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Connor Schell, Jodi Markley Leaving ESPN; New Leadership Team Named

Schell last week started telling people internally at ESPN that he was set to depart the networkESPN IMAGES

ESPN Exec VP/Content CONNOR SCHELL and Exec VP/Content Operations & Creative Services JODI MARKLEY are leaving ESPN, effective Jan. 8 and April 2, respectively. Schell, who has been with the net since '04, has decided to leave in order to form an independent production company where ESPN will be its first client. Markley has chosen to retire after 32 years. A new senior leadership team is being named by ESPN President JIMMY PITARO to guide the net into the future. Pitaro's direct reports going forward and their overarching areas of responsibility are listed in the chart below (ESPN).

ESPN LEADERSHIP TEAM
TITLE
EXEC
VP/Strategy and Office of the Chair
Chara-Lynn Aguiar
Exec VP/Event & Studio Production
Stephanie Druley
Senior VP/Marketing & Social Media
Laura Gentile
Senior VP/Finance
Thomas Hennessy
Senior VP/Editor-At-Large
Rob King
Senior VP/Communications
Chris LaPlaca
Exec VP/Programing & Original Content
Burke Magnus
Senior VP and The Undefeated Editor-In Chief
Kevin Merida
Chief Counsel
Diane Morse
Senior VP/Human Resources
Paul Richardson
Senior VP/Content Operations
Tina Thornton
Senior VP/Content Business Development & Innovation
Mark Walker
Exec VP and Exec Editor
Norby Williamson
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ESPN Leadership Team

PLANNING STAGES: Schell has been talking with Pitaro about this plan for several months. Just last week, Schell started telling people internally. Several ESPN sources describe the split as amicable and not related to the 500 job cuts ESPN announced last week. Details surrounding Schell’s production company still are being hammered out, but it is expected to create more than just sports documentaries; it will expand to other non-fiction genres, too. Schell’s current role at ESPN oversees all content -- from making talent moves to greenlighting shows. Schell’s move to focus on production does not come as a surprise to people that know him. Along with BILL SIMMONS, Schell was one of the creative forces behind ESPN’s acclaimed “30-for-30” documentary series and the “OJ: Made in America” documentary that won the network its first Oscar (John Ourand, THE DAILY). In N.Y., Andrew Marchand, who first reported the news about Schell's departure, noted Schell is "expected to continue" to oversee all content until he leaves the company. The move means Schell will "return to his strength, which is creating content as opposed to managing people" (N.Y. POST, 11/8). Schell's exit follows the departure of Senior VP/Social & Digital Content RYAN SPOON, who is leaving for BetMGM. Schell's exit "will add to a new list of challenges" for Pitaro (VARIETY.com, 11/8).

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