Disney elevated April Carretta to EVP of communications, reporting to chief communications officer Paul Roeder. As part of her expanded duties, Caretta will be the day-to-day communications lead for Dana Walden, who last month took on the newly created role of president and chief creative officer under CEO Josh D’Amaro.
Carretta most recently was head of communications for Disney’s direct-to-consumer business and tech and product teams. In the new role, she will continue heading PR for those areas, while also adding responsibility for Disney’s games biz (which now is under Walden’s purview instead of Disney Experiences).
Roeder, who took on Disney’s top comms job last month under D’Amaro, announced Carretta’s promotion — along with other changes to the company’s PR organization — in a memo to staff Thursday, a copy of which was obtained by Variety.
“As Josh and Dana begin shaping this next chapter for our company, I’ve been reflecting on the role Communications will play in helping us succeed, and, just as importantly, the people who make that possible,” Roeder said in the memo. Roeder was previously EVP of communications for Disney Entertainment Studios, Direct-to-Consumer and International.
Other updates to Disney’s comms team outlined by Roeder:
- David Jefferson, EVP, communications, will continue leading day-to-day corporate communications efforts including public affairs, media relations and corporate social responsibility. He will also now lead Disney’s international communications teams, working with regional comms leads: Belina Tan (Asia Pacific), Amy Holland (EMEA) and Felicitas Castrillon (Latin America), who each will continue to report to their respective regional presidents and now also to Jefferson.
- Mimi Fong, VP, communications, will be joining Carretta’s team to support Disney’s international content communications, working with Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios, and Joe Earley, president of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment.
- Carrie Brown, SVP of internal communications, will now report directly to Roeder and will continue leading enterprise-wide employee communications and engagement efforts, as well as providing internal comms support to Disney’s corporate functions.
- Mariana Vaca has joined Roeder’s team as director, communications to work across Disney’s comms teams corporatewide. Vaca previously was director of external communications for Walt Disney Studios.
Disney’s business segment communications leads will remain the same with some changes in reporting structure:
- Alannah Hall-Smith, EVP, communications and public affairs, Disney Experiences, will continue in the role, dual-reporting to recently appointed Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum and Roeder.
- Josh Krulewitz, EVP, ESPN Communications, will continue to dual-report to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Roeder.
- Naomi Bulochnikov, EVP, communications, Disney Entertainment, will continue leading comms for Disney Entertainment Television, including advertising, dual-reporting to entertainment TV chairman Debra OConnell and Roeder.
- Bridget Osterhaus, VP, communications, will continue leading comms for Disney’s Platform Distribution organization and will now dual-report to Bulochnikov and D’Amaro.
- Erin Barrier, SVP, communications, Walt Disney Studios, was recently promoted to this role, dual-reporting to Alan Bergman, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Roeder.
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