Marketing Head Steven Melnick To Depart Disney TV Studios

Lynette Rice
·2 min read
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Veteran marketing executive Steven Melnick is leaving Disney Television Studios. His position was eliminated during day 1 of Disney’s second wave of layoffs.

The Emmy-nominated Melnick oversaw the marketing team for 20th TV, 20th TV Animation and ABC Signature since 2019, when Disney acquired Fox. He was closely aligned with Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden, who hired him for the SVP role.

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Before joining Disney, the well-respected exec oversaw marketing and PR/comms for more than 19 years at 20th Century Fox TV, where he helped to launch mega-hits including Modern Family, Family Guy, Empire, The X-Files, New Girl, 24, Homeland, Arrested Development, This is Us, How I Met Your Mother, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Glee.

Melnick’s work alongside senior leadership like Walden, who then was co-chief of 20th Century Fox TV, helped to transform the formerly small studio into an industry-leading global content company. That also is where he became part of Walden’s inner circle and wrote several upfront presentations for her and Fox.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Melnick was nominated for a digital Emmy in 2005 for helping to develop 24: Conspiracy, the first IP-based mobile series that was released in Europe (Vodafone) and the U.S. (Verizon). He also developed and managed the Clio Award-winning partnership between Empire and Pepsi, which culminated with a headline-generating TV commercial directed by Lee Daniels.

Melnick also is credited with developing the first seasonal DVD release of Season 1 of 24, which became the industry standard and a multimillion-dollar business.

A frequent speaker about the TV business, Melnick launched the TV marketing curriculum at USC’s Stark Producer Program, a master’s level two-year program for young entertainment professionals. He taught as the program’s first adjunct professor of TV marketing from July 2013-November 2019.

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