By Dawn Chmielewski
(Reuters) – The Walt Disney Co has appointed an executive to oversee its metaverse strategy, according to an email Disney Chief Executive Bob Chapek sent to staff Tuesday and seen by Reuters.
Mike White, an executive in the Media and Entertainment Distribution group, has been named to the new role of senior vice president of Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences, where he will help define how consumers will experience to Disney’s coming metaverse.
“For nearly 100 years, our company has defined and re-defined entertainment by leveraging technology to bring stories to life in deeper, more impactful ways,” Chapek wrote in the email to staff, adding, “Today, we have an opportunity to connect those universes and create an entirely new paradigm for how audiences experience and engage with our stories.”
Chapek announced last November that Disney is poised to embark on journey to the metaverse, which he said would advance storytelling by combining elements of the physical and digital world. White has 25 years of technology and leadership experience. He will be charged with putting in place a process to prioritize how to allocate resources and is expected to create a task force that will include leaders across the company.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
