Bob Chapek of Disney: Entering our second century with the goal of transforming entertainment again

For the first time, Disney CEO Bob Chapek kicked off the company’s Upfront in a new location – Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City – after two years of virtual meetings and emphasizing the 100 years of the creation of Disney.

“10 decades of creativity, innovation, and determination were what created the Walt Disney Company you know today, the most beloved and enduring name in entertainment. As we enter the second century, our goal is once again to transform entertainment, combining extraordinary storytelling with innovative technology to create an even larger, more connected, and magical Disney universe,” said Chapek. He pointed out that Disney “shapes global culture.”

Chapek was joined by Kareem Daniel, Chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution; Rita Ferro, President of Disney Advertising; Peter Rice, Chairman of General Entertainment; Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, and Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel.

The talent that participated at the event represented every brand in the Disney portfolio, from stars to athletes: Ryan Seacrest; Kerry Washington; Emayatzy Corinealdi; Claire Danes; Ellen Pompeo; Kumail Nanjiani; Chris Jenner; Khloe Kardashian; Amy Schumer; David Muir; host Joe Buck; Troy Aikman; Holly Rowe; Desmond Howard; Tim Tebow; Aliyah Boston; Brea Beal; Zia Cooke; Dawn Staley; Suni Lee; Matthew Stafford; Sean McVay; Stormtroopers; Samuel L. Jackson; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Tatiana Maslany.

At the event, Disney+ was officially introduced to the advertising community, presenting never-before-seen videos of new productions that will debut soon on the streamer, such as the movies Disenchanted and Hocus Pocus 2. Marvel’s Feige announced that they are preparing the second season of Loki and the debut of Echo; also Samuel L. Jackson took the stage to talk about his new Marvel series, Secret Invasion; and Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk) revealed the trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at law, also from the Marvel universe.

Other video previews that were featured included the second season of Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), Reasonable Doubt, Fleishman in Trouble (FX), Welcome to Chippendales, ESPN’s 30 for 30, and the multi-episode documentary from Colin Kaepernick directed by Spike Lee. The company announced the expansion of its sports rights with the NFL, college football, and a nine-year deal with Australian tennis.

As is now tradition, comedian and host Jimmy Kimmel closed the upfront by poking fun at all the major players in the media, from Chapek and Fierro to athletes like Eli and Peyton Manning. Kimmel performed virtually from the set of Live! with Kelly & Ryan.