Disney Hires Former “Unflinchingly Loyal” Joe Biden Press Secretary To Run “Issues-Oriented Messaging” A Month After CEO Bob Iger Said Company Wanted To Stay Out Of Culture Wars
John F. Trent
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The Walt Disney Company announced they have hired President Joe Biden’s former National Traveling Press Secretary Remi Yamamoto to be their Vice President of Media Relations for its television division.
Portrait of Remi Yamamoto, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the White House Chief of Staff under President Biden. Photo Credit: Executive Office of the President of the United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
CNN reported back in March that Yamamoto was leaving the White House with Joe Biden telling the outlet, “From the very start of the campaign, Remi has been unflinchingly loyal and extraordinarily capable.”
He added, “Her insights, good humor, and work ethic have been an incredible asset to all of us, and I am grateful for her service and friendship.”
Joe Biden via White House YouTube
This “unflinchingly loyal” aide will now be “responsible for developing cross-brand messaging and communications strategies that promote Disney Entertainment Television (DET) programming executives across ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Owned Television Stations, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic and Onyx Collective, working closely with brand publicity leads across the businesses, per Disney,” reports Variety.
The outlet also notes that Yamamoto “will oversee crisis communications and ‘issues-oriented messaging,’ in addition to exec communications and editorial teams for DET.”
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Yamamoto will report to Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul the executive vice president of publicity and head of communications for DET.
She commented on Yamamoto’s hiring, “Remi is an exceptional communications strategist with a tremendous breadth of experience. We are excited to welcome her to our talented communications team where she will bring a unique perspective and continue to amplify the narrative around our award-winning content brands and leaders.”
“Her sharp instincts and impeccable judgment will serve us well as we further position our organization as the leader for original entertainment and news programming,” she added.
(L-R): Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer “Jen” Walters, Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos, and Drew Matthews as Dennis Bukowski in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Yamamoto also stated, “I am deeply honored to begin my next chapter at Disney Entertainment. Disney has been a part of my life for a long time, and the company’s world-class entertainment and news business not only informs but inspires generation after generation with powerful storytelling.”
“I am excited to now be a part of that magic and grateful to work with the best-in-the-business communications team,” she asserted.
Bob Iger attend the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood CA on Thursday, April 27, 2023.
Yamamoto’s hiring comes a little over a month after Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC he did not want to get the company in any culture wars.
He said, “The other issues that you referenced, the last thing that I want for the company is for the company to be drawn into any culture wars. You know, we’ve operated for almost 100 years as a company making product that we actually are proud of in terms of its impact on the world. I joke every once in a while we’re there to manufacture fun… We’re here to tell a great stories.”
He later added, “I don’t really want to engage in the specifics except to say that it’s it’s not our goal to be involved in a culture war. Our goal is to continue to tell wonderful stories and have a positive, positive impact on the world. You know, we are a preeminent entertainer in the world. And we’re proud of our track record there. The notion that Disney is in any way sexualizing children quite frankly is preposterous and inaccurate.”
Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, at The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day 2020.
What do you make of The Walt Disney Company hiring a top aide for Joe Biden to run their crisis communications and issues-oriented messaging?
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