Mia Rondinella Named SVP, Global Distribution & Strategy for Disney Media

Disney Media Distribution and Disney & ESPN Media Networks announced today the promotion of Mia Rondinella to senior vice president, Global Distribution and Strategy. Rondinella will manage the Disney & ESPN Media Networks' domestic affiliate sales and marketing business strategy group and oversee the global distribution business operations and strategy team for Disney Media Distribution. Rondinella and her team will provide strategic insight into the future direction of the industry, and evaluate and identify distribution opportunities to create value for consumers and business affiliates.

Based in Burbank, she will report to both Ben Pyne, president, Global Distribution, Disney Media Networks, and Justin Connolly, executive vice president, Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Networks.

"Given Mia's experience across the company, her business acumen, analytical skills and leadership qualities, she will be a great leader of this group and a strong collaborator. We have had the pleasure of working closely with Mia over many years, and we look forward to working with her in this new capacity," said Pyne.

Added Connolly: "As the distribution landscape gets ever more expansive and complex, Mia is well-suited to help us navigate this challenging environment. Mia will be instrumental in maximizing our collective value in the marketplace both in the U.S and across the world."

Rondinella served most recently as vice president, Consumer Data and Analytics, at Disney|ABC Television Group, where she led efforts to provide advanced analytics capabilities to ad sales, marketing, consumer insights and digital media.

She joined The Walt Disney Company in 2001 as an associate in corporate strategic planning where she focused on developing and growing Disney's international television businesses. She transitioned to the Disney Media Networks Strategy organization in 2007 as a founding member, focusing on the strategic development of Disney|ABC Television Group services including ABC, Disney Channels and FreeForm (formerly ABC Family). Subsequently, she led business development for the ABC Entertainment Group and built out the franchise management function for the broadcast network. She holds a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard.

Additionally, Jimmy Zasowski has been promoted to vice president, Business Strategy, Disney & ESPN Media Networks. In his new role, Zasowski will be responsible for developing and executing distribution strategies for the Disney & ESPN Media Networks. He will also focus on helping develop distribution models for new products and services across existing and new distribution partners. Zasowski will report to Rondinella and will continue to be based in New York.

Most recently, Zasowski served as senior director, Affiliate Sales, Disney & ESPN Media Networks, where he managed multiplatform content distribution and licensing for the ABC, Disney and ESPN portfolio. Since joining ESPN in 2010, Zasowski has served in various capacities including Business Operations where he was responsible for the financial planning of Disney and ABC assets. He also previously worked in Business Strategy where his duties included the development of pricing and sales strategies while also participating in contract negotiations. Zasowski received both his Bachelor of Science and MBA from Pepperdine University.

Photo credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin* Photo credit: ESPN Images/Joe Faraoni**

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