Disney unveiled a major leadership shake-up, and a pair of memos to employees shed some light on the company’s thinking.
Product and tech chief Adam Smith has been promoted to the head of Disney’s direct-to-consumer business, after previously sharing the role with Joe Earley, the company announced on Thursday.
As head of streaming, Smith will continue to work closely with film chief Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, Disney’s chief creative officer and the second-in-command to CEO Josh D’Amaro.
“As DTC continues to grow and scale around the world, having a single dedicated leader will sharpen our focus and allow us to speed up decision making and operations,” Walden said in a memo to tech staffers, which was obtained by Business Insider.
Earley will stay at Disney as president of its franchise and content strategy for its Entertainment TV business under Debra OConnell, who oversees the operation and reports to Walden.
Smith joined Disney two years ago after more than 20 years at Google, including 13 at YouTube, where he was the VP of product management. Walden credited Smith with driving “significant growth and improvement to our global streaming platforms,” including its user interface.
“Our streaming platforms are more dynamic and personalized,” Walden wrote, adding that the company is seeing “greater engagement and retention globally” across its streaming services.
Smith said in a memo to staffers that, like D’Amaro, he’s focused on helping “evolve Disney+ into the digital centerpiece of the company.”
A veteran Disney tech employee said they’re excited about Smith’s promotion, adding that the former YouTube exec is “an AI native” who can “meld content creation and distribution together in a powerful way.”
“It’s what I expected to see,” this longtime staffer said.
More than half a dozen users on the Disney section of Blind, an anonymous forum that verifies employees’ email addresses before letting them view a company’s page, said they’ll miss Earley.
“JE was like a shot of espresso, a ray of sunshine… sad we won’t get that anymore,” one Blind post said.
Below are the memos from Walden and Smith to Disney tech staffers.
Here’s what Walden said about the leadership shuffle:
Team,I’m excited to share two important leadership updates. Adam Smith will become Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment, overseeing our streaming platforms globally. As DTC continues to grow and scale around the world, having a single dedicated leader will sharpen our focus and allow us to speed up decision making and operations.I am also pleased to share that Joe Earley will be moving into a new role as President, Disney Entertainment Television Franchise and Content Strategy, reporting to Debra OConnell. Joe has been essential to the success of Disney+ since day one, playing a variety of roles across marketing, strategy, programming, and more. His impact cannot be overstated, and he will continue to help us grow and evolve our streaming business in his new role.Adam joined Disney two years ago and, working with Alan and me, has driven significant growth and improvement to our global streaming platforms in that time. He revamped our leadership team across product & technology and has overseen the most significant improvements to the Disney+ UI and homepage since launch. Additionally, working closely with Jimmy Pitaro and his team, he helped launch ESPN’s direct to consumer service.As anyone who knows Adam can attest, he is relentlessly focused on measurable impact. Our streaming platforms are more dynamic and personalized, and the team is constantly testing and iterating features to continue to improve the product. We’re seeing the results too — greater engagement and retention globally.We’re operating in a complex and competitive landscape, and our ability to leverage our unique strengths to create a differentiated user experience is more important than ever. Our IP and our global fandom are truly unmatched – the richness of our library and our connection with fans cannot be replicated. Adam’s focus on our users, deep commitment to our teams, and clear vision for the future of Disney+ and Hulu make him the perfect leader to take our direct-to-consumer business to the next level.Adam and Joe will share additional details in the coming weeks. Thank you all for the extraordinary work you do every day, and please join me in congratulating Adam and Joe on these new roles. I’m excited for what’s ahead.Dana
And here’s what Smith said about his promotion:
Team,I’m honored to take on the role of Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer for Disney Entertainment. We have achieved so much together during my first two years here, and I’m genuinely excited about what’s ahead for this team and for our streaming platforms around the world. This new structure gives us the ability to operate with greater focus, clarity, and velocity as we evolve Disney+ into the digital centerpiece of the company.I want to thank Joe for his partnership since I began here. Our success and momentum couldn’t have happened without his contributions, and I am excited to continue to partner with him in his new role.There’s tremendous opportunity ahead of us, and a lot of work to do. I look forward to diving in with all of you and continuing the great momentum we’ve achieved together. I’m working on getting us together soon to discuss further and share additional details.In the interim, thank you for everything you do. Onward!Adam
