Jori Arancio Named SVP of Communications for ABC Entertainment & Studios

Respected communications executive Jori Arancio has been named senior vice president, Communications, ABC Entertainment & ABC Studios. It was announced today by Kevin Brockman, executive vice president, Global Communications, Disney|ABC Television Group, to whom she will report.

In this new role, Arancio will work closely with Patrick Moran, president, ABC Studios and Channing Dungey, president, ABC Entertainment, and be responsible for all strategic corporate communication efforts; consumer press campaigns; awards outreach; and talent relations for the two business units.

In making the announcement, Brockman said, "Having worked alongside Jori for more than a decade, I've witnessed first-hand her unique take on THE ART OF communications and seen the dramatic and impressive results of her efforts. She's an innovative thinker and a results-driven manager who excels in the social, influencer and digital communications space without losing sight of the importance of traditional media. She's the perfect person to lead Communications for these two critical businesses."

"Jori's extensive experience and bold leadership will help elevate our communication efforts and better position us for the future," said Dungey. "She's an excellent addition to the Network senior team."

Moran added, "Jori has a fantastic reputation as a creative thinker and someone who gets the job done. We are thrilled to have her as part of the Studio team."
"This role is a privilege, and I'm so grateful to Kevin, Channing and Patrick for the opportunity," said Arancio. "I've had the great fortune to have worked at Disney for nearly 20 years and am thrilled to now get the chance to work alongside this incredibly talented communications team and all the immensely creative executives at ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios."

Prior to this promotion, Arancio served as vice president, Communications, Freeform, since 2011. In this role, she manufactured bold, groundbreaking press strategies that drove awareness of the network while effectively utilizing the interplay between social, influencers and media to drive reach. She was part of the senior executive team that successfully rebranded ABC Family as FreeForm in January 2016, having crafted and implemented a strategic communication plan and phased approach that ensured the brand, programming and audience were in harmony.

From 2005 until 2011, Arancio served as vice president, Communications, ABC Daytime and SOAPnet, where she was responsible for creating and implementing the corporate and consumer communications strategies, initiatives and campaigns for the Daytime division of the Disney|ABC Television Group, which included ABC Daytime, SOAPnet and ABC Media Productions.

Arancio joined The Walt Disney Company in 1998 as manager, Communications, Disney Channel, and was quickly promoted to director. While in these positions, she helped launch Toon Disney, oversaw programming publicity for the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) franchise, InConcert music specials and original series. She also served as talent liaison and provided extensive media training for young newcomers (including Hilary Duff and Shia LaBeouf) and veterans alike.

Arancio began her career in communications at the strategic public relations firm of Bragman/Nyman/Cafarelli.

She holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Southern California.