James P. Jimirro

During his tenure at the helm of The Disney Channel, Jimirro was responsible for the conception, development, and launching of the fastest-growing pay service in history. Under Jimirro’s guidance, The Disney Channel introduced many innovations, such as interactive programming and The Disney Channel Magazine.

The channel achieved profitability in less than two years and has remained a jewel in the worldwide array of Disney products and services.

Jimirro was President of Walt Disney Home Video and, during this period, was a pioneer in the industry. He introduced several innovations in home video marketing, among them the world’s first home video direct-marketing campaigns.

Jimirro, having started his own public company, acquired a moribund National Lampoon and spearheaded the effort to successfully turn the company (and the legendary brand) around. The Company was sold in 2017.

Jimirro received his BA degree in Radio-Television from Penn State University and a Masters in Mass Communications from Syracuse University.

Jimirro is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars) and serves on the Board of Visitors for the College of Communications.

A Director Emeritus of the Westwood Village Business Improvement District and Theatre LA.

He has been honored as a Distinguished Alumnus America honoree for achievement in the entertainment industry.

Jimirro has maintained a life-long interest in the broader aspects of media and society. He is the author of numerous articles on this subject.

Jimirro has endowed the Paley Center for Media in New York with The James P. Jimirro Media Impact Series to further his interest in this area.

An ongoing program brings together prominent media personalities to explore media and society in a thoughtful and nonpartisan fashion. Media professionals that have appeared in this series include Lesley Stahl (CBS), Bill Hemmer (Fox), Nancy Gibbs (Times Magazine), Rich Lowry (National Review), and former Presidential press secretaries Joe Lockhart (Clinton) and Ari Fleischer (Bush 2).

In another media initiative, Jimirro has endowed a permanent professorship at his alma mater. The James P Jimirro Professorship in Media Effects, housed at the College of Communications, provides the wherewithal for one known and respected scholar to explore, research, write about and teach the continuing effects of all forms of media on human behavior, including voting patterns, buying habits, and even thought.

On another front, Jimirro is active in several enterprises involving the Great American Songbook, the music of Porter, Rodgers, and Berlin, et al. These include having served for many years as chairman of the selection committee for the Traditional Pop category at The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammys).