Who is Dana Walden?
Dana Walden, an American entrepreneur, was born in 1964 and currently serves as the co-chair of Disney Entertainment. She is also a member of the President’s Export Council.
Before her role at Disney, Walden held the positions of chairman and CEO at Fox Television Group, where she oversaw various divisions including Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox Television. At Disney, Walden is responsible for managing entertainment as the chairman of Walt Disney Television.
On June 9, 2022, Dana Walden took over as Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content after Peter Rice. Dana Walden is a co-chair of Disney Entertainment and an American businesswoman. She was also a member of the President’s Export Council at that time.
Early Life & Career
Walden grew up in Los Angeles and developed a strong interest in television during her youth. While in college, she actively participated in horse riding competitions, but upon completing her degree in communications at USC, she shifted her focus to the entertainment industry.
Walden’s career began in public relations at Bender, Goldman, and Helper, but she later switched gears to join Arsenio Hall’s team during his prime late at night. In the mid-1990s, she shifted her focus to programming and development at 20th Century Fox’s television divisions.
Her timing was impeccable as she joined the studio right before it experienced a period of rapid expansion under the guidance of Peter Chernin, the former head of 20th Century Fox and a significant mentor to Walden.
She was employed at Fox Television Group for 25 years, serving in positions such as Vice President of Current Programming and Senior Vice President of Drama at 20th Century Fox TV, as well as Chairman and CEO of Fox Television Group.
During her time at Fox, she contributed to the success of the studio by receiving a total of 184 Emmys, 29 Golden Globes, 17 Screen Actors Guild awards, and 24 Peabody awards.
She played a key role in launching critically acclaimed shows such as “Modern Family,” “Homeland,” and “Ally McBeal,” as well as popular shows like “24,” “New Girl,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Additionally, she helped improve FX’s programming lineup with successful shows like “Sons of Anarchy” and “American Horror Story.”
Dana Walden has been in charge of a series of popular Hulu original shows, such as “Only Murders in the Building,” “Dopesick,” “The Dropout,” “Pam & Tommy,” and “The Great,” at Disney. Meanwhile, ABC is aiming for Emmy recognition with the well-received comedy “Abbott Elementary.”
Onyx Collective, a content label aimed at supporting projects created by people of color, achieved an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature with its debut release “Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”, directed by Questlove and distributed by Searchlight Pictures.
Future At Disney
Internal competition is underway at Disney Entertainment to determine who will be the next CEO, with candidates including Dana Walden, co-chair of the company, as well as Josh D’Amaro, Jimmy Pitaro, and Alan Bergman, who is the current ESPN Chairman.
Although they may not have all the information about the selection process and could be influenced by their close ties to Walden, a few Disney executives confidentially shared with CNBC their belief that the 59-year-old is the leading candidate for the top role.
Personal Life
Dana Walden is a mother of two children who is married and resides in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Her grandmother, Rose Freedman, lived to the impressive age of 107 and even survived the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
In 2015, Walden was honored as MIPCOM’s Personality of the Year and received the titles of “Executive of the Year” from The Hollywood Reporter and “Showman of the Year” from Variety in 2019. Recently, in 2021, she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business.
