Disney’s Chief Diversity Officer Latondra Newton Exits (EXCLUSIVE)

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Audible announced Rachel Ghiazza has been appointed chief content officer, effective immediately. The four-year veteran of the audiobook and podcast platform most recently served as EVP and head of U.S. content. In the expanded role at Audible, Ghiazza will oversee all aspects of content including development, production, operations and business affairs, as well as talent, publisher and partner relations. She will lead the continued globalization of Audible originals as well as grow the company’s library of podcasts and audiobooks. Ghiazza will continue to report to CEO Bob Carrigan. Ghiazza joined Audible in April 2019 as senior vice president of content acquisition and development and was named head of U.S. content in 2020. Prior to Audible, she spent more than five years at Spotify, where she held a variety of roles including leading the global content experiences team. Ghiazza also held senior roles on content teams at Viacom and Yahoo.

Former Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson is being ridiculed online after asking fans to pay a $5 fee to be entered into a raffle for an Apple MacBook computer.Jackson, 21, explained the giveaway and consequently defended herself on TikTok live. “It is not that serious, for a damn $5. It is called a raffle, I don’t know if you guys have been to school before but I know I’ve been to school and we used to have raffles all the time,” she said, pointedly.Seemingly responding to a comment about the fees, Jackson continued, “The money goes toward the prize, and like I said, if there’s anything left over I’m doing a second giveaway soon.

Former Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson is being ridiculed online after asking fans to pay a $5 fee to be entered into a raffle for an Apple MacBook computer. Jackson, 21, explained the giveaway and consequently defended herself on TikTok live.  "It is not that serious, for a damn $5. It is called a raffle, I don't know if you guys have been to school before but I know I've been to school and we used to have raffles all the time," she said, pointedly.

Donna Langley is set to take control of content and creative ops across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of brands, as TV chief Susan Rovner exits the company. The shakeup in leadership is the first major restructuring move made by Mike Cavanagh since he took over ousted Jeff Shell’s position atop the Comcast-owned media company. In a memo to staff Thursday, Cavanagh announced NBCUniversal will be reorganized into four key units: NBCUniversal Studio Group, led by Langley, NBCUniversal Media Group, run by chairman of TV and streaming Mark Lazarus, NBCU News Group, run by existing news boss Cesar Conde, and the Universal Destinations and Experiences Group headed up by parks boss Mark Woodbury.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A mass exodus of Black women from senior leadership posts across Hollywood during the last few weeks is raising questions about the depth of the film and television industry’s commitment to diversifying the top ranks of the entertainment industry. The high-profile departures have sparked outrage on social media, with mounting concerns that major studios are only performing lip service after pledging to elevate more people of color to positions of influence. In the last month, six Black women executives in prominent leadership roles have abruptly left their positions in the studio system. Many oversaw DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) departments, putting them on the frontlines of larger effort to change corporate cultures and hiring practices. The exits include Karen Horne, who led DEI efforts at Warner Bros. Discovery and Jeanell English, executive VP of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The other prominent executives are Netflix’s Vernā Myers, the streamer’s first head of inclusion; Disney’s LaTondra Newton, chief diversity officer and senior VP; and another Warner Bros. executive, Terra Potts, VP of worldwide marketing. On Monday, Joanna Abeyie, the BBC’s creative diversity director, joined their ranks. And even though the steady stream of departures is alarming, multiple industry sources tell Variety that more BIPOC executives are expected to join them in the coming weeks.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £7.1 million ($9 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. The release marked the fifth biggest opening weekend for a film in 2023 in the territory, including previews, with a market share of 43%. In its fifth weekend, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” racked up a further £1.5 million in second place, taking its total to £25.9 million. Universal’s “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” debuted in third position with £885,056. In its sixth weekend, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” earned £837,859 in fourth place for a total of £25 million.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The BBC’s head of creative diversity, Joanna Abeyie, is stepping down after less than a year and a half in the role, Variety can reveal. Abeyie is leaving the broadcaster to return to her consultancy business, Blue Moon, which specializes in diversity and inclusion, and executive recruitment. Variety understands that she may consult for the BBC in the future. Sources indicate that Abeyie’s departure was first announced by BBC director of content Charlotte Moore on June 22. Her last day in the role is Monday (July 3). When her exit was revealed to her team by the BBC’s group director of diversity and inclusion Chinny Okolidoh, it’s believed a number of staff protested why Abeyie, a well-liked exec with a strong rapport with the group, had been allowed to leave the public broadcaster. However, Variety understands that her departure reflects the exec’s choice to return to her business, which she set up in 2018.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dubai-based pay-TV and streamer OSN launched its rebranded OSN+ streaming service in March 2022 — and then lost some momentum when Disney+, the following June, pulled out its premium content and started a standalone platform in the Middle East. However, OSN remains a leading small-screen outlet for prime Hollywood scripted fare in 22 territories across the Middle East and North Africa. In March 2023, they extended their relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, forging a new multi-year licensing deal that makes them the exclusive home for HBO content such as “Succession” in the region. And, they’ve retained exclusive rights to Paramount+ shows, plus a slate of Sky Studios and Peacock Originals produced by NBC Universal — among other Hollywood deals firmly in place — as well as recently expanding their exclusive partnership with ITV Studios in the U.K.

Naman Ramachandran Disney has licensed 10 series to Channel 4’s streaming service in the U.K. The deal, which will add some 1,000 hours of American drama to Channel 4’s streaming platform, will kick off with “Alias” seasons 1-5 and “The Americans” seasons 1-6 this summer, followed by “Empire” seasons 1-6, “Scandal” seasons 1-7, “The X Files” seasons 1-11, “Bones” seasons 1-12, “The Killing” seasons 1-4, “Star” seasons 1-3, “Grown-ish” seasons 1-6 and “Abbott Elementary” seasons 1-2. Except “Star,” all the series are available on streamer Disney+ in the U.K., which requires a monthly subscription. The Channel 4 streaming service is free.

2020’s social media blackout that was supposed to be in support of the BLM movement.Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president Latondra Newton, a six-year veteran, was the first of the four to go. On June 20, the company said that Newton was leaving to pursue “other endeavors.” Predictably, her exit was celebrated by a faction of people who blamed her for “The Little Mermaid’s “woke” casting of Black actress and singer Halle Bailey.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Jeanell English, executive vice president of impact and inclusion, is exiting her role at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. English was promoted to the newly created role in July 2022 by Academy CEO Bill Kramer. In her role, she led the Academy’s initiatives to address underrepresentation across the industry and the talent development programs such as Academy Gold. Over the past year, she’s been a key figure in major initiatives and changes across the organization including developing the infrastructure for the Academy’s inclusion standards and enabling a path for community, advocacy, education and empowerment amongst its members and staff. She also designed and implemented the Academy’s first mid-career talent development program, the Academy Film Accelerator, which advocates for the careers of filmmakers from underrepresented communities.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Patrick Corcoran is stepping down from the National Association of Theatre Owners, ending a 24-year run that most recently saw him serve as vice president and chief communications officer of the exhibition industry lobbying organization. It’s a time of transition at NATO, with Michael O’Leary taking over as president and CEO from John Fithian, who ran the organization for decades. Corcoran worked closely with Fithian, helping to manage the group’s public relations outreach. His tenure overlapped with tectonic changes in the theatrical landscape, from consolidation of major chains to the rise of streaming to a public health crisis in COVID that led to the closure of cinemas for months. Through it all, Corcoran, a wry, unflappable presence labored to argue that movie theaters were not in a death spiral and would continue to attract customers, just as they had for more than a century. He also had to deal with fractious theater owners, all while helping to launch NATO’s annual exhibition business conference, CinemaCon.

The National Association of Theatre Owners VP & Chief Communications Officer Patrick Corcoran is departing after 24-plus years.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Zenia Mucha, who spent two decades as Disney’s top spokesperson before leaving the company in 2021, has been hired at TikTok. She’ll serve in the newly formed role of chief brand and communications officer and will be responsible for TikTok’s global marketing and communications strategies. Mucha’s hiring is part of a larger shakeup at TikTok. Vanessa Pappas is stepping down as the company’s chief operating officer and Adam Presser, the current chief of staff, has been promoted to head of operations. “Given all the successes reached at TikTok, I finally feel the time is right to move on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions,” Pappas said in a note to staff.  “I know the company has a very bright and stable future under the strong leadership of Shou Chew and our executive team, I will be here to support him, the leadership team and all of you during this transition by taking on an advisory role for the company.”

TikTok is overhauling its executive ranks, with Chief Operating Officer V Pappas leaving the company and longtime Disney communications chief Zenia Mucha joining in a newly created role.

Dear reader, season 3 of “Bridgerton” is on its way, and it promises to be a spicy one.

Latondra Newton, who has served as Disney’s chief diversity officer since 2017, is leaving the company. An internal memo from Disney chief human resources officer Sonia Coleman announcing Newton’s departure was circulated to staff Tuesday.

Pola Changnon, who runs Turner Classic Movies (TCM), is the latest executive to leave as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery shakeup.

 is on its way, and it promises to be a spicy one.ET's Denny Directo spoke with the show's star, Nicola Coughlan, at Netflix's TUDUM! Global Fan Event in Brazil, about the upcoming season and her kiss with co-star Luke Newton.«Terrifying,» Coughlan admitted when asked what it was like to shoot the show's steamy scenes. «Luke and I read the books at the beginning of season 1, and it was funny to us. We were like, 'Imagine if we have to kiss and do this.' And then season 3 come on and we were like, 'Oh god,' and then it's like, it's my friend.