MUMBAI: The shuffling is continuing at the Walt Disney Co as CEO Bob Chapek works on creating an organisation that can prosper going forward. In Disney’s latest announcement, Chapek named Alan Bergman as chairman of Disney Studios Content, with Alan Horn who was earlier co-chairman serving as its chief creative officer from 1 January 2021.
“Our studios are unmatched in their ability to create incredible cinematic experiences, and with this new structure, we are ensuring a vital continuity of leadership,” said Chapek.
Bergman’s responsibilities will expand to oversee creative, production, marketing, and operations for Disney Studios Content, which encompasses the world-renowned production studios Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Blue Sky Studios, as well as Disney Theatrical Productions. Horn, on the other hand, will focus on the creative aspects of the studios’ content pipeline, working in partnership with Bergman on its creative approach. Both will report to Chapek.
The leads of each production studio will continue to dual report to Bergman and Horn on creative matters, including Twentieth Century Studios president Steve Asbell; Blue Sky Studios co-president Robert Baird; Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey; Pixar Animation Studios chief creative officer Pete Docter; Marvel Studios and Marvel president and chief creative officer Kevin Feige; Searchlight Pictures chairman Stephen Gilula; Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy; Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee; Searchlight Pictures chairman Nancy Utley and and Disney Theatrical Productions president Thomas Schumacher.
Bergman is a 24-year veteran of Disney. Prior to being named co-chairman in 2019, he served as president of The Walt Disney Studios from 2005 to 2019. He played a leading role in the integrations of Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and the Twenty-First Century Fox film studios. His tenure at Studios has included the release of 25 films that have earned at least $1 billion at the global box office.
Horn joined Disney in 2012 when he was named chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, becoming co-chairman and chief creative officer in 2019. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, Horn is one of the industry’s most influential and respected executives. He served as president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros. from 1999 to 2011, during which it was the top-performing studio at the global box office seven times and released numerous critically acclaimed films and box office hits including the Harry Potter series, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Million Dollar Baby, and the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy. He co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, where as chairman from 1987 to 1999 he oversaw a diverse collection of popular, acclaimed film and TV properties including A Few Good Men, The Shawshank Redemption, When Harry Met Sally, and Seinfeld. He also served as president and chief operating officer of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp from 1985 to 1986 after getting his start in the media business in 1973 at Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio’s Embassy Communications, where he ultimately held the role of chairman & chief executive officer.
Together, Horn and Bergman have presided over a time of significant growth at The Walt Disney Studios, including the 2012 integration of Lucasfilm and the 2019 integration of the Fox film studios, as well as the studios’ expansion into the production of content for Disney’s streaming services. During their tenure, The Walt Disney Studios set numerous records at the box office, surpassing $7 billion globally in 2016 and 2018 and $11 billion in 2019, the only studio ever to have reached these thresholds.
Among the Studios’ recent successes are Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King; Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen, Zootopia, and Frozen 2; Pixar’s Coco, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4; Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; and Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, the latter of which is the highest grossing global release of all time.
