Previous Disney PR main Zenia Mucha to head TikTok communications at a pivotal minute

Zenia Mucha, who led Walt Disney Co.’s effective general public relations device for approximately two a long time, is becoming a member of social movie platform TikTok.

Mucha will board the Chinese-owned organization in the new purpose of chief model and communications officer, TikTok claimed Thursday.

She still left Burbank-based Disney in 2021 amid a leadership transition just after Bob Iger stepped down as chief executive to become government chairman. He formally left Disney at the end of 2021, only to return as CEO in November to change fired chief Bob Chapek.

Mucha is recognised for her bare-knuckle design and style of dealing with associates of the media. She provides to TikTok large expertise in the world of politics as very well as leisure. TikTok could use a fierce advocate in both equally the media and Washington, where by users of both political get-togethers have named for it to be banned.

Politicians have expressed anxieties that TikTok will share person facts with the Chinese Communist Social gathering and that Beijing will use the well known application to additional its pursuits in the U.S., in particular among the youths. TikTok has vehemently denied that these concerns have any benefit.

In Could, Montana grew to become the 1st condition in the U.S. to ban TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance.

“Zenia will focus on advancing the strategic eyesight of our manufacturer and advising essential businesses,” claimed TikTok CEO Shou Chew in an announcement to workforce. “It is important that we widen the aperture of our Marketing and Communications features to further more fortify TikTok as a beloved brand and 1 of the most trustworthy leisure platforms in the environment.”

The announcement is section of a bigger executive shake-up at the movie system, acknowledged for its viral dances. Chew reported Chief Working Officer V. Pappas would step down from that purpose to provide alternatively as a strategic advisor to the enterprise. Adam Presser, chief of staff members, will become head of functions.

Mucha experienced currently been doing the job as a consultant for the social media platform before currently being employed.

“TikTok’s skill to encourage creativity, connect individuals and build communities is very little short of inspiring and I am psyched to be becoming a member of this progressive and dynamic firm,” Mucha said in a statement.

Mucha served a few govt administrations, becoming a member of Disney in 2001 as senior vice president of the struggling ABC network. She grew to become Disney’s chief communications officer in 2002. For the duration of Iger’s first reign, commencing in 2005, she grew to become one of his most dependable advisors.

Just before signing up for the Hollywood studio, she was steeped in New York’s rough-and-tumble political scene as one of Gov. George E. Pataki’s top aides in the 1990s.

There, Mucha made a status for an in-your-face type that led her to be described in a 2004 Los Angeles Times tale with these types of nicknames as “The Warrior Princess,” “Gov. Zenia” and “Director of Revenge.”

She’s not the initially previous Disney govt to cross paths with TikTok. Kevin Mayer, a important Disney offer maker, remaining the company in 2020 to develop into TikTok’s CEO. He left TikTok just months later.