CONFIRMED: A NEW Executive Is Joining The Walt Disney Company Beginning September 3rd

There are a lot of big things happening with The Walt Disney Company.

We learned about some of these things at the recent D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. We learned about new movies and TV shows Disney is releasing. We learned about Disney’s future plans for Disney Cruise Line. We also learned about a TON of new things coming to Disney Parks. In the wake of that presentation, Disney has now announced a new executive.

Disney has announced that Adam Smith is now the company’s new Chief Product & Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Smith’s responsibilities for Disney’s entertainment and sports media businesses, will include “driving technology strategy, development, deployment and continued innovation across the company’s streaming platforms and networks, portfolio of consumer digital touchpoints, proprietary advertising technology, emerging technologies and more. ”

Smith will lead Disney’s worldwide team of engineers, product managers and designers, data scientists, and technical operation teams, starting on September 3rd. He will report to Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

“Disney has built and nurtured an unparalleled portfolio of brands bringing joy and delight to fans of all ages, thanks to a culture of creativity that embraces innovation,” Smith said. “I believe Disney is uniquely positioned to thrive in the next evolution of media and has made significant progress in a very short time while keeping storytelling front and center. I look forward to working closely with Alan, Dana and Jimmy and their top-notch teams and am excited to bring my expertise in utilizing technology to build compelling consumer experiences that will drive engagement and discovery among fans, families and friends.”

©Disney

Smith previously served as Vice President, Product Management, for YouTube, where he led Music and Premium, as well as Subscriptions and Commerce.

In a joint statement, Bergman, Walden, and Pitaro said: “We could not be more thrilled to have Adam join the Disney team in this pivotal role. We’ve been aggressive in advancing our technological capabilities to better support our world-class media, streaming and advertising businesses, and Adam brings a bold, consumer-focused vision for the future and a proven ability to effectively lead global teams in implementing ambitious, scalable and flexible products and technology that will continue to elevate storytelling as the center of the Disney experience.”

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.