Craig Hunegs will step down from his role as president of entertainment at Walt Disney Television, the company said Wednesday.
The move comes less than six months after Hunegs was moved to his current position amid restructuring under Walt Disney Television entertainment chairman Dana Walden. According to an individual familiar with the situation, it was Hunegs’ decision to exit after the reorganization shifted his responsibilities away from his prior role at Disney TV Studios.
“I am grateful for Craig’s contributions to our success and he is leaving at a time of great strength for our organization. He has been a trusted and valued colleague to me and to so many of us, and he will be missed,” Walden said in a memo to staff on Wednesday. “Craig will be with us until the end of May to ensure a smooth transition and we’ll identify a successor in the coming months.”
No replacement has been lined up, but the search is expected to begin imminently.
Hunegs, a longtime Warner Bros. executive, joined Disney in 2019 as head of the combined TV studio group following the company’s Fox acquisition. He was named president of entertainment in December, when ABC’s Karey Burke moved over to lead 20th Television and Hulu’s Craig Erwich took oversight of the broadcast network.
In his current position, Hunegs is responsible for the production units of 20th Television Animation and Unscripted and Alternative Entertainment, as well as the business affairs, production, casting, creative acquisitions and creative talent development and inclusion teams across multiple Walt Disney Television businesses. He reports to Walden.
Read Walden’s full memo below.
Dear colleagues,
I am writing to you today to share the news that Craig Hunegs has decided to step down as President, Entertainment, Walt Disney Television. With the reorganization at our company, his responsibilities have changed and his new role is no longer the one he joined The Walt Disney Company to pursue.
We’ve achieved so much over the last two years as we’ve reinvented our segment, pivoting from a traditional media brand to a content-first entertainment company built for the future and Craig has played a strong leadership role in our growth and evolution. He’s a gifted executive, who has also done an excellent job of thoughtfully leading our teams during two years of significant change at our company and in our industry, especially in successfully guiding our productions safely through the COVID crisis. Additionally, he’s been a champion of the important work being done across DGE to create a more inclusive culture.
I am grateful for Craig’s contributions to our success and he is leaving at a time of great strength for our organization. He has been a trusted and valued colleague to me and to so many of us, and he will be missed.
Craig will be with us until the end of May to ensure a smooth transition and we’ll identify a successor in the coming months. In the meantime, please join me in wishing Craig the very best as he embarks on his next adventure.
Warmly,
Dana
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