Melissa Stone Named Senior VP of Publicity for Walt Disney Studios

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

The exec has worked on campaign for 'Lilo & Stitch,' 'Ford v Ferrari,' and 'Andor.'

Longtime Disney and Fox exec Melissa Stone has been named senior vp, publicity at The Walt Disney Studios.

Stone will lead the publicity team and oversee global PR strategy and execution across all Disney’s theatrical and streaming portfolios. Reporting to Martha Morrison, president of studios marketing, she will oversee publicity across various studio divisions, including Disney Live Action, Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, as well as Disney+,

Stone is a veteran publicist who has worked at Fox then Disney, amassing 14 years of studio experience as she led global campaigns across theatrical and streaming, working across major franchises, box-office successes and awards contenders. Before that, she worked at PR agency 42 West.

Her credits at Disney and Fox include campaigns for Avatar: The Way of Water, Lilo & Stitch, The Little Mermaid, Mufasa, Barbarian, the Planet of the Apes franchise, Ford v Ferrari, West Side Story and The Martian, as well as Disney+ and Hulu titles including Lucasfilm’s Emmy-winning Andor.

“I’m thrilled to have Melissa step into this role,” said Morrison. “I’m thrilled to have Melissa step into this role. She brings more than two decades of exceptional publicity experience, a deep network of talent and media relationships, and a proven ability to lead campaigns that drive both audience engagement and cultural impact. I look forward to seeing her lead publicity across our incredible studios portfolio.” 

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter