Nat Geo veteran Charlie Parsons leaves in Disney cuts
Charlie Parsons, a senior development executive at National Geographic, is leaving as Disney layoffs hit the factual brand and other units.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Charlie Parsons, a senior development executive at National Geographic, is leaving the company as Disney carries out a new round of layoffs, according to Deadline.
Parsons was senior vice president of development at the factual brand and had spent more than 15 years there. Deadline reported that his exit comes as National Geographic was affected by broader cuts at Disney, with Pixar and National Geographic among the divisions hit hardest in the latest round.
Across Disney Entertainment Television, just under 100 employees were laid off, Deadline reported, citing its understanding of the cuts. National Geographic and ABC News were described as among the units particularly affected.
A long Nat Geo run ends
Parsons joined National Geographic in 2010, according to Deadline. During his tenure, he worked on a roster of the brand’s best-known unscripted and documentary projects.
His credits at Nat Geo included One Strange Rock, Hostile Planet and Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, as well as newer programs such as Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston and Best of the World with Antoni Porowski, Deadline reported.
Deadline also listed Life Below Zero among the projects tied to Parsons, along with live event programming Earth Live and Yellowstone Live. His documentary work at the company included LA 92 and The Cave, while his film credits there included Killing Jesus.
Before arriving at National Geographic, Parsons worked as director of content at Travel Channel. Deadline reported that his work there included Man v. Food and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. He had also been an executive producer at Discovery Channel and Science Channel.
Disney’s cuts were flagged earlier
The layoffs followed cost-cutting signals earlier in the year from Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, according to Deadline. In April, D’Amaro said the company was looking to “streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney.”
Deadline reported that Parsons was among the National Geographic staffers affected. Other executives in the Nat Geo development operation include directors in the division and Terry Danuser, vice president of casting and talent relations.
Danuser previously spent more than a decade at Discovery and has been with National Geographic for more than 11 years, according to Deadline.
The latest cuts land during a wider Disney workforce reduction that Deadline reported amounted to several hundred jobs across the company. ESPN was also affected, with on-air personalities Karl Ravech and Ryan Clark exiting, according to a related Deadline report.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.