Disney is appointing an executive named Mike White who will be in charge of all the metaverse-related plans of the company, reported CNBC. Reportedly, this was revealed in a memo sent to the employees by CEO Bob Chapek on February 15. Mike White was previously appointed as SVP Consumer Experiences and Platforms at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution at The Walt Disney Company. He will now be the in-charge of “next-generation storytelling and consumer experiences”. Also Read - Meta, Microsoft, other tech giants form metaverse standards body, except Apple: Check details
White will now be responsible for connecting the dots among the company’s initiatives that combine physical and digital worlds. As per a report by Variety, Mike White will oversee “the technology strategy, engineering and product teams charged with developing digital experiences across brands like ABC, ABC News, Disney, ESPN, FX, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Wars.” Also Read - Global metaverse market to reach $28 bn by 2028 with the help of gaming
As per a statement by the CEO in the memo, “This is the so-called metaverse, which I believe is the next great storytelling frontier and the perfect place to pursue our strategic pillars of Storytelling Excellence, Innovation, and Audience Focus. Teams across the company are exploring this new canvas, and I have been blown away by what I’ve seen.” Also Read - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II coming to Nintendo Switch on June 8
Talking about the responsibilities that will be assigned to Mike White, the memo revealed, “We realize that it’s going to be less of a passive-type experience where you just have playback, whether it’s a sporting event or whether it’s an entertainment offering and more of an interactive lean forward, actively engaged type experience.”
White has worked with The Walt Disney Company for over 10 years. As per his LinkedIn account, from 1999 to 2009, he worked with Yahoo as Senior Director of Strategy and Technology. He then joined The Apollo Group, served there as CTO and CIO, and worked there for over 2 years. White holds a bachelor of arts’ degree from Ohio State University and resides in Los Angeles.
