1 hour ago
2
Disney isn’t the happiest place on Earth, after all — for at least one of its top execs.
Disney’s entertainment chairman Alan Bergman is “miserable” and “sad” after getting the news that he will report directly to his C-suite rival, Dana Walden, the Mouse House’s new president and chief creative officer, insiders told The Post.
Bergman and Walden — who were co-chairs of the entertainment unit reporting to outgoing CEO Bob Iger — had been in a bake-off for the role of Disney CEO until last month, when theme parks chief Josh D’Amaro clinched the top job.
Walden was instead promoted to run Disney’s entire TV, film, streaming and gaming divisions — which includes overseeing Bergman.
A Disney insider with knowledge of the matter said Bergman was “very upset and very distressed about reporting to her.”
“They were co-chairmen of entertainment and now she’s one level above him,” the person added, noting that despite outward niceties, they “don’t like each other at all.”
“She won and he lost,” the source said. “Alan has been miserable and has let everybody know it.”
Bergman’s burgeoning discontent comes as Walden has set her executive team for the struggling entertainment unit, which now faces shrinking TV viewership and streaming profits as well as fatigue at its Marvel and “Star Wars” franchises.
Meanwhile, legendary Disney boss Iger is retiring at the end of this year to make way for D’Amaro, Disney’s former theme parks and cruises boss.
A Tuesday press release revealed the new management tree, with Bergman’s continuing to oversee Disney’s film studios while sharing oversight of its streaming business with Walden.
The announcement did not explicitly say that the 59-year-old exec will now report to Walden — an effort to avoid rubbing yet more salt in the wound, one insider claimed.
A source close to the company denied that the release was intentionally vague, pointing out that in a note to staff Walden called Bergman a “visionary leader,” and that he appeared first on her list of direct reports.
“Alan is not upset and certainly not miserable,” the source said, noting that Bergman and Walden have “worked together well as partners over the past three years.”
The source said that the two execs were not competing for the CEO job, despite reports to the contrary, and characterized it as a “two-horse race between Josh and Dana” with Bergman remaining a “key piece of the entire operation.”
Disney declined to comment. The Post has sought comment from Walden and Bergman.
Walden’s other changes announced Tuesday included the elevation of Joe Earley and Adam Smith to co-presidents of direct to consumer, both reporting to Walden and Bergman.
Earley will also serve as head of content strategy, while Smith will continue as chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN.
Meanwhile, ABC News boss Debra OConnell was elevated to chair of Disney Entertainment Television where she will oversee Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, National Geographic content and the creative output of 20th Television and 20th Television Animation — while continuing to run ABC News and the company’s owned TV stations.
Sean Shoptaw, who leads games and digital entertainment, will now report directly to Walden, according to the press release.
In a further shift, Disney Television Studios chief Eric Schrier will now report to Earley, bringing international originals more directly into the streaming operation.
Other key figures include John Landgraf, chairman of FX, who will continue reporting directly to Walden, and chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz, who will report to both Walden and D’Amaro.
In an internal memo, Walden described the reorganization as a pivotal moment as Disney transitions leadership at the top.
“This is a momentous week for the company, as Josh becomes our new CEO…I’m incredibly excited to work with Josh and an extraordinary group of leaders to build on all our recent success as we begin this new chapter together.”
A source close to Disney said Walden’s rallying memo is illustrative of the cultural mantra at the Mouse House — namely to make sure things appear “culturally copacetic” after a major overhaul.
“Jimmy Pitaro stays at ESPN. Dana gets promoted. Alan remains at the studio. The band stays together,” the source said. “But the truth is that tere is built-in tension between Josh, who won, and Dana who campaigned very hard and lost, and Alan who lost and Dana who got a promotion in defeat.”
English (US)