The Walt Disney Co. has made a significant executive addition for its subscription streaming business, hiring away 13-year YouTube veteran Adam Smith and naming him chief product and technology officer.
Smith, who oversaw subscription products YouTube Music and YouTube Premium as VP of product management at Google, will report to Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, as well as ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Starting September 3, Smith will oversee a global Product and Technology group spanning Disney’s entertainment and sports media businesses. He will be responsible “for driving technology strategy, development, deployment and continued innovation across the company’s streaming platforms and networks, portfolio of consumer digital touchpoints, proprietary advertising technology, emerging technologies and more,“ according to the conglomerate.
“We’ve been aggressive in advancing our technological capabilities to better support our world-class media, streaming and advertising businesses, and Adam brings a bold, consumer-focused vision for the future and a proven ability to effectively lead global teams in implementing ambitious, scalable and flexible products and technology that will continue to elevate storytelling as the center of the Disney experience,” Bergman, Walden and Pitaro said in a joint statement.
At YouTube, Smith helped build some of the company’s biggest consumer-facing products, driving its Music and Premium offering to more than 100 million subscribers.
Added Smith: “Disney has built and nurtured an unparalleled portfolio of brands bringing joy and delight to fans of all ages, thanks to a culture of creativity that embraces innovation. I believe Disney is uniquely positioned to thrive in the next evolution of media and has made significant progress in a very short time while keeping storytelling front and center.”
