Sharon Klein Named Exec VP of Casting at Walt Disney Television
Sharon Klein, most recently executive vice president of Disney Television Studios and FX Entertainment, has been named executive vice president of casting at Walt Disney Television, significantly expanding her oversight to including casting at ABC Entertainment, 20th Television, ABC Signature, 20th Television Animation, Walt Disney Television Alternative, Hulu Originals and Freeform.
The new role translates to Klein overseeing casting of all Walt Disney TV series and pilots, where she will also identify talent for holding deals and spearhead casting and talent strategy, effective immediately.
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“Sharon is a spectacular casting executive with taste, strategic thinking and insight to spare; and in many ways she is a not-so-secret weapon to our executives, our producers, and to Dana and me personally,” said Craig Hunegs, president of entertainment at Walt Disney Television. “Her track record is no accident — when you have Sharon at the helm of your talent search, you are guaranteed to assemble a best-in-class ensemble of actors. Her expanded portfolio is a win for all involved.”
Klein’s promotion is the latest in a string of executive appointments under Hunegs, following a broader reorganization at Disney last fall, that has included Nissa Diederich becoming head of production at 20th Television, Carlos W. Williams heading business affairs and operations for 20th TV and Freeform, and and longtime 20th animation exec Marci Proietto leading the newly formed 20th Television Animation unit.
In her most recent role, Klein led casting on series including “Genius: Aretha,” “Big Sky,” “Rebel,” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Mrs. America,” in addition to Hulu’s upcoming “Only Murders in the Building” and “The Dropout,” FX’s “The Old Man” and “Impeachment: American Crime Story” and Disney Plus’ “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” “Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” and “Big Shot.”
While at the former 20th Century Fox Television, Klein oversaw casting of “Fosse/Verdon,” “9-1-1,” “Empire,” “Pose,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Modern Family,” “Glee,” “New Girl,” “Homeland,” and dozens of other series, working with major creators such as Ryan Murphy, Lee Daniels, Dan Fogelman, Thomas Kail, Steve Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, Seth MacFarlane, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and others since 2001. Prior to that, Klein was an independent casting director, during which time she won an Emmy for casting HBO’s “From the Earth to the Moon.’
“I’ve been a longtime viewer and fan of the programming at ABC, Hulu Originals and Freeform so the chance to work with Craig Erwich, Tara Duncan, and Rob Mills and their talented teams directly was incredibly appealing. And I’m excited to continue the successful collaboration with Jonnie Davis, Karey Burke and Marci Proietto on their projects. I cannot thank Craig Hunegs and Dana Walden enough for their support and votes of confidence. I will be the first to tell you that casting is a team effort, and I owe a tremendous debt to my casting partners and, of course, the producers who deliver such brilliant material.”
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