Disney’s Maker Studios is losing its head, according to sources speaking to Variety who say that company head Courtney Holt is being replaced by Andrew Sugerman, currently EVP of the division’s Content & Media area.





The decision signals a shift in where Disney thinks Maker fits into its overall strategy. Holt isn’t leaving the House of Mouse: He will have a new role as EVP of media and strategy, reporting to Kevin Mayer, senior EVP and chief strategy officer at Disney.“Merging Maker Studios with Content & Media allows DCPI to continue to expand audiences — across both physical and digital content,” Holt wrote in a company memo revealed by the industry bible. “And, by taking a broader digital content offering to market, we can truly differentiate ourselves to advertisers and distribution platforms.”He added, “In the weeks to come, you’ll hear more about how the teams will come together around an integrated digital content strategy–both domestically and internationally. Andrew is a fantastic leader and I’m energised by his passion for the organisation and what we do at Maker.”Maker Studios was acquired by Disney in 2014 for $500 million. At the time, Maker was responsible for a multichannel YouTube network with 350 million subscribers; overall, Maker is one of the most popular channels on YouTube according to comScore, drawing some 5.5 billion views monthly.Concerns remain about synergies with existing Disney businesses however, and Maker already laid off about 30 employees in July. A rep for Disney declined comment.