Starz has named longtime Disney executive Jim Kapenstein as the company’s new chief legal and strategy officer. Mr. Kapenstein will join Startz next week and report to President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, who announced the news on Monday.
The company said Kapenstein will be “responsible for developing and leading the company’s business and legal strategic direction, including distribution, content acquisition, production, litigation, employment matters, and regulatory compliance.” He will also “play a central role in leading strategic corporate transactions, including M&A, while overseeing the company’s governance and broader public company responsibilities.”
Kapenstein replaces former Stars General Counsel Audrey Lee and former Chief Strategy Officer John Penny, who recently retired.
“With Jim’s involvement in some of the largest deals in media history, there are few executives with the breadth of experience that Jim has,” Hirsch said in a statement. “His insight in guiding the organization through a period of change will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth.”
Mr. Kapenstein spent nearly 30 years at Disney, most recently serving as deputy general counsel. His oversight of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, antitrust, corporate finance, social responsibility, strategic transactions and partnerships, consumer payments, and corporate structure and governance included major transactions such as the acquisitions of 21st Century Fox, Hulu, Fuvo, Lucas Film, Marvel, and Pixar, as well as ESPN’s equity investment in the NFL.
“I’m honored to join Jeff and the Starz team at such an exciting time in the company’s growth and evolution,” Kapenstein said in a statement. “Starz has built an exceptional and profitable digital streaming business. I look forward to helping Jeff and his team shape the next phase of growth, leverage existing market opportunities, and drive our strategic direction through disciplined expansion while maintaining a best-in-class legal and corporate governance framework.”
Kapenstein began his career at Arent & Fox in Washington, DC. He later became a senior employee at Alston & Bird.
