{"id":1169,"date":"2026-06-02T06:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1169"},"modified":"2026-06-02T06:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:07:19","slug":"longtime-disney-exec-jim-kapenstein-who-helped-oversee-some-of-its-biggest-acquisitions-joins-starz-as-chief-legal-and-strategy-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1169","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Disney Exec Jim Kapenstein, Who Helped Oversee Some Of Its Biggest Acquisitions, Joins Starz as Chief Legal and Strategy Officer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nStarz has tapped longtime Disney exec Jim Kapenstein to serve as the company\u2019s new chief legal and strategy officer. Kapenstein will join Starz next week and report to president\/CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, who announced the news on Monday.<\/p>\n

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\n\tAccording to the company, Kapenstein \u201cwill be\u00a0responsible for\u00a0developing and leading the strategic direction of business and legal affairs for the company, including distribution, content acquisition, production, litigation, employment matters and legal and regulatory compliance.\u201d He\u2019ll also \u201cplay a central role in leading strategic corporate transactions, including M&A, while overseeing the company\u2019s governance and broader public company responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKapenstein replaces former Starz general counsel Audrey Lee, who recently retired, and former chief strategy officer John Penney.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFew executives bring the breadth of experience Jim does with his involvement in some of the largest transactions in media history,\u201d said Hirsch in a statement. \u201cHis insight into guiding organizations through periods of transformation will be invaluable to us as we enter into our next phase of growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tKapenstein spent almost 30 years at Disney, most recently as deputy general counsel. His oversight of mergers, acquisitions and divestures, joint ventures, antitrust, corporate finance, social responsibility, strategic transactions and alliances, consumer payments, corporate structuring & governance and beyond included major transactions including the acquisitions of 21st<\/sup>\u00a0Century Fox, Hulu, Fubo, Lucas Films, Marvel and Pixar, among others, as well as ESPN\u2019s equity investment with the NFL.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am honored to join Jeff and the Starz team at such an exciting time in the company\u2019s growth and evolution,\u201d said Kapenstein in a statement. \u201cStarz has built an exceptional, profitable digital streaming business. I am looking forward to helping Jeff and his team shape the next stage of its growth and drive strategic direction through disciplined expansion, capitalizing on existing market opportunities and maintaining a best-in-class legal and corporate governance framework.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKapenstein began his career at Arent & Fox in Washington, D.C.; he later was a senior associate at Alston & Bird.<\/p>\n

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Longtime Disney exec Jim Kapenstein, who helped oversee some of the company’s biggest acquisitions, joins Starz as Chief Legal and Strategy Officer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[1149,1131],"class_list":["post-1169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-jim-kapenstein","tag-starz"],"yoast_head":"\nLongtime Disney Exec Jim Kapenstein, Who Helped Oversee Some Of Its Biggest Acquisitions, Joins Starz as Chief Legal and Strategy Officer - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1169\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Longtime Disney Exec Jim Kapenstein, Who Helped Oversee Some Of Its Biggest Acquisitions, Joins Starz as Chief Legal and Strategy Officer - 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