Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS),
announced today that Alan Horn has been named Chairman of The Walt
Disney Studios effective June 11. Horn will oversee worldwide operations
for The Walt Disney Studios including production, distribution and
marketing for live-action and animated films from Disney, Pixar and
Marvel, as well as marketing and distribution for DreamWorks Studios
films released under the Touchstone Pictures banner. Disney’s music and
theatrical divisions will also report to Horn.
Horn has been a prominent figure in the film and television industry
overseeing creative executive teams responsible for some of the world’s
most successful entertainment properties including the Harry Potter
film franchise and the hit television series Seinfeld among
others.
“Alan not only has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience in
the business, he has a true appreciation of movie making as both an art
and a business,” said Iger. “He’s earned the respect of the industry for
driving tremendous, sustained creative and financial success, and is
also known and admired for his impeccable taste and integrity. He brings
all of this to his new role leading our studio group, and I truly look
forward to working with him.”
“I’m incredibly excited about joining The Walt Disney Company, one of
the most iconic and beloved entertainment companies in the world,” said
Horn. “I love the motion picture business and look forward to making a
contribution as part of Bob Iger’s team working closely with the
dedicated and talented group at the studio.”
Horn was most recently President and COO of Warner Bros. Entertainment
where he had oversight of the Studios’ theatrical and home entertainment
operations, including the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Warner Premiere
(direct-to-platform production), Warner Bros. Theatrical Ventures (live
stage) and Warner Home Video. During his 12 year tenure, Warner Bros.
Studios was the global box office leader seven times.
Among the numerous critically acclaimed films and box office hits
released during his tenure are all eight films in the Harry Potter series,
The Dark Knight, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Happy Feet, Sherlock
Holmes, The Departed, Batman Begins, Million Dollar Baby,
the second and third Matrix films and the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy.
Horn is also an executive producer of The Hobbit: An Unexpected
Journey.
Before joining Warner Bros., Horn co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment
where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He oversaw the
creation of many critically acclaimed and beloved films including Best
Picture Oscar nominees A Few Good Men, The Shawshank Redemption
and The Green Mile as well as When Harry Met Sally, City
Slickers, In the Line of Fire and the most successful show in
television history, Seinfeld. Horn has also served as President
and Chief Operating Officer of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
and was Chairman and CEO of Embassy Communications.
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the American Film Institute and
the Museum of Broadcasting. He serves on the Board of Directors of the
American Film Institute; as a Vice Chairman of the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC); is a co-founder of the Environmental Media
Association (EMA); on the Board of Trustees for the Autry National
Center in Los Angeles; and on the board of Harvard-Westlake School.
Horn received his MBA from Harvard Business School and served as a
captain in the U.S. Air Force.
