Rich Ross Named Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios
Breaking News! Our very own Rich Ross has been selected as the new chairman of the Walt Disney Studios.
Ross was the president of the Disney Channel, and has been our #1 recomended target for letters and emails ever since the founding of SDS. But now that Ross is moving on to the film division, we need to change our strategies.
We’ll be watching as Disney reshuffles it’s personel, and we’ll keep you apprised on whom you need to write to.
Disney press follows:
Rich Ross, President of Disney Channels Worldwide, has been named Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, it was announced today by Disney President and CEO Robert A. Iger.
Ross will oversee worldwide production, distribution and marketing for the company’s range of live-action and feature animated film labels, including Walt Disney, Touchstone, Miramax and Disney/Pixar. In his new role, which he assumes immediately, he will also head Disney’s theatrical and music groups.
In his thirteen years at Disney, Ross has consistently created hit original programming, effectively expanded a worldwide creative and distribution organization, skillfully built the Disney brand with global franchises that work across borders and technology platforms and put in place a strong management team.
“Rich has an outstanding record of creating high-quality family entertainment that delights audiences around the world,” said Iger. “With his success in building the Disney brand across many of our businesses, his astute marketing sensibility, his proven ability in working effectively with talent and his skill at navigating complex global markets, I’m confident he’s the perfect leader for our studio group.”
“I am very excited to play a key role in continuing the storytelling legacy of The Walt Disney Studios. There has never been a better time to entertain our global audiences with high-quality and compelling content and introduce new characters that will become family favorites. I look forward to working with Bob, the team at the studios and all of our Disney family towards that goal,” said Ross.
Under Ross’s leadership, the performance of Disney Channels Worldwide has been consistently strong in both creative and competitive terms, in the U.S. and globally. The group now includes a total of 94 channels and channel feeds available in 163 countries in 32 languages and features such brands as the flagship Disney Channel, the boy-focused Disney XD and Playhouse Disney for younger kids.
Ross has also overseen the growth of Radio Disney and of the group’s multiplatform offerings, which includes subscription video-on-demand and content-rich broadband websites DisneyXD.com and DisneyChannel.com, the number one kid’s entertainment website among Kids 6-14.
In the U.S., Disney Channel has been the #1 TV network among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 for the last seven and nine years respectively, buoyed by such breakout series as Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and Sonny With A Chance. Stars of Disney Channel programs, including Raven-Symone, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus, have become household names.
Disney Channel’s record with original movies is equally impressive. With recent blockbusters like High School Musical 2, Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie and Camp Rock, Disney Channel can claim cable’s top two movies of all time and three of the top five.
Disney Channel programming has also helped build other Disney businesses, including the quadruple-Platinum-selling Hannah Montana soundtrack and the number one US album in 2006, High School Musical soundtrack. Books, stage shows, feature films, video games and merchandise featuring original Disney Channel characters have become a critical part of The Walt Disney Company’s success in recent years.
Ross joined Disney in 1996 as Disney Channel’s Senior Vice President, Programming and Production and was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility before being named Disney Channel president in April 2004. Prior to his tenure at Disney, he was a member of the executive team that launched FX Networks. Ross also held several senior positions at Nickelodeon from 1986 to 1993 where he oversaw talent booking, casting and program development and was involved in the launch of the channel’s first successful syndicated show and its first international network.
Ross is a member of the Board of Directors for Hollywood Radio Television Society and Cable in the Classroom — an organization that represents the cable telecommunication industry’s commitment to education. A native of New York and a 1983 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International and English, Ross received his J.D. degree from New York’s Fordham University in 1986.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
[...] Read the full article on the SDS Blog. [...]
October 21st, 2009 at 5:45 pm
so is he gonna help fight for five?
November 26th, 2009 at 1:54 am
[...] As you no doubt remember, the outgoing president of Disney Channel Worldwide, Rich Ross, was recently promoted to Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. [...]
March 15th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
dear save disney shows , hi my name is david b conway , and my comments to rich ross just of disney channel and the disney xd , and my question is about the disney xd proraming , im only confuss just about the question of just since the disney xd debut last year just the about channel of disney xd is for trageting for the younger boys at the ages of 6 to 14 and to have live action tv series and tv shows , i feel like walt disney company does not care any more just about the frist season of disney xd proraming any more want are they going to do with the repeats and reruns just of the tv series of aaron stone just when the tv series will be cancelled right after season 2 may i ask and they do,nt want to have season 3 are they going to cancell next zeck and luther and the suite of on deck , and the rest of the tv comdeys that boys right now boys are not watch them munch as well ./ i just like to know wants going on at walt disney and just to tell us as well just to make aaron stone is to munch expencive and pepole today we do,nt need to here that just from walt disney / we want tv shows i feel like walt disney is giving up on the disney xd ./ love david b conway
March 15th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
and here is my email email address is dconway62@verizon.net ./ love david b conway ,
April 8th, 2010 at 11:35 am
dear rich ross , hi my name is david b conway , and my comments to saving the tv show of aaron stone tv series , and i just read the list of episodes just from the tv series of aaron stone tv show and just in the episode count just from the tv series of aaron stone season 2 had only the epsode 27 and the name of that episode is called my own private super hero and that one is the count of episode is 27 , and my question is that what happend to the rest of 14 episodes that makes 35 episodes just in the tv series off aaron stone that is not done yet just for the season 2 / may i ask and that is what pepole are just asking just online just to fininsh the season 2 / and your company off walt disney is not reading the saving aaron stone tv series just on the disney xd pettion spots .com and it just got up to the 1006 % sigutures sigh by fans / just to have season 3 and no one is not reading it , rich ross ./ love david b conway
May 29th, 2010 at 11:08 am
dear rich ross , hi mane is david b conway i was here just on this web site before and i just left a few comments to you before and i just hope you can read them ok , and my comments today rich ross and walt disney company i just hope your company can just read my email here as well , i just what to say im sorry that i make to munch off the big deal and the big problem just for walt disney company its only because off your walt disney company just made there fans to be upset just with the cancellation off aaron stone tv show and the tv series as well , and i just hope and pray just for having season 3 off aaron stone tv series , i do,nt mind just to give up my stock holder stock just from walt disney share holder , just to give them the money back just to make season 3 just for the tv show off aaron stone tv show just to have season 3 / rich ross and i do,nt mind just if you and walt disney company wants to do that it is for the fans , and p.s. you can allso do dicard all the rest off my email just at this web site as well , seaon 3 is more inmported to me and the fans right now and please make a disney xd original movie off the same tv series off aaron stone just after season 3 may i ask , and do,nt care if i do,nt save my stock any more ithe money goes to the cast and crew ./ love david b conway
May 29th, 2010 at 11:16 am
dear save disney shows web site , rich ross , hi mane is david b conway i was here just on this web site before and i just left a few comments to you before and i just hope you can read them ok , and my comments today rich ross and walt disney company i just hope your company can just read my email here as well , i just what to say im sorry that i make to munch off the big deal and the big problem just for walt disney company its only because off your walt disney company just made there fans to be upset just with the cancellation off aaron stone tv show and the tv series as well , and i just hope and pray just for having season 3 off aaron stone tv series , i do,nt mind just to give up my stock holder stock just from walt disney share holder , just to give them the money back just to make season 3 just for the tv show off aaron stone tv show just to have season 3 / rich ross and i do,nt mind just if you and walt disney company wants to do that it is for the fans , and p.s. you can allso do dicard all the rest off my email just at this web site as well , seaon 3 is more inmported to me and the fans right now and please make a disney xd original movie off the same tv series off aaron stone just after season 3 may i ask , and do,nt care if i do,nt save my stock any more ithe money goes to the cast and crew ./ love david b conway
June 28th, 2010 at 11:24 am
dear rich ross ,hi my name is david b conway again just from before on this web site as well , and my comments to walt disney company and the chairmen of the broad rich ross and you pleases ask my questions pleases , and this is the future for disney xd channel just if they are not to continue with the tv series off aaron stone it will be the end off disney xd channel , just because of one reason every one now is are ready angree just at the lack of to munch of cancellation just on the disney xd cannel and no one is not going to watch that channel any more and i will be happy just if you what to discard only the ones that i did of writting the rest of last emails just from this web site just to make room just for this one that i did today may ask and plus i just saw just on the aaron stone on disney xd pettion spot it just went up to 214 just from the past week now just to saving the tv series off aaron stone tv show just to have season 3 and no one is not saying notthing just by walt disney company rich ross / love david b conway
August 11th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
dear rich ross , hi my name is david b conway , and my comments to walt disney company , why do,nt they sale there tv show off aaron stone tv series and the tv show just to cartoon network or to the nickelodeon and the nicktoons network just because off your company just do,nt care just what happends to that tv show any more and they are are aready 306 sighed and sigatures just by angree our fans just on the aaron stone on disney xd pettion spot .com and please read that aaron stone on disney xd pettion .com love david b conway