Dana Walden Makes First Major Moves in Disney TV Reshuffle as John Landgraf and Simran Sethi Increase Responsibilities

FX President John Landgraf and ABC Programming President Simran Sethi will have their responsibilities expanded as part of an executive shuffle at Disney’s TV operations. This is one of the first major moves under Dana Walden, who was assigned responsibility for the company’s TV networks after Bob Iger returned as CEO.

 

Landgraf will be in charge of both National Geographic and Onyx Collective, the production unit dedicated to projects from communities of color and underrepresented groups. Meanwhile, Sethi will be in charge of programming and development for both ABC and Freeform. Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, will continue to be her boss.

 

Tara Duncan, who had been supervising programming for both Onyx Collective and Freeform, will now focus only on Onyx, freeing up programming duties for Sethi, who previously worked at the cable network.

 

Duncan and Courteney Monroe, who is in charge of Nat Geo, will both report to Landgraf.

 

Walden, who was promoted last year to the chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, and Alan Bergman, the film veteran who previously served as chairman of Disney Studios Content, were given joint oversight of the company’s global film and TV content production operations, which include Marvel Studios, Pixar, Disney+, Hulu, ABC, Disney Channel, and other entertainment-related assets after Iger returned to Disney in a surprise shake-up.

 

Walden has retained the majority of her executive team. Debra O’Connell will continue to oversee networks and ABC-owned television stations, but she will now be responsible for research, labor relations, and TV business operations. Eric Schrier will continue to oversee Disney Television Studios, and his responsibilities will be expanded to encompass worldwide original television strategy.

 

“Great stories are the lifeblood of our company, and I will remain strongly connected to the creative side of our business,” Walden said in a prepared statement. “As we begin our new chapter together, I have complete faith in this team of accomplished and tough leaders. I am grateful to Bob for bringing our organization back together and realigning it in such a meaningful way.”