Kevin Mayer

Kevin Mayer has spent decades leading, building and acquiring companies and brands in media and entertainment. He is currently Co-CEo of Aventine LLC, a newly formed media company backed by Blackstone to establish an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. In addition, he serves as Chairman of the Board of DAZN, a company specialized in sports streaming services. Kevin recently served as CEO of TikTok and COO of ByteDance.

Prior to TikTok, Kevin was Chairman of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, where he was responsible for launching Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu and managed all International operations for Disney (excluding Parks). In that capacity he led global ad sales, content sales and channel sales, managed over 25,000 employees around the world and had responsibility for over 60% of Disney revenues. Prior to that, Kevin served as Chief Strategy Officer for Disney heading its M&A, investments and strategy. He led the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm (Star Wars), BAMTech and 21st Century Fox, in addition to countless investments in smaller companies at various stages of development. He also launched and oversaw Disney Accelerator and VC investments. Kevin is widely acknowledged to have conceived and successfully advanced substantial strategic shifts in Disney’s global businesses. Kevin holds a BSME from MIT, an MSEE from San Diego State and an MBA from Harvard University.