Faculty Directory | Joshua Walker

Joshua Walker serves as the Chief Operating Officer & CFO for Skydance’s Direct-to-Consumer segment. In this role, Josh oversees the global finance, strategy, planning and operations organizations for the company’s streaming services, HBO Max, Paramount+, discovery+ and Pluto TV, globally. Josh’s teams handle development and execution of the global business and content strategies, financial planning and operations for the streaming services. Josh oversees FP&A, content finance, operating finance, content strategy, content analysis & insights, greenlighting, business strategy, pricing & packaging, content planning & scheduling, content acquisition, podcasting, business planning, project management, business intelligence and other analysis and operating functions for the segment globally. This structure ensures a holistic and strategic approach to curating, programming, scheduling, pricing, distributing and operating the streaming services, aligned with the company’s business and financial objectives. 

Walker previously served as Chief Financial & Strategy Officer for Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming. Prior to that, Josh served as Chief Strategy Officer for HBO Max, overseeing strategy, research and data & analytics for the direct-to-consumer service. Josh has also served as Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President of Financial Planning for WarnerMedia Entertainment, overseeing strategic and financial planning for HBO, Cinemax, TNT, tbs, truTV, HBO Max and Otter Media. In this role, Walker spearheaded the business and financial planning for the creation, programming and launch of HBO Max. Walker has also served as Senior Vice President of Distribution Business Affairs for HBO, playing an integral role in the structuring and negotiating of distribution deals and strategic new media partnerships with media companies, including Comcast, Google, Amazon, Apple, Hulu and AT&T. These deals covered distribution of the HBO and Cinemax linear television channels as well as the HBO NOW, HBO GO and MAX GO apps and services.  

Prior to joining HBO in 2010, Walker practiced law at the firms Chadbourne & Parke LLP and Davis & Gilbert LLP in New York City, focusing his practice on M&A and financing deals. 

Walker is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the New York University Stern School of Business, where he teaches a course on deal making and business development in media. He holds a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in English & Political Science from the University at Buffalo, a J.D. from Cornell Law School and an MBA from Stern.