NATPE Votes In New Co-Chairs, Board

LOS ANGELES, February 20:
The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) has elected
its 2008 board of directors, with Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs voted in for his first term as co-chair and serving alongside NBC
Universal’s Roma Khanna, who won a second term.

Beggs, who is as the president
of programming and production at Lionsgate Television, will replace Emerson
Coleman, the VP of programming at Hearst-Argyle Television in New York, who has
completed his term as co-chair and will serve on NATPE’s executive committee.
Khanna is the president of global networks and digital initiatives at NBC
Universal International in London.

Newly elected members of
the 2008 NATPE board are Chris Coelen, the CEO of RDF USA and Pangea Management
Group in Los Angeles; Tony DiSanto, the executive VP of series development and
programming at MTV; Jordan Hoffner, the head of content partnerships at
YouTube; Reginald Hudlin, the president of entertainment at BET Networks; Diane
Robina, the president of emerging networks at Comcast; Lori H. Schwartz, the senior
VP and director of emerging media at Interpublic Emerging Media Lab; Fernando
Szew, the CEO of MarVista Entertainment; and Jon Vlassopulos, the senior VP of
digital media and branded entertainment for Endemol USA.

Returning to the NATPE
Board are Cecile Frot-Coutaz, the CEO of FremantleMedia North America; Michael
Davies, the president and CEO of Embassy Row in; John Ferriter, the senior VP
and worldwide head of non-scripted television at the William Morris Agency;
Patricia Karpas of Media Ventures Consulting; David Katz; Bruce David Klein,
the president and executive producer of Atlas Media Corporation; Jim Packer,
the president of worldwide TV distribution for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
(MGM); Marc Schacher, the senior VP of programming and development at Tribune
Broadcasting Company; Doug Scott, the executive director of branded content and
entertainment at Ogilvy Mather Worldwide; Donna Speciale, the president of
investment and activation for MediaVest Worldwide; Andy Stabile of Creative
Artists Agency; and Barry Wallach, the president of NBC Universal Domestic
Television Distribution.

The 2008 NATPE executive
committee includes Rick Feldman, the president and CEO of NATPE, Khanna and
Beggs along with member representatives Coleman and Stephen Davis, the CEO of
Family Entertainment Group, as well as ex officio representatives Mickey
Gardner of the Washington Counsel; Lew Klein, the president of NATPE
Educational Foundation; Dick Lippin, the chairman and public relations counsel;
and Arnold Peter, the legal counsel.

—By Ned Berke