Dana Walden has replaced Peter Rice as the head of Disney General Entertainment Content. The shocking announcement that was made Wednesday by Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek is being presented as more than an ode to Walden as opposed to an indictment of Rice.
Who Are Dana Walden And Peter Rice? Inside The Disney Shakeup!
According to a person knowledgeable about the decision who spoke to us under the requested confidentiality, the former director “wasn’t a good match.” Rice was, according to an insider, somewhat of a “bully” and wasn’t very “well-liked” at Disney. Rice isn’t universally hated by the public; many within the industry regard Rice as beautiful as well as bright and polished.
Rice’s spokesperson did not respond to our inquiry for comments regarding this story at the time of publication.
When Disney purchased all of Fox’s assets in the entertainment industry for $71.3 billion in 2019, Walden and Rice were among the company’s new members. Both Walden and Rice are well-known and respected executives with an extensive network and studio experience. Peter Rice is more knowledgeable about film than Walden, but it is mostly a TV-related position. Walden co-founded Fox along with Gary Newman and oversaw the network for many years; and has been demonstrating her expertise in television from the moment she joined Disney.
The time has come for The Dana Walden Show. Walden is responsible for ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and Onyx Collective. She’ll report directly to Chapek.
Walden’s praises were exuberantly proclaimed in a press release of 813 words on Thursday. Then, another. This press statement was lengthy.
“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,’ her well-deserved reputation for championing creative talent and developing programming that truly captures the cultural zeitgeist has resulted in hit after hit,’ from ABC’s ‘ Dana and Peter have collaborated for years to produce the finest content in the industry. I can’t think of a finer person to lead Disney General Entertainment to even greater heights.”
There is a myriad of Walden awards and accomplishments goes on and on (and on and). In the end, the Walt Disney board of directors accepted the move of Chapek’s in a separate announcement.
Susan Arnold, the board chairperson, said in a letter to IndieWire that she believes that “the strength of The Walt Disney Company’s businesses emerging from the epidemic is a credit to Bob’s leadership and vision for the company’s future.” “We are dedicated to maintaining Disney on the successful road it is on today during this critical moment of corporate development and transition, and Bob and his leadership team have the board’s support and trust.”
Chapek was not always able to count on the backing of his fellow athletes. One of the most intriguing aspects of Rice’s resignation is that just some months ago; there was speculation in certain Hollywood circles believed that Rice could succeed Chapek. The time was when Chapek, adored by Bob Iger’s followers, was dealing with the aftermath of Disney’s silence over the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” statute. Chapek survived the storm, and today Disney, as well as Chapek and the Sunshine State, where Walt Disney World is situated, are in conflict.
The Shares Of Disney (Dis) Have Been Slow To React To The Announcement On Thursday
According to an individual familiar with the reshuffle process, rumors about Rice being the successor to Chapek were widely discussed within Disney’s upper ranks. “It didn’t play a factor,” the person claimed. Within the trusted media personnel at Disney, there were suspicions that Rice had been “posturing” for the top job.
The shares of Disney (DIS) have been slow to react to the announcement on Thursday. The stock is currently trading around $105 per share, dropping by a few percentage points. The shares of Disney have reached a 52-week record high of $187.58.
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