Disney is hiring experts to spearhead its NFT ambitions
Disney is advertising for roles related to NFTs on its website, a hint of bigger future involvement.
- The firm is advertising for roles across the Walt Disney Group, including Hulu and ESPN.
Disney is looking for an expert to help beef up its NFT capabilities.
The firm is advertising for a business development manager to work in its Digital Experiences team, who will "lead Disney's efforts in the NFT space" including managing key partners and monitoring the evolution of the sector.
The job description lists that candidates must have "passion for digital and NFT categories" as well as a minimum of five years of licensing or business development experience.
NFTs — short for Non-Fungible Tokens — are unique digital assets verified by the blockchain, it can technically cover music or AI but has increasingly been touted for its potential to sell digital art.
Former CEO Bob Iger has described the opportunity for Disney in NFTs as "extraordinary". In January, he told the New York Times that he predicts the technology will explode, as people collect them "like baseball cards".
Knowledge of NFTs is also required in a number of other roles currently advertised on The Walt Disney Company's Careers portal.
A posting for a culture trend marketing manager for Disney's Hulu Streaming platform requires someone to "focus on how Hulu as a brand can break through into other spaces outside of streaming."
It lists music, gaming, NFTs, crypto and metaverse as examples.
Another two vacancies have much broader job specifications, but mention NFTs as part of the role.
Disney Music Group wants a director of sales and digital marketing to lead it's "efforts for emerging technologies", while ESPN is looking for a Summer 2022 intern to work in business development.
A strong understanding of new technologies in the industry including NFT's, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are listed among the preferred qualifications.
The potential of the NFT market — which ballooned to $41 billion in 2021 — has drawn increased attention from more traditional investors and big name companies.
Disney, which is also investing into the metaverse, is the latest of a number of companies, including Gamestop, hiring to expand into the space.
In June Disney signed a partnership with digital collectibles company Veve to sell NFTs based on the Marvel franchise.
The company has not yet responded to Insider's request for comment about the vacancies.