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Ricky Strauss

Ricky Strauss

Former President of Participant Media

Most recently Ricky Strauss served as President of Programming for Hulu and Disney + where he was responsible for all programmatic strategy for both platforms. Prior to that assignment, he was the President of Content & Marketing for Disney +. As Disney’s first president of Content & Marketing for Disney +, Ricky led the strategic content vision for the service, overseeing development of the service’s original programming slate, production partnerships and content acquisitions.

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Working in collaboration with external production entities as well as content groups across The Walt Disney Company that developed and produced original content exclusively for the service (including The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Television, Disney Digital Media, Pixar Animation, Marvel Entertainment, and Lucasfilm), Strauss had creative oversight and execution of the service’s portfolio of high-quality feature films, episodic series and short-form content. Additionally, Strauss was responsible for all facets of content marketing for the service.

Strauss previously served as president of marketing for The Walt Disney Studios, overseeing the Studios’ global marketing strategy encompassing creative, media, digital, promotions, publicity, research and synergy across all distribution channels for motion pictures released under the Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm banners. Blockbuster films that Disney delivered under Strauss’ tenure include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for which Strauss was named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Marvel’s The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, and Guardians of the Galaxy; Disney’s The Jungle Book, Cinderella, Maleficent, and Beauty and the Beast; Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen, Zootopia, and Moana; and Disney•Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Finding Dory and Inside Out.

A 30-year entertainment industry veteran, Strauss joined Disney in January 2012 after seven years as president of Participant Media, where he oversaw the company’s marketing, production, and acquisition for a broad range of socially relevant and commercially viable films, television programming and publishing efforts. Among the acclaimed films that Participant produced under Strauss’ tenure are the 2011 Academy Award®-winning blockbuster The Help, Contagion, Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana, The Kite Runner, The Visitor, the Academy Award®-winning documentaries An Inconvenient Truth, The Cove, Waiting for Superman, and PAGE ONE: Inside the New York Times.

Strauss now lends his considerable talents and experience to the board of directors of Binj.

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The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

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