Zenia Mucha: Last News

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Warner Bros. Discovery’s former spokesperson Nathaniel Brown has been hired to serve TikTok‘s global corporate communications chief. He’s based in New York and reports to Zenia Mucha, who was appointed to the newly formed role of chief brand and communications officer in 2023.

EXCLUSIVE: The future of TikTok is still somewhat uncertain, but who will be helping to hone the social media platform’s message has become a lot clearer today.

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.

Kristina Schake, who joined Disney a little more than a year ago as EVP and Chief Communications Officer, is getting a pay raise and a contract extension.

Disney’s former head of communications Zenia Mucha is advising TikTok as the beleagued company fights calls to shut it down in the U.S. on security concerns, Deadline has confirmed. It’s already banned across the Federal government with President Biden recently ramping up demands that the global app’s Chinese parent sell the U.S. business to a company Stateside, or see it vanish.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Zenia Mucha, formerly Disney’s top spokesperson for almost two decades, was recruited to be part of the team that coached TikTok’s CEO for his congressional hearing earlier this month, according to a new report. In addition to Mucha, TikTok tapped former Obama advisers David Plouffe and Jim Messina to prep Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, for more than a month before Chew’s March 23 appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which observers said only reinforced anti-TikTok attitudes among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers concerned about the app’s Chinese ownership by parent company ByteDance. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mucha could not be reached for comment.

Jessica Casano-Antonellis, a former senior exec at Disney who played a key role in the launches of Disney+ and ESPN+, has joined SiriusXM as SVP and head of communications.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek saw his total compensation more than double in fiscal 2021 compared with 2020, to $34.5 million, according to a new SEC filing.

It’s truly the end of an era at the Walt Disney Company, and we don’t just mean Bob Iger’s departure later this year.