Just hours after news broke that Peter Rice was no longer the Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, Disney officially announced his replacement. Dana Walden was announced today as the new Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content.
The announcement was made by Disney CEO Bob Chapek. In her new role, she will oversee the content creation engine for original entertainment and news programming for Disney’s streaming platforms, cable networks, and broadcast networks. Walden will oversee ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and Onyx Collective. Previously Walden was the Chairman, Entertainment, Walt Disney Television. Her new role became effective immediately upon its announcement.
“Dana is a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse that consistently delivers the entertainment audiences crave,“ Chapek said. “Her well-earned reputation for championing creative talent and developing programming that truly captures the cultural zeitgeist has resulted in hit after hit, from ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Onyx Collective’s Academy Award®-winning Summer of Soul, to Hulu Originals like Only Murders in the Building, Dopesick, The Dropout, and The Kardashians. She and Peter have worked closely together for years to create the best programming in the industry, and I can think of no one better than Dana to lead Disney General Entertainment to even greater heights.”
Walden came to Disney from 21st Century Fox when the historic studio was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2019. Since coming to Disney, she has overseen Disney Television Studios (20th Television, ABC Signature, 20th Television Animation, and Walt Disney Television Alternative), the original entertainment slates and content marketing for ABC, Freeform, Hulu Originals, and Onyx Collective. Her tenure leading ABC has led to three consecutive seasons of the network leading as the No. 1 entertainment network. This is the first time this has happened in 25 years. Hulu has also seen substantial growth under her leadership. She also has overseen considerable success at Disney Television Studios.
“It is an incredible honor to be asked to lead this amazingly talented team—they are truly the absolute best in every respect—and I am grateful to Bob for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Walden said. “Disney General Entertainment’s culture of creative excellence and originality has made us home to many of the most talented creators in the business. I am humbled to lead this team, and I am confident that together, we will continue to build on the foundation of culture-defining entertainment we have achieved so far.”
Dana Walden Bio
Walden joined Disney in 2019 with the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, and in her role leading Entertainment for Walt Disney Television, she oversaw Disney Television Studios (20th Television, ABC Signature, 20th Television Animation, and Walt Disney Television Alternative), the original entertainment slates and content marketing for ABC, Freeform, Hulu Originals, and Onyx Collective.
Under Walden’s leadership, ABC has been the No. 1 entertainment network for three consecutive seasons—the first time that has happened in 25 years. And, since assuming leadership of the Hulu Originals slate of series in 2019, the streamer has seen record viewership for the aforementioned hits, as well as The Handmaid’s Tale, Little Fires Everywhere, and Nine Perfect Strangers.
At Disney Television Studios, Walden has overseen the production of such iconic and hit series as Grey’s Anatomy, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and 9-1-1. The areas under her oversight have collectively earned an impressive 270 Emmy® nominations and 23 wins since she joined Disney.
Walden previously served as chairman and CEO of Fox Television Group, which included Fox Broadcasting Company, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox 21 Television Studios, Fox Consumer Products, and the syndication supplier, 20th Television. In the four years she oversaw Fox Broadcasting Company, she took the network from fourth place to first.
During her 25 years at 21st Century Fox, the studios overseen by Walden amassed 184 Emmy® wins, 29 Golden Globes®, 17 Screen Actors Guild Awards, 24 Peabody Awards, and Humanitas Prizes. Additionally, Walden was responsible for numerous No. 1 broadcast hits, such as This Is Us, Empire, and Glee, as well as multiple Emmy Award winners like Modern Family, Homeland, Ally McBeal, Arrested Development, The Practice, and Boston Legal. Other landmark series overseen by Walden include 24, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Along with John Landgraf, she has also overseen the long and successful partnership between 20th Television and FX and FX Productions, resulting in The Americans, Sons of Anarchy, Pose, American Horror Story, and the American Crime Story franchise.
In 2021, Walden received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business. She has received the National Association of Television Program Executive’s Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and was named MIPCOM’s Personality of the Year. In 2013, she was inducted into Broadcasting & Cable’s Television Hall of Fame. She has been named Showman of the Year by Variety, Television Showman of the Year by the Publicists of the International Cinematographers Guild, and Executive of the Year in 2019 by The Hollywood Reporter.
Walden began her career at the public relations firm Bender, Goldman & Helper. At Fox, she rose through the ranks in roles that ranged from communications to programming, ultimately serving as executive vice president of Drama before being named head of the studio in 1999. She sits on the board of directors for Live Nation Entertainment and UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Additionally, she is a member of USC’s President’s Leadership Council and the President’s Circle of the NAACP.
The Walt Disney Company
What do you think of this promotion for Dana Walden? Are you excited about where The Walt Disney Company is headed with her in this leadership position? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
