Three senior executives have been promoted at Disney General Entertainment as part of a management shakeup under Chairman Dana Walden.
New changes include Craig Erwich, who has been named president of ABC Entertainment, Hulu & Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals. Shannon Ryan is now president of Marketing at Disney Entertainment. And Eric Schrier has been promoted to president of Disney Television Studios & Business Operations. All three executives will report to Walden.
“I am incredibly fortunate to be working with some of the very best executives in our industry, and Craig, Shannon and Eric are exactly that – the best. These are proven leaders with both incredible creative sensibilities and strong business acumen,” said Walden in a statement. “Additionally, they have long and impressive track records of supporting their teams and our amazing creative partners to do their very best work.”
Walden, a veteran of 21st Century Fox, took on the role of chairman at Disney General Entertainment in June after the abrupt firing of TV content exec Peter Rice by CEO Bob Chapek. Disney’s chief executive saw his own contract extended for three years later that month, with a unanimous vote by The Walt Disney Co. board of directors.
As part of the leadership changes announced Thursday, Bryan Noon - a former Netflix exec who joined Disney Television in November 2021 as president of entertainment - is leaving the company but will stay for a transition period.
In Erwich’s elevated role he’ll continue to oversee ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals, and bring unscripted and alternative as well as Disney-branded TV streaming originals under his purview. Erwich has overseen Hulu Originals for the past six years, with hits such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Abbott Elementary,” and others, developed under his leadership.
Ryan, meanwhile, has led an internal agency charged with the marketing and publicity of show from ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Freeform, Hulu Originals, Onyx Collective and Disney TV Studios since 2020. She’ll expanded her in-house agency to also include Disney-branded TV and National Geographic content.
Schrier is stepping into his new created position from FX where he was president of FX Entertainment. Disney said Schrier has been creatively involved with more than 100 FX original programs totaling nearly 2,000 hours of content, starting with “The Shield” in 2002.