Ricky Strauss, President, of Programming & Content Curation for Disney+ and Hulu, has announced that he will be leaving The Walt Disney Company, according to Deadline.
- Strauss was one of the key executives at Disney when it came to the launch of Disney+ back in 2019.
- He is also the former head of marketing for Walt Disney Studios.
- Rebecca Campbell, Disney’s Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer & International, announced the news of Strauss’ departure internally today while Strauss also shared the news with his staff himself.
- With this departure, Disney+’s EVP, Marketing and Operations, Joe Earley will add “Content Curation for Disney+” to his title.
- Earley has programming experience from his time at Fox and will continue to report to Michael Paull, President, Disney+ and ESPN+.
- Hulu’s VP content partnerships Brian Henderson will oversee Hulu content curation and will report into Hulu President Kelly Campbell.
- Under Strauss’ tenure, Disney has released a slate of blockbuster films, including:
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Marvel’s The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, and Guardians of the Galaxy
- Disney’s The Jungle Book, Cinderella, Maleficent, and Beauty and the Beast
- Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen, Zootopia, and Moana
- Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Finding Dory and Inside Out
- Strauss was also named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age for the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Strauss’ internal memo regarding his departure:
Dear team:
After nine years with The Walt Disney Company, and much contemplation over the past several months, I have come to the decision that it is time for me to move on to pursue new creative endeavors. It took much thought and consideration, but with our new structure and the changes to my role, the reorganization does not provide me with the opportunity to do the kind of work I love to do and to continue making the intended impact I have been so fortunate to have achieved at Disney.
It has been a privilege to help create the roadmap to launch Disney+ to fans around the world during the past several years. I’ve met so many personal goals I set out for myself, and, as a company, we’ve achieved far more than I would have ever imagined. None of this would have been possible without the Company’s thoughtful risk-taking and strong focus on creating dynamic entertainment and value for our consumers.
I am incredibly grateful to have had the chance to work for a company that I always dreamed of as a kid — and have been able to play a role in defining its future. The launch of Disney+ was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – and I will never forget the journey we traveled together.
While I will be here through the end of the month to help Rebecca and the senior team with any transition needs, I wanted to take the time now to personally thank all of you as it will be the daily interactions and shared moments with each of you that I will miss most.
Finally, I would be remiss not to share how appreciative I am of the leadership, guidance and support of Rebecca, Kareem, Bob Chapek and Bob Iger for their understanding around this very personal decision of mine to set off on a new adventure.
With great appreciation, admiration and love,
Ricky