Mike White, an executive in the Media and Entertainment Distribution group, has been tasked with overseeing the metaverse for Disney. In a memo to staff, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that White will be the new senior vice president of Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences. In this capacity, he will lead Disney’s efforts to create a metaverse experience for Disney consumers.
“For nearly 100 years, our company has defined and re-defined entertainment by leveraging technology to bring stories to life in deeper, more impactful ways,” Chapek wrote in a memo to staff, adding, “Today, we have an opportunity to connect those universes and create an entirely new paradigm for how audiences experience and engage with our stories.”
The promotion for White comes after Chapek announced that Disney would be making a foray into the metaverse last November. Chapek shared that the metaverse would be the “next great storytelling frontier” and a priority for the company.
White has an impressive resume in the technology and leadership realms. He joined Disney in 2011. Before that, he was chief technology officer for Apollo Group. He also spent a decade at Yahoo!. He will be tasked with putting in place a process to prioritize how to allocate resources and is expected to create a task force that will include leaders across the company.
This new position will report to Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, and to Josh D’Amaro, chairman of parks, experiences and products.
What do you think of this new position at The Walt Disney Company? What do you think of Disney making a foray into the metaverse? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
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