new structure is aimed at returning greater authority to our creative leaders and making them accountable for how their content performs financially. Our former structure severed that link and must be restored. Moving forward, our creative teams will determine what content we’re making, how it is distributed and monetized and how it gets marketed.”
This reorganization is a vital aspect of Bob Iger’s return to the company, as he views right now as his third era in charge, as the company looks to build its streaming business, by looking for growth and, more importantly, profitability.
Disney Entertainment will now have full control over how and where a film or series will be released, rather than being told by the DMED division, putting control back with the creatives. It will also make the division accountable for the spending of creating content, but also have the benefit of any success within the division.
What do you think of this shift?
