Accomplished Industry Leaders Catherine Ray and Brian Marshall join DMED Technology
Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) has added further to its deep Technology leadership team, with the addition of two new respected and accomplished vice presidents, Catherine Ray (Vice President, Design Services, DMED Technology) and Brian Marshall (Vice President of Sports Products & Strategy, DMED Technology).
Ray and Marshall join an industry-leading team of technologists, engineers, designers and developers under Chief Technology Officer Aaron LaBerge that is charged with inventing, building and managing the technology, systems, products and platforms that bring Disney’s unmatched brands and beloved content to consumers around the world.
As Vice President of Sports Products & Strategy, DMED Technology, Marshall is responsible for leading the sports product team and helping shape the development strategy for the industry-leading ESPN digital product portfolio. He and his team will partner with the leadership at both ESPN and DMED, and working with DMED engineering and design teams, will enhance and advance the sport fan’s digital experience, building further leadership and continued growth for ESPN App, ESPN+, ESPN.com, Fantasy Games and the entire suite of digital sports products. The ESPN digital platform is the number one digital sports platform in the U.S. and globally, reaching nearly 155 million people around the world each month. Marshall will report to Mike White, Sr. Vice President, Consumer Experiences & Platforms, DMED Technology.
“Brian’s addition to our team comes at an incredibly exciting time and brings together a number of the top product leaders from the world’s two most successful digital sports platforms,” said White. “He has a well-earned reputation as both an immensely talented technologist and a trusted and respected leader, with a passion for creating great products and a track record of building fantastic teams and growing and developing great talent.”
Marshall joins DMED Technology from Yahoo / Verizon Media Group, where he was most recently vice president of product management, leading product development and strategy teams for both Yahoo! Sports and Yahoo! Finance. For 20 years, he was both an admirer and competitor with the ESPN digital platform, playing a key role in building Yahoo! Sports into the number two sports and fantasy games platform, while also building Yahoo! Finance into a global business and finance news leader.As Vice President, Design Services at DMED Technology, Ray will lead a team that develops the design and UX building blocks and insights that help activate a brand's identity, purpose, and expression. Under her leadership, a team of highly skilled designers apply their creative talents – graphic, motion and visual design, as well as UX copywriting, engineering and research – to elevate the craft and quality of design and enable best-in-class product experiences across a portfolio that features beloved and trusted brands including ABC, ABC News, Disney, ESPN, FX, Freeform, Marvel, National Geographic and more. She will report to Tagu Kato, DMED Technology’s Vice President of Design.
“Catherine brings an unparalleled creative vision that she’s honed by working across global technology brands,” Kato shared. “Her team will deliver thoughtful, cohesive, and innovative designs and insights that will enable the delivery of inspired experiences across a portfolio of Disney brands and enterprise products that are truly unique and beloved.”
Ray joins DMED from Facebook, where she was most recently Creative Director, Design and spent four years as a leader in the design and implementation of brand identity systems. Previously, she worked at Uber where she played a key role in creating design systems for the brand and its sub-brands, while working with creative, strategy, communications, and product teams to ship work across channels.
ABOUT DISNEY MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION (DMED) TECHNOLOGY
DMED Technology plays an important role in the growth and future of the DMED segment and The Walt Disney Company, helping drive the strategic development and deployment of technology, while creating products, platforms and innovations for Disney’s portfolio of brands and businesses, and building scalable systems that connect hundreds of millions of consumers to Disney’s beloved stories, characters and brands.
The DMED Technology team is responsible for the design, development and deployment of a portfolio of dozens of consumer-facing digital products globally; advertising technology and products; software and media engineering across a wide range of the company’s products and businesses; development and operation of the Company’s next-generation content supply chain; global network, studio and production operations for The Walt Disney Company’s television networks; creation and development of next-generation video and audio platforms; and the ongoing development and operation of several of the most sophisticated media production and distribution facilities in the world.
Each day, the DMED Technology team works with groups and segments across The Walt Disney Company to create exceptional consumer product experiences; reimagine the ways in which technology connects Disney’s content and characters with fans and families globally; and delivers both large- and small-scale technological solutions that unleash the benefits of the Company’s world-class technological infrastructure and empower Disney’s creators and creative engines.
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Contact:
Paul Melvin
Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution
paul.melvin@disney.com, 860-766-5069
Jenna Levy
Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution
jenna.m.levy@disney.com, 503-828-6704