Execs from Netflix, Facebook, CBS & Universal TV Join NATPE Board

NATPE has elected to its board Netflix’s Cindy Holland, Universal Television’s Pearlena Igbokwe, Facebook’s Mina Lefevre and CBS’s Sharon Vuong.

Holland is Netflix’s VP of original content. Igbokwe is the president of Universal Television. Lefevre serves as Facebook’s head of development. Vuong is the senior VP of alternative programming at CBS. The appointments, for a two-year term, are effective immediately.

“We are delighted to welcome such a diverse group of leaders who are helping to redefine today’s changing television landscape,” said Andy Kaplan, chairman of the board at NATPE and president of Sony Pictures Television Networks. “At NATPE, we strive to represent the future of the industry and are gratified that our board is comprised of executives at the center of these evolutionary shifts.”

NATPE also announced the formation of a new NXTGN (Next Gen) Advisory Board, featuring a group of top executives across digital media with the mission to identify new trends in the media and entertainment content industry. The NXTGN Advisory Board will be year-round through events, meetings and educational opportunities, leading a dialogue with content creators, brands, advertisers, distributors and buyers. It will focus on the emergence of new platforms and business models in TV, OTT, digital, mobile, gaming, AR, VR and AI.

“Our goal at NATPE is to be at the forefront of our constantly evolving business, lead content ecosystem dialogue, and create marketplace evolution that breeds new business opportunities,” said JP Bommel, the president and CEO of NATPE. “The mission of the NATPE NXTGN Advisory Board is to impact the business and creative communities, helping navigate content across all platforms in creation, distribution and acquisition. Creating an excellent resource like NXTGN Advisory Board is just one piece of the puzzle and we are excited to reveal more plans.”