• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 29, 2023

As part of its overall restructuring and planned 7,000 layoffs, Disney is consolidating production operations across Disney TV Studios, Hulu, Freeform and FX under Carol Turner and eliminating several executive posts.

Turner, who is executive vice president and head of production for ABC Signature, now oversees network and platform production for scripted TV for all of Disney Entertainment.

The move has resulted in exits for Mark Levenstein, Hulu’s senior vice president of production, and Jayne Bieber, Freeform’s SVP of production management and operations.

Nissa Diederich, executive VP and head of production for 20^th Television, and Nick Lombardo, senior VP and head of production for FX, will now report to Turner, who will in turn report to Eric Schrier, president of Disney TV Studios and global original television strategy for Disney General Entertainment.

In addition, Disney Television Studios is shuttering its creative acquisitions department. That unit, formed in 2021, secured rights to books, podcasts and other intellectual property for development into shows for ABC Signature and 20^th Television. Those functions will now be moved to the studios.

Elizabeth Newman, VP of development and head of the unit, is also leaving Disney.