Mumbai: The Walt Disney Company is creating a new hub for international content under the direction of international content and operations chairman Rebecca Campbell.
The company is also making several key executive appointments to its media and entertainment distribution segment under the leadership of its chairman Kareem Daniel.
Joe Earley becomes Hulu’s new president
In her newly expanded role as international content and operations chairman, Campbell will focus on local and regional content production for Disney’s streaming services, as well as continue overseeing Disney’s international media teams worldwide, reporting directly to The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek.
“Disney’s direct-to-consumer efforts have progressed at a tremendous pace in just a few short years, and our organisation has continued to grow and evolve in support of our ambitious global streaming strategy,” stated Bob Chapek. “Rebecca has played a vital role in orchestrating our global platform expansion, and I’m excited that she will be leading our new International Content group, bringing her expertise and talent to oversee the growing pipeline of original local and regional content for our streaming services while continuing to lead our international operations. Likewise, with a relentless focus on serving consumers, Kareem has developed an industry-leading team of seasoned executives who are uniquely equipped to take our streaming business into Disney’s next century.”
Campbell will continue to oversee the company’s teams in the Asia Pacific, EMEA, India and Latin America who manage the company’s international linear channels, regional streaming, local ad sales, and local distribution. “Great content is what drives the success of our streaming services, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work even more closely with the talented creators in our international markets who are producing new stories with local relevance to delight our audiences around the globe,” she said in a statement.
The international content and operations group will be home to a fourth content-creation engine for the company, alongside the studios’ content, general entertainment content and sports content groups.
Michael Paull has been promoted to the newly created role of Disney Streaming president with accountability for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Star+ and will oversee these platforms globally for the media and entertainment distribution segment reporting to Daniel.
“From the inception of our DTC business, we have been guided by a single, clear goal—to bring audiences the best entertainment wherever and whenever they choose—and we have continued to build a world-class team to deliver on that promise,” said Kareem Daniel. “Michael Paull has deep experience in the world of streaming and is an accomplished leader with a passion for this business and a proven track record of building and expanding our streaming operations. Bringing Disney’s streaming platforms together under Michael’s expert leadership will allow us to create an even more compelling value proposition for consumers.”
Joe Earley, who previously served as Disney+ executive vice president marketing and operations, has been named Hulu president and will report to Paull.
The streaming leadership team will also include a new head of Disney+, who has yet to be named. Russell Wolff continues to serve as head of ESPN+. These roles will also report to Paull.
“Now that we have established our platforms as category leaders, I’m looking forward to the new challenges ahead as we continue to innovate and scale globally, while delighting consumers with all the incredible entertainment and sports programming coming from our content partners,” said Michael Paull. “I’ve also had the pleasure of working closely with Joe Earley these past few years and can’t imagine a better leader to take the helm of Hulu.”
