Kevin A. Mayer

Kevin A. Mayer is an American business executive and the co-founder and managing partner of Smash Capital, a later-stage investment firm focused on consumer internet and technology companies. He is also co-founder and co-CEO of Candle Media, a Blackstone-backed media company whose assets include Hello Sunshine and Moonbug Entertainment. He is best known for his 22-year career at The Walt Disney Company, where as Chief Strategy Officer he oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox, and as Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International he led the launch of Disney+. He briefly served as CEO of TikTok and COO of ByteDance in 2020 before resigning amid U.S. government pressure on the company.