Disney hires new exec to drive metaverse growth
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Disney has appointed a new executive to drive its metaverse strategy as the media group tries to push innovation to attract audiences.
Disney chief executive Bob Chapek sent an email to employees earlier today announcing that Mike White, a current executive in group, would take on the new role as senior vice president of Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences.
According to an exclusive report by Reuters, this new role will define how consumers experience Disney’s coming metaverse, working alongside creative teams in the company.
“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 Disney’s plans to enter the metaverse last November, which he said would advance storytelling by combining elements of the physical and digital world.
This puts Disney alongside tech firms Meta and Microsoft, who have both committed to driving innovation in the metaworld.
Chapek has described the metaverse as the “next great storytelling frontier,” and one of the company’s strategic pillars.
In early January, it was reported by Insider that Disney was approved for a “virtual-world simulator” patent. The technology would project 3D images and virtual effects onto physical spaces, according to the US Patent Office. This brings the firm one step closer to creating metaverse theme parks.
White previously served as chief technology officer for Apollo Group and earlier spent a decade at Yahoo.