Shari Rosenblum Exits 20th Television After 26 Years

Shari Rosenblum, SVP and head of publicity for Disney Television Studios' 20th Television and 20th Television Animation, is leaving the studio after 26 years, Variety has learned. Her exit comes under voluntary early retirement offers that Disney extended to longtime employees earlier this year.

Rosenblum took her current role in 2022. She joined the studio when it was still 20th Century Fox Television, before the Disney merger, working under then-leaders Dana Walden and Gary Newman.

In a staff note obtained by Variety, Disney Entertainment Television publicity EVP Candice Ashton wrote: "Few people have shaped the voice and reputation of our studio the way [Rosenblum] has. Shari is a consummate pro, and an advocate and champion for so many of our teams and creative partners."

Why she's leaving, in her own words

"I'm moving on from my Disney-Fox career with nothing but extreme gratitude," Rosenblum said in a statement. "I'm grateful to Dana and Gary for taking a chance on an ambitious young publicist over two decades ago, and to the many mentors and champions I've had along the way, including Shannon Ryan and Candice Ashton."

She added: "It's been a privilege to tell stories for our industry's top storytellers, especially during this last stretch, with Karey Burke and the incredible executives at 20th TV. I feel beyond fortunate to have worked alongside the most talented and brilliant minds in our industry, and have a deep appreciation for the business of television, the people in it, the shows they make, and the journalists who report on it."

What does her résumé actually cover?

Over her tenure, Rosenblum led hundreds of studio PR campaigns across streaming, cable and broadcast. The credits run wide:

• Liz Meriwether's "Furious," "The Dropout" and "New Girl"
• Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd's "Modern Family"
• Howard Gordon's "Homeland" and "The Beast in Me"
• Jonathan Steinberg, Dan Shotz and Craig Silverstein's "Percy Jackson and The Olympians"
• Multiple Muppets projects, "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons"
• Both iterations of "Arrested Development"
• Campaigns across Dan Fogelman and Liz Helden's slates

Before 20th Television, Rosenblum handled consumer products campaigns, including licensing programs for "Ice Age," "The Planet of the Apes" and "The Simpsons." She began her career in literary PR, representing books and authors.

Her influence extends through the executives she mentored: Lauren Kamm and Megan Rugani at CBS, Kristen Kelet at FGS Global, Nicole Crawford at DET Events, and Ryan Aguirre at Sony TV, among others.

Recognition and outside roles

Rosenblum has served on the board of P.S. Arts since 2019. She was a member of the Local 600 International Cinematographers & Publicists Guild from 2005 to 2022. She won the Maxwell Weinberg Showmanship Award for Television for her work on "Homeland."

Her departure removes one of the industry's most connected communications executives at a moment when Disney is trimming veteran payrolls across its television operations. Whether 20th Television fills the role directly, or redistributes it, will shape how the studio's publicity machine operates heading into the next development cycle.