Sean Bailey

Sean Bailey is the founder and CEO of B5 Studios, an innovative studio that empowers world-class creatives with cutting-edge technology to create premium content across film, television, and emerging formats. B5 is backed by RedBird Capital Partners and guided by an advisory board of distinguished leaders and academics across entertainment and technology.

Previously, Bailey served for 14 years as president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, spearheading the studio’s evolution into a new era of live-action filmmaking, integrating cutting-edge visual effects and virtual production techniques with timeless storytelling. He led Disney to multiple billion-dollar blockbuster releases, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. For roughly half of Bailey’s tenure, Disney was the world’s #1 studio at the box office, and in 2019, The Walt Disney Studios had the most successful year in the history of the film industry. Bailey was on the launch team of Disney+, and he was the executive sponsor of Disney StudioLAB, an innovation hub dedicated to advancing storytelling through emerging technologies.

Before joining Disney, Bailey co-founded LivePlanet with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Chris Moore, and later launched Ideology, Inc., focused on next-generation storytelling across media. His producing credits include Tron: Legacy; Gone, Baby, Gone; Matchstick Men; The Core; and The Emperor’s Club. He also co-wrote the feature Solace, starring Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell.

Bailey is the vice chair of the Sundance Institute. He sits on the board of Arena SNK Studios, a newly launched, fully financed independent studio, and serves on the executive committee of the Caltech Board of Trustees.