Darren Walker named president and CEO of Anonymous Content

Darren Walker, who led the Ford Foundation for 12 years, has been named president and chief executive of Anonymous Content, the production and management company whose lead investor is Laurene Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective. The appointment comes as Anonymous Content seeks a new direction after the 2019 death of its founder, Steve Golin; the company produced projects such as Spotlight and Schitt's Creek and cut about 15 percent of its staff last year.

Powell Jobs, who has worked with Walker as a Ford trustee, called him 'a disciplined, clear strategist and manager' who understands and celebrates creative culture, and supporters in film and television said his unconventional background could be an asset as the industry faces consolidation, recent labor strikes, the Los Angeles fires, A.I.

issues and a decline in production. Walker, who will start next month and divide his time between Los Angeles and New York, said storytelling 'shapes culture' and that Anonymous is an 'iconic storytelling and talent organization.' He will remain board president of the National Gallery of Art and said he brings fresh perspectives while acknowledging there are things he must learn.

Key Topics

Culture, Darren Walker, Anonymous Content, Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs, Ford Foundation