Former Netflix and ABC executive Bryan Noon is returning to the Disney fold.
Noon has been tapped serve as entertainment president of Walt Disney Television, filling the void that was created in May when Craig Hunegs stepped down from the post after a two-year run. The former ABC Studios (now ABC Signature) exec will report to Disney TV entertainment chairman Dana Walden, who announced the hiring in an internal memo Wednesday. (Read the memo, below.)
In his new role, Noon will lead the production and business affairs teams for a portfolio that includes Hulu, Onyx Collective, ABC Entertainment, Freeform, studios ABC Signature and 20th Television as well as for such divisions as animation, unscripted, inclusion and creative acquisitions. Disney execs Rob Mills (unscripted) and Marci Proietto (animation), among others, will report to Noon. He will also work closely with 20th TV president Karey Burke, ABC Signature topper Jonnie Davis, Freeform and Onyx president Tara Duncan, and Hulu and ABC Entertainment president Craig Erwich.
Noon’s duties include identifying business strategies and synergies that maximize the quantity and quality of content output and overseeing the growth of Walt Disney TV’s unscripted and animation sales.
Noon most recently spent eight years at Netflix as vp originals, helping to lead a business team that oversaw overall deals and scripted programming. He departed the streaming giant in October 2020 after his role was dramatically reduced following an internal reorganization. Hunegs opted to leave Disney in May after a two-year run when, like Noon, a restructuring saw his role reduced at the company.
“I am so happy to welcome Bryan back to Disney,” Walden said in a release Wednesday. “Since leaving ABC Studios, now known as ABC Signature, Bryan played a meaningful role in building the original content strategy for a world-class streaming platform that transformed our industry. His wealth of experience, combined with the overwhelming respect he has earned from his colleagues and partners, made him an undeniable choice for this position.”
During his Netflix tenure, Noon also oversaw the creation of the streamer’s internal studio and formation of its production and postproduction teams. Before Netflix, he spent nine years in the Disney fold at ABC Studios, serving as its first head of finance and vp business affairs. The veteran exec also has had tenures at Warner Bros. TV and Universal TV.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the most famous storytelling company in the world at a time of incredible expansion in its volume of production,” Noon said. “The talented creative teams under Dana develop and curate iconic and distinctive programming across all platforms, and I’m excited to support their creators and continue the company’s storytelling legacy.”
Prior to last year’s restructuring, Hunegs oversaw a centralized business affairs, production, casting, and creative talent development and inclusion team while also leading animation and unscripted. The business and financial oversight that Hunegs previously had was transferred to the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution Group, headed by Kareem Daniel. That left less of a role for Hunegs, who opted to pursue new endeavors.
Here’s Walden’s memo to staff:
Dear Colleagues and Creative Partners,
I am very happy to share with you that after almost a year of looking to fill the President of Entertainment role for Walt Disney Television, we have found the exact right executive. On November 22nd, Bryan Noon will join our talented team, and I’m so excited for you all to get to know him. Bryan will be leading an extraordinarily gifted group of executives that I’ve had the good fortune of closely working with since last February. I am enormously grateful for how each and every one of them stepped up to assume a greater level of leadership in our organization.
Bryan’s new position actually represents a homecoming of sorts. Prior to working at Netflix for eight years, Bryan spent nine years at ABC Studios (now known as ABC Signature), where he held roles as head of Finance and Vice President of Business Affairs. He’s very much looking forward to returning to Disney and even still has an old Disney security sticker on his car!
Most recently, Bryan served as Vice President of Original Series at Netflix, where he was one of the driving forces behind the explosive growth at the streaming platform. Throughout his tenure there, he helped to build their high-profile roster of creators and premium original content slate and brings to us a wealth of experience in crafting an original content strategy for a direct-to-consumer platform.
Bryan’s an esteemed executive who is highly regarded by so many partners and colleagues across our industry and his skill sets are extremely complementary to those of our content leaders. I’m confident that together, we will continue to foster a culture of creativity, innovation, collaboration and compassion.
Below you will find the release announcing Bryan’s new role. As we continue to build on the incredible momentum of the past year, the addition of Bryan to our best-in-class DGE leadership team is another reason I feel so incredibly optimistic about our future.
Please join me in welcoming Bryan!
Warmest regards,
Dana
Source: Hollywood
