Theresa Helmer has been promoted to Disney Channel’s newly created position of executive director, integrated content strategy and development. The position on the senior leadership team was created to accelerate racial and cultural diversity and inclusion in creative content for a global audience of kids aged two to 14.
Helmer will be reporting to Disney Channels Worldwide president and chief creative officer Gary Marsh, who made the announcement.
“Theresa’s unflagging determination, insight and passion have already contributed to enhancing our diversity, inclusion and belonging efforts,”said Marsh. “In this new role as part of the senior leadership team, she’ll have a seat at the table that will allow her to reinforce further how we can authentically showcase underrepresented populations in our storytelling.”
In the new role, Helmer will collaborate with departments across Disney Channels including consumer insights, movie and series development, current series (short- and long-form), the Educational Resource Group, and creative content and diversity at Disney Television Animation. She will also work with the marketing team to implement an operating model that helps drive the portrayal of underrepresented communities into marketing content.
Helmer joined Disney in 2014 as a social media analyst in the parks and resorts division. She was promoted to roles of increasing responsibility, including manager, platform strategy and consumer insights and programming at Disney Channel. Most recently, she was director, social media strategy in Disney’s marketing group. For the past two years, Helmer has been the co-president of Disney’s volunteer Enterprise Business Employee Resource Group, The Bond, which serves as the steward for Black/African American employees and Black consumer interests at the company.
In early August, Disney CEO Bob Chapek addressed current social issues and announced with pride that the company has “established diversity and inclusion pillars” and is striving “toward greater representation and inclusion.”
A Tennessee native, Helmer has a Bachelor of Arts degree in strategic communications from Elon University, North Carolina. She is an alumna of the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIPP).