Dana Walden, the Walt Disney Company’s incoming president and chief creative officer (who takes on those roles tomorrow, March 18) has lined up her leadership team for Disney Entertainment.

Disney Entertainment is the division that handles film, TV and streaming—and thanks to Walden it’ll soon also cover video games. Sean Shoptaw, EVP of games and digital entertainment, will report to Walden under the new structure. He oversees the video games business, as well as the company’s deal with Epic Games to develop a Disney universe connected to Fortnite. Walden said this move to create a more unified Entertainment team is recognition that kids want to engage with Disney brands in multiple ways, including through video games, according to a release.

Dana Walden’s (pictured) leadership team for the expanded Disney Entertainment segment includes Sean Shoptaw, EVP of games and digital entertainment.

“As fans engage with Disney across more formats and platforms than ever before, we are bringing together the full power of our creative businesses to build an even more connected experience for audiences,” Walden said in the release.

Other senior leaders that Walden named include Debra OConnell, who previously oversaw ABC-owned TV stations and is taking on the new role of chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, putting her in charge of TV brands, including Disney Branded Television, which develops, produces and acquires content for kids.

Meanwhile, entertainment veteran Alan Bergman is maintaining his role as chairman of Disney Entertainment’s Studios business. And Walden has also picked Joe Early and Adam Smith as co-presidents of direct-to-consumer, responsible for the strategy and financial performance of Disney+ and Hulu. Earley was previously president of direct-to-consumer (and before that he was president of Hulu), while Smith was chief product & technology officer for Disney entertainment and ESPN. Both will report to Walden and Bergman.

Walden, who was a front-runner in the race for Disney’s CEO, has a strong track record of championing kids content and picking solid talent, especially on the children’s entertainment side. Back in 2023, she expanded Disney Branded TV president Ayo Davis’s remit to include the development and oversight of Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

A 30-year industry veteran, Walden joined Disney in 2019 after it bought 21st Century Fox, initially working as chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment. In a release, she said that her elevation to lead the company alongside new CEO Josh D’Amaro is the start of Disney’s next chapter. And she’s likely right; she’s taking the reins just as the media giant looks to evolve how it reaches kids, employing tech innovations like adding gen-AI user-generated videos and vertical videos to Disney+.

Images courtesy of Disney.