The Walt Disney Company is hiring a new spokesperson whose official title is “Executive Vice President of Global Communications.” That’s a mouthful to say “spokesperson.”
Kristina Schake is a Democrat political strategist who has worked for Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, as well as other top-of-the-top politicos on the liberal aisle. There could be almost no other hire, sans Jen Psaki herself, that would tend to point towards Disney continuing to move in a particular political direction. Schake is the second political hire to be put in an executive position by Bob Chapek, the first being a George Bush spokesperson named Geoff Morrell (now Schake’s boss). While Morrell is a moderate who has played both sides of the aisle via a stint in the news media, Schake is a solidly-left political choice at a time when Disney is under fire for self-politicization.
We're pleased to welcome Kristina Schake as Executive Vice President of Global Communications. She will be responsible for our worldwide communications strategy and operations, and serve as the Company's lead spokesperson. https://t.co/F0uWgViwQ9 pic.twitter.com/lJnZIDMSKK
— The Walt Disney Company (@WaltDisneyCo) April 5, 2022
Here is the full press release from Disney:
“The Walt Disney Company has named Kristina Schake as Executive Vice President, Global Communications, reporting to Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Geoff Morrell. She will be responsible for the Company’s worldwide communications strategy and operations, while also serving as lead spokesperson. Her appointment is effective immediately.
Schake has spent three decades working at the nexus of government, media, business, entertainment, and technology. Most recently, she was appointed by President Biden to lead the nationwide COVID-19 vaccine education campaign and was previously Global Communications Director for Instagram. Schake was Deputy Communications Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and served in the Obama administration as Special Assistant to the President and Communications Director to the First Lady.
“I could not be more pleased to welcome Kristina to Disney and to have her leading communications for the company,” Morrell said. “Her experience in the public and private sectors, in political and corporate campaigns, make her ideally suited for this important role and to help me integrate communications with government relations, public policy, and corporate social responsibility into a new Corporate Affairs team. Together with the exceptional professionals at Disney, we will help the world’s greatest storytelling company engage even more effectively with our many stakeholders around the world.”
Said Schake, “As Disney approaches its 100th anniversary, I’m excited to lead the company’s global communications work at this pivotal moment of growth and transformation. The magical stories and experiences Disney creates enrich the lives of countless people around the world and it’s an honor for me to be a part of that, helping Bob Chapek, Geoff Morrell, and the talented teams throughout the company tell the story of Disney as it begins its second century.”
With this role, Schake is returning home to California, where she served for several years as the senior communications strategist for First Lady Maria Shriver, the Women’s Conference, and the California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities Initiative. In 2009, she co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which led the successful bipartisan public awareness campaign and legal challenge to restore marriage equality to California. She began her career working for Los Angeles Mayor Richard J. Riordan. Schake is a native of Sonoma, California, and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University.”
Analysts for That Park Place will cover the potential meaning, effects, and fall-out of this hire tomorrow. As always, keep checking the site for all the latest news that should be fun. Feel free to comment your thoughts on this hire below.
