Vicky Free has been named senior VP of marketing for Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution, said Janice Marinelli, president of the division, on Tuesday. Free, who comes to Disney from BET, will report to Marinelli and be based in Burbank, Calif.
In her new role, Free will be responsible for marketing studio and television content distributed by The Walt Disney Studios and The Disney/ABC Television Group. She will oversee in-home creative strategy, digital marketing and customer relationship management to drive sales, ownership and consumption of the company’s theatrical releases across all platforms from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Disneynature.
She also will lead the overall marketing strategy and execution for the company’s first-run and off-network syndicated television content from ABC Studios, ABC Entertainment, WABC, Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior in the U.S. and Canada.
Free comes to Disney/ABC from Viacom’s BET Networks, where she had been executive VP and chief marketing officer since 2011. From 2005-11, she was at Turner Entertainment Networks, where she rose to vice president of entertainment marketing and vice president of emerging markets and promotions. From 1997-2005, she worked as director of women’s initiatives and oversaw multicultural brand management at McDonald’s.
