Walt Disney Studios Appoints Nastasya Morauw as VP of Communications

Walt Disney Studios announced on Friday that Nastasya Morauw, previously VP of Communications & Awards at Searchlight Pictures, will become VP of Communications at Walt Disney Studios. In this role, she will serve as the primary communications lead for Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios. The appointment follows recent leadership changes at Disney.

Josh D’Amaro assumed the role of CEO at Walt Disney Studios earlier this year, with Paul Roeder serving as Senior EVP and Chief Communications Officer for The Walt Disney Company. Roeder established his direct reports earlier in the week, including David Jefferson as EVP of Communications, April Carretta as EVP of Communications, Carrie Brown as SVP of Internal Communications, and Mariana Vaca as Director of Communications.

Team Realignments With Vaca's new position under Roeder, Shelby Cotten, formerly on the Direct-to-Consumer communications team, has been appointed as Director of Communications at Searchlight Pictures, reporting to Morauw.

No replacement has been named for Morauw's previous role at Searchlight Pictures. These moves reflect continued shuffling within Disney's communications structure. The changes aim to align communications strategies across Disney's film divisions.

Deadline reported the announcements on Friday, highlighting the internal promotions and transfers.

Background on Leadership D’Amaro's tenure as CEO began in 2024, focusing on operational efficiencies in film production and marketing.

Roeder, reporting directly to D’Amaro, oversees global communications for the company. The team's composition supports these divisions through specialized roles in external, internal, and awards communications. Morauw's experience at Searchlight Pictures involved managing communications for independent films and awards campaigns.

Her transition to Walt Disney Studios positions her to handle broader studio-wide responsibilities.