Dana Walden addresses Disney’s general entertainment staff after executive shake, pledging commitment to inclusion

In her first public comment since she was named president of Disney General Entertainment, Dana Walden sent a memo to staff Monday morning. In it, she expressed her “immense gratitude to Bob Chapek for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and noted that he was “immensely proud of what we are doing”. She also commended Peter Rice, the “talented executive” for his mentorship and her friendship with her, and highlighted the achievements of each department in the Content Group’s portfolio.

Walden’s email followed Rice’s sudden dismissal from the position of CEO of Disney General Entertainment by the CEO of Disney Chapek and the appointment of Walden as his successor. The hustle and bustle shocked the company and took a toll on morale as employees tried to make sense of Rice’s non-ceremonial shot, which exploded without warning amid DGA’s strong performance, as can be seen in the list of recent hits. of the Walden Group.

In an email, he promised his staff to show his commitment to participation, which recently became the focus of another controversy over Chapek’s initial “Don’t say gay” response from Florida.

“I promise I will do everything I can to help you make DGE the best place to do business. A place that thrives on creativity and creative risk; A place where people can bring their real, authentic mayonnaise to work every day; A place where inclusion is a priority and collaboration is celebrated; It is a place where we will never stop working to be the best home for talents ”.

The memo doesn’t mention whether there will be a replacement for Walden in his previous role as president of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television.

Here it is in its entirety:

When I started my new job in the first week, I wanted to start by realizing how surprised and impressed I am by all of you every day. Let me tell you some reasons:

ABC Entertainment has completed its broadcast season as the No. 1 for adults 18-49 for the third consecutive year, the first time in 25 years. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY is a huge hit and is the first aired comedy in over a decade to be 100% certified on Rotten Tomatoes in its first season.

ABC News continues to dominate as the No. 1 in America!

Disney Television Studios had one of the most popular series of the last decade, THIS IS US. In addition to being a record spectator for its finale, it has the distinction of being the # 1 streaming drama. 1 of all seasons that has ever aired. GRAY’S ANATOMY has surpassed 400 episodes and after 18 seasons is still one of the most popular shows on television.

Disney Branded Television, the leading original content provider for Disney Mosaics on Disney +, made Disney Channel the # 1 cable network for girls ages 6 to 11 in 52 quarters, and since 2013 Disney Junior has become the # 1 preschool. .

Freeform continues to be the # 1 entertainment cable network. 1 for adults between 18 and 34 and for women between 18 and 34. CRUEL SUMMER has achieved audience records, which is the best debut in the history of the network.

FX has two Top 5 series on Cable 18-49 – SNOWFALL and MAYANS MC – as well as two of the top 5 prime-time cable comedies in Adults 18-49 – WHAT WE IN THE SHADOWS and IT’S NY ALWAYS SOL in Philadelphia.

Hulu Originals has launched the most viewed drama series of all time, 9 PERFECT Strangers; The most watched comedy of all time, with only murders in the building; And the most viewed unwritten TV series of all time, THE KARDASHIANS, which was also Hulu’s most viewed TV series.

National Geographic Documentary Films has released an Academy Award-winning, BAFTA and seven-time Emmy film, FREE SOLO, and an Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning film, THE CAVE. National Geographic has nominated two BAFTA awards, RESCUE and BECOMING COUSTEAU.

Onyx Collective’s debut project, SUMMER OF SOUL (… or, when a revolution couldn’t be televised), a partnership with Searchlight Pictures won Oscars, Peabody’s, Grammys, BAFTAs, won Critics’ Choice Awards and he won. More than 60 awards in critical groups and corporations.

Last year alone, across all of our brands, our programming received over 1,000 award nominations!

This is general Disney entertainment! All these victories and many more are yours!

And this is the foundation on which we will build together. I promise I’ll do my best to help you and make sure DGE is the best place to work in business. A place that thrives on creativity and creative risk; A place where people can bring their real, authentic mayonnaise to work every day; A place where inclusion is a priority and collaboration is celebrated; It is a place where we will never stop working to be the best talent house. Remember we’re in the storytelling business, what’s so good about that? Let’s celebrate each other’s victories, appear opposite each other, watch each other’s shows, and connect even more as a team.

Looking back on my career path, I was very fortunate to have worked extensively with Peter Rice. We’ve been friends for nearly three decades and he’s been my boss for eight years. He is a talented executive and I have learned a lot from him. I know you will all unite and I wish him all the best in whatever he chooses next.

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Bob Chapek for giving me this chance in life. Through quarterly content presentations where our talented leaders shared each brand’s priorities, they connected well with the incredible work each team did. Bobby is immensely proud of what we do and, as the Walt Disney Company enters its second century, I look forward to joining forces with all of you to help realize its priorities: story brilliance, innovation and an attention incessant on our audience.

I couldn’t be more excited to start this next chapter of my career with all of you.

Sincere congratulations!
Knife