Former Disney PR chief Zenia Mucha to head TikTok communications at a pivotal moment
Zenia Mucha, who led Walt Disney Co.’s powerful public relations machine for nearly two decades, is joining social video platform TikTok.
Mucha will board the Chinese-owned company in the new role of chief brand and communications officer, TikTok said Thursday.
She left Burbank-based Disney in 2021 amid a leadership transition after Bob Iger stepped down as chief executive to become executive chairman. He officially left Disney at the end of 2021, only to return as CEO in November to replace fired chief Bob Chapek.
Mucha is known for her bare-knuckle style of dealing with members of the media. She brings to TikTok vast experience in the world of politics as well as entertainment. TikTok could use a fierce advocate in both the media and Washington, where members of both political parties have called for it to be banned.
Politicians have expressed worries that TikTok will share user data with the Chinese Communist Party and that Beijing will use the popular app to further its interests in the U.S., especially among youths. TikTok has vehemently denied that these concerns have any merit.
In May, Montana became the first state in the U.S. to ban TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance.
“Zenia will focus on advancing the strategic vision of our brand and advising key businesses,” said TikTok CEO Shou Chew in an announcement to employees. “It is essential that we widen the aperture of our Marketing and Communications functions to further fortify TikTok as a beloved brand and one of the most trusted entertainment platforms in the world.”
The announcement is part of a larger executive shake-up at the video platform, known for its viral dances. Chew said Chief Operating Officer V. Pappas would step down from that role to serve instead as a strategic advisor to the company. Adam Presser, chief of staff, will become head of operations.
TikTok’s design encourages manic performance and a false sense of intimacy — all of it obscuring the power of its invisible algorithms.
Mucha had already been working as a consultant for the social media platform before being hired.
“TikTok’s ability to encourage creativity, connect people and create communities is nothing short of inspiring and I am excited to be joining this innovative and dynamic company,” Mucha said in a statement.
Mucha served three executive administrations, joining Disney in 2001 as senior vice president of the struggling ABC network. She became Disney’s chief communications officer in 2002. During Iger’s first reign, starting in 2005, she became one of his most trusted advisors.
Before joining 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 developed a reputation for an in-your-face style that led her to be described in a 2004 Los Angeles Times story with such nicknames as “The Warrior Princess,” “Gov. Zenia” and “Director of Revenge.”
She’s not the first former Disney executive to cross paths with TikTok. Kevin Mayer, a key Disney deal maker, left the company in 2020 to become TikTok’s CEO. He left TikTok just months later.
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
