APT Appoints Two New Directors

BOSTON: Virginia Hamilton has been promoted to director of distribution services for American Public Television (APT), while Hilary Finkel Buxton has been upped to director of APT Exchange.

Previously the senior manager of APT’s distribution services, Hamilton has been involved in the distribution process behind the release of nearly 300 new programs a year. In her new director position, she will continue to oversee daily distribution operations, including assisting public TV stations nationwide with program scheduling, managing APT’s client services with station traffic departments and leading the distribution of APT’s program feeds.

Hamilton will also continue to serve as producer/director for APT’s quarterly teleconferences to public TV stations and manage all aspects of the program screening sessions at APT’s annual fall marketplace meeting.  She will also continue to provide all scheduling information, on-air resources and technical support for public TV’s lifestyle channel, Create TV, distributed and marketed by APT. 

Prior to joining APT, Hamilton was at public TV station WGBH in Boston, working in production services and audience services.

Commenting on Hamilton’s promotion, Cynthia Fenneman, the president and CEO of APT, said: “Hamilton’s promotion to director recognizes the accelerated leadership she has provided to APT at a critical time in our industry and in our company’s evolution. Her five years at APT have witnessed an incredible period of broadcast operations change, from analogue to digital, from SD to HD, and from feeding only to primary channels to multicast services. Ginny has masterfully seen us through.”

Meanwhile, Finkel Buxton was most recently senior manager in APT’s exchange service, where she was directly involved in reviewing programs, their rights and acquisition, including contracts, sponsorship and funding details, program packaging and general negotiations. In her new role as director of the exchange service, Finkel Buxton will take on supervisory duties and the planning for APT’s quarterly teleconferences and other screenings, as well as continue her work with producers and suppliers.

Finkel Buxton came to APT in the fall of 2008 from WGBH. Her credits include award-winning production work on a number of public TV programs, including The Victory Garden, Simple Ming, Food Trip with Todd English, This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop.

Fenneman commented on Finkel Buxton’s promotion: “The knowledge that Hilary brought to APT has proved to be a tremendous asset in her becoming an established, reliable resource for producers in all matters related to content. Not only has Hilary established strong relationships with new APT suppliers in her time with us, she has also greatly strengthened the bonds with our longtime producers.”