Disney has made a bold leadership move inside its communications department. April Carretta has been elevated to Executive Vice President of Communications, and she now becomes the primary communications voice for one of the most powerful executives in Hollywood.
A Promotion That Signals a New Chapter for Disney
Disney elevated April Carretta to EVP of Communications, reporting to chief communications officer Paul Roeder.1 The move is not just a title change. It places Carretta at the center of Disney’s most critical storytelling engine right as the company enters one of its most transformative periods in decades.
As part of her expanded duties, Carretta will be the day-to-day communications lead for Dana Walden, who last month took on the newly created role of president and chief creative officer under CEO Josh D’Amaro.1
This is a significant vote of confidence. Walden now oversees the full breadth of Disney’s creative universe, and having a dedicated communications lead at the EVP level signals just how seriously the company is taking its storytelling beyond the screen.
Disney EVP communications promotion April Carretta Dana Walden 2026
Who Is April Carretta and What She Brings
This marks a promotion for Carretta, who had been heading communications for Direct-to-Consumer since 2022, working for DTC President Joe Earley, recently named co-president of the division.2
Before joining Disney, Carretta held senior communications roles at Twentieth Century Fox, Edelman, and Sony Pictures, giving her a background that spans studio publicity, corporate communications, and agency work across some of the most significant organizations in the entertainment industry.3
That kind of experience across studios, agencies, and corporate environments is rare. Carretta understands how the entertainment industry communicates both inside and outside the building.
In the new role, she will continue heading PR for those areas, while also adding responsibility for Disney’s games business, which now is under Walden’s purview instead of Disney Experiences.4
That addition of Disney’s games portfolio is one of the more telling details in the announcement. It reflects how seriously Disney is treating gaming as a mainstream creative pillar, not a side project.
The Bigger Restructure Roeder Put in Motion
Less than a month into his new job as Senior EVP and Chief Communications Officer at The Walt Disney Company, Disney veteran Paul Roeder has unveiled the structure of the operation and his leadership team.2
He laid out the details in an internal memo, which lists Roeder’s direct reports: David Jefferson, EVP, Communications; April Carretta, EVP, Communications; Carrie Brown, SVP, Internal Communications; and Mariana Vaca, Director, Communications.2
Roeder was direct about why the changes were necessary. “As Josh and Dana begin shaping this next chapter for our company, I’ve been reflecting on the role Communications will play in helping us succeed, and, just as importantly, the people who make that possible,” Roeder said in the memo.5
Here is a breakdown of the key changes across Disney’s communications structure:
| Executive | Role | Reports To |
|---|---|---|
| April Carretta | EVP, Communications | Paul Roeder |
| David Jefferson | EVP, Communications | Paul Roeder |
| Carrie Brown | SVP, Internal Communications | Paul Roeder |
| Mimi Fong | VP, Communications | April Carretta |
| Mariana Vaca | Director, Communications | Paul Roeder |
David Jefferson, EVP of communications, will continue leading day-to-day corporate communications efforts including public affairs, media relations and corporate social responsibility. He will also now lead Disney’s international communications teams, working with regional leads: Belina Tan (Asia Pacific), Amy Holland (EMEA) and Felicitas Castrillon (Latin America).6
Mimi Fong, VP of communications, will be joining Carretta’s team to support Disney’s international content communications, working with Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios, and Joe Earley, president of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment.6
Carrie Brown, SVP of internal communications, now reports directly to Roeder and continues leading enterprise-wide employee communications. Mariana Vaca joins Roeder’s team as director of communications, working across Disney’s teams company-wide, having previously served as director of external communications for Walt Disney Studios.7
How Segment Communications Are Now Aligned
The segment-level communications structure largely stays in place, but with updated reporting lines that match the new leadership reality at Disney.
Alannah Hall-Smith, EVP communications for Disney Experiences, reports to Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum and Roeder. Josh Krulewitz, EVP ESPN Communications, dual-reports to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Roeder. Naomi Bulochnikov, EVP communications for Disney Entertainment, reports to entertainment TV chairman Debra O’Connell and Roeder.7
Naomi Bulochnikov, who led comms for Walden while the latter was co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, remains EVP, Communications, Disney Entertainment, and will continue to lead comms for Disney Entertainment Television, reporting to newly elevated DET Chairman Debra O’Connell and Roeder.2
Two more names round out the segment structure:
- Bridget Osterhaus, VP communications for Platform Distribution, now dual-reports to Bulochnikov and Krulewitz.7
- Erin Barrier, SVP communications for Walt Disney Studios, was recently promoted to that role and dual-reports to studios chairman Alan Bergman and Roeder.7
“This group brings deep expertise, strong judgment, and genuine care for this company and for one another,” Roeder said.8
Why This Restructure Matters for Disney’s Future
This is not a routine org chart update. It is a carefully calibrated move by a company that is rebuilding its leadership identity from the ground up.
On February 3, 2026, Walden was promoted to president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company, effective March 18, 2026.9 That appointment itself was historic. Dana Walden didn’t get the Disney CEO job, but she will be Disney’s first chief creative officer.10
Her priorities in her new position as president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company will include incorporating AI into movie production and improving streaming profits.11
That agenda demands a communications operation that can keep pace. Walden’s portfolio now spans streaming, film, television, and gaming simultaneously.
Sean Shoptaw, EVP of Games and Digital Entertainment, along with his organization, will now join Disney Entertainment, reporting to Walden. Shoptaw oversees the company’s games business and its collaboration with Epic Games, developing a Disney universe connected to Fortnite.12
Gaming is no longer a separate lane. It is part of the core Disney entertainment story. And now, Carretta is the one responsible for telling it.
Over the span of her career, programming launched under Walden’s leadership garnered 1,200-plus awards, including more than 400 Emmy wins and the record for the most Emmys won by a single company in one year.13 Keeping that legacy front and center while navigating new business frontiers like gaming and AI integration is a massive communications challenge. Carretta’s appointment is Disney’s answer to that challenge.
Disney is in the middle of one of the most ambitious creative and business reshapes in its 100-year history, and every person placed on this new communications team reflects where the company is placing its bets. April Carretta’s elevation is not just a career milestone for one executive. It is a clear signal of what Disney values most as it steps into this next chapter: a unified, consistent, and powerful voice across every platform, every screen, and every game controller. The magic of Disney has always been in how it makes people feel, and how that story gets told to the world just became more important than ever. What do you think about Disney’s new communications direction? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
