John Landgraf Nat Geo & Onyx Oversight & Simran Sethi Adds Freeform

John Landgraf & Simran Sethi FX/Michael Becker/ ABC/Craig Sjodin

Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden is setting out her stall and it includes more responsibilities for John Landgraf and Simran Sethi.

The news Tuesday comes after Walden was elevated to her new role earlier this month alongside film chief Alan Bergman.

Landgraf, who is Chairman, FX Content and FX Productions, will now oversee Nat Geo and Onyx as part of his expanded portfolio, while Simran Sethi, in her new role as EVP, Programming and Content Strategy, ABC Entertainment and Freeform, is returning to take charge of the youth-skewing cable network in addition to her ABC duties.

The move will see Tara Duncan, as President, Onyx Collective, focus on the diverse label and relinquish her Freeform duties.

Duncan and Courteney Monroe, President, Content, National Geographic, which recently earned its third Oscar nomination for Fire of Love will now report to Landgraf.

Freeform’s programming and development will now be combined under ABC Entertainment with Sethi overseeing both. Sethi was previously SVP, Development at Freeform before she moved to Netflix. She continues to report to Craig Erwich, President, Disney Television Group.

On the Disney Branded Television side, President Ayo Davis, who reports to Erwich for streaming responsibilities, will now also report to him across the development and programming of Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Disney Television Studios will remain under Eric Schrier, who will expand his responsibilities to include its global original television strategy, working closely with regional leaders.

There’s been a lot of talk that the company will merge two of its Disney Television Studios – 20^th Television and ABC Signature – but Deadline understands there’s nothing in the works right now.

Debra O’Connell will continue to oversee networks and ABC Owned Television Stations, and will add research, labor relations and TV business operations to her purview.

Walden, an internal note to staff, which you can read below, said, “Since the announcement of Disney Entertainment, I’ve spent time thinking about how to organize my team in a way that will enable me to focus on my newly expanded role, in partnership with Alan. I will continue to rely on the same incredible leaders who have delivered hit after hit onto our platforms and into our rich library, but have made some changes to our structure.”

Dear Colleagues,

Since the announcement of Disney Entertainment, I’ve spent time thinking about how to organize my team in a way that will enable me to focus on my newly expanded role, in partnership with Alan. I will continue to rely on the same incredible leaders who have delivered hit after hit onto our platforms and into our rich library, but have made some changes to our structure, which are outlined below:

Onyx Collective remains a huge priority, and as its impressive roster of creators and series continues to grow, Tara Duncan will now focus exclusively on Onyx.
National Geographic Content recently earned its third Oscar nomination and has attracted some of the biggest stars to its impressive slate of series and doc films. Courteney Monroe will now oversee all aspects of the brand, including its digital footprint and iconic magazine, along with its original content strategy.
Tara and Courteney will now report directly to John Landgraf, combining the strength of three prestigious brands.
As Tara’s focus shifts to Onyx, Freeform programming and development will be combined with ABC Entertainment, and Simran Sethi will oversee both. This represents Simran’s return to a brand she helped launch. She will continue to report to Craig Erwich.
Over the past six months, Ayo Davis and Craig have worked together very successfully on Disney Branded Television streaming originals. Ayo will continue to report to Craig for streaming, and now that structure will expand to also include the development and programming of Disney Channel and Disney Junior.
Debra OConnell, who recently joined my leadership team, will continue to oversee networks and ABC Owned Television Stations, and will add research, labor relations and TV business operations to her purview.
Disney Television Studios will remain under Eric Schrier, who will expand his responsibilities to include our global original television strategy, working closely with our talented regional leaders.

Great stories are the lifeblood of our company, and I will remain deeply connected to the creative side of our business. As we begin our new chapter together, I have the utmost confidence in this team of proven and formidable leaders. I am very grateful to Bob for reuniting and realigning our company in such a meaningful way.

I want you all to know how much I appreciate your passion and your pursuit of excellence, which will be key to our success in the months and years ahead.

Warmest regards,

Dana