Disney's Iger, DreamWorks' Katzenberg may be on Biden's ambassador shortlist: report

Walt Disney Company Executive Chairman Big Iger and DreamWorks Animation co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg could be on President-elect Joe Biden's shortlist for ambassador roles, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Biden could tap Iger for an ambassador position representing the U.S. in either China or the U.K., and Katzenberg is also on the president-elect's ambassador shortlist, the Reporter noted, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
DIS	THE WALT DISNEY CO.	115.97	+0.31	+0.27%

Iger previously said he would consider a role in the Biden administration if the offer presented itself.

"Giving back in some fashion -- serving our country in some fashion -- is certainly something that I would consider seriously," Iger said during an interview with Bloomberg earlier this month. "But a lot of it would depend on what it is, what the opportunity is, and whether I thought it would be something that I would both be stimulated by and be good at."

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The Biden transition told FOX Business that a "discussion of ambassadorships is premature.”

From Hollywood to Ambassador

• Child star Shirley Temple Black was appointed US ambassador to Ghana in 1974 and to Czechoslovakia in 1989.
• Actor John Gavin (“Psycho” and “Spartacus”) a former president of the Screen Actors Guild, was named U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1981.
• Former music executive Nicole Avant became the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas in 2009
• Former CEO of the Jim Henson Company, Charles Rivkin, in 2009 became the ambassador to France and Monaco
• Ex-HBO vice president of global licensing and retail, James Costos, was named the U.S,. ambassador to Spain and Andorra in 2013

Iger, 69, served as CEO of Disney from 2000 until early 2020. During his tenure, Iger was the driving force behind several key acquisitions, including Disney’s purchases of Marvel in 2009 and certain Fox film and television assets in 2019.

Katzenberg, also 69, was most recently the founder of Quibi, a short-form video service that shut down earlier this month. He currently serves as managing partner for the consulting firm WndrCo, but has a background steeped in Hollywood.

• Held the CEO post of DreamWorks Animation between 2004 and 2017
• Co-founded and was chairman of DreamWorks SKG between 1994 and 2004
• Served as Chair of Walt Disney Studios between 1984 and 1994
• At Paramount, was President of motion pictures between 1974 and 1984.

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Friend to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, producer Matt Walden is also being considered for an ambassador position, according to the Reporter.

Biden has already chosen former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, who served on Netflix's board of directors before agreeing to join the new administration, to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council.

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FOX Business' Thomas Barrabi contributed to this report.