Jonnie Davis Exits as ABC Signature President

Jonnie Davis, a longtime studio fixture at Fox and Disney, is stepping down from his role as president of ABC Signature.

Davis informed his Disney colleagues of his decision to depart the studio behind Grey’s Anatomy in a memo to staff Friday with the recently installed Disney Television Studios president Eric Schrier sending an internal note of his own thanking Davis for his contributions. (Read both in full, below.)

“I wanted to share that I have made the decision to step down from my role as president of ABC Signature. It has been a privilege to work alongside all of you to deliver some of the most acclaimed and celebrated shows, like ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, FX’s Fleishman is in Trouble and Hulu’s This Fool, to name just a few, that captivate, inspire and reflect the audiences that we so proudly serve every day,” Davis said in his memo. “I’m forever grateful to Dana Walden and Eric Schrier for the wonderful opportunity to lead this world-class studio. And while I will, of course, miss this outstanding team, after doing this job for over 20 years, I’m looking forward to figuring out my next creative challenge.”

Sources say Disney will not merge its multiple studios, which also include 20th Television, FX Productions, Onyx Collective and others, but rather will begin a search to for an executive to take over running ABC Signature.

Davis is among the Fox executives who came over to Disney in the 2019 deal in which the Mouse House acquired 20th TV, among other assets. Before the merger, he served as president of 20th Television and had joined the studio in January 2008 as a vp comedy. Davis, alongside the since retired business operations president Howard Kurtzman, ran 20th TV and helped develop the studio’s This Is Us, Modern Family, New Girl and the animated series Central Park and Solar Opposites.

Davis was tapped as president of ABC Signature in July 2019 and in his role, helped develop series including Little Fires Everywhere, Godfather of Harlem, A Small Light, Tiny Beautiful Things and The Muppets Mayhem. Karey Burke, a Disney favorite, was moved over from ABC entertainment president to take over running 20th.

Davis, a well-liked exec, recruited creatives including Alec Berg, Drew Goddard, Tony McNamara, Yara Shahidi, Phoebe Robinson and countless others with deals at ABC Signature (formerly ABC Studios).

Here are both memos:

Team,

Jonnie Davis has made the decision to step down from his role as president of ABC Signature. Not only has Jonnie been an incredibly valued colleague, he has also served as a fantastic creative partner, collaborator and friend to so many. Jonnie is an exceptional person, and his unwavering support and positive energy will continue to inspire us. I hope you will all join me in expressing our gratitude to Jonnie for all of his contributions to ABC Signature and in wishing him continued success.

While news like this is never easy, I’m very confident in the leadership team we have in place, and I’m excited to work with them more closely until next steps are determined. 

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if there is anything you need.

Best,

Eric

Hi everyone, 

I wanted to share that I have made the decision to step down from my role as president of ABC Signature. It has been a privilege to work alongside all of you to deliver some of the most acclaimed and celebrated shows, like ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” FX’s “Fleishman is in Trouble” and Hulu’s “This Fool,” to name just a few, that captivate, inspire and reflect the audiences that we so proudly serve every day. I’m forever grateful to Dana Walden and Eric Schrier for the wonderful opportunity to lead this world-class studio. And while I will, of course, miss this outstanding team, after doing this job for over 20 years, I’m looking forward to figuring out my next creative challenge.

As I begin to reflect on my time here, I can’t think about our many successes without picturing people like you, who deliver the passion and dedication that drives our business. Each of you have played a role in making my experience at ABC Signature truly memorable and I will be cheering on the entire Disney Television Studios organization as you charge forward.

With thanks and gratitude,

Jonnie