NATPE Reveals 2014 Board Members

LOS ANGELES: NATPE has announced the newly elected members of the 2014 Board of Directors, which is the most diverse group in the history of the association.

New board members include Jack Abernethy, the CEO of FOX TV Stations; Joe Abruzzese, the president of advertising sales for Discovery Communications; Rola Bauer, president and partner of Tandem Communications; Ira Bernstein, co-president of Debmar-Mercury; Deborah Bradley, the senior VP and head of program acquisitions and content licensing at Turner Broadcasting; and Sean Carey, the VP of content acquisitions for Netflix.

There is also Alberto Ciurana, the president of programming and content at Univision Communications; Lisa Honig, the senior VP of program distribution for the U.S. and Canada at FremantleMedia; Craig Hunegs, the president of business and strategy at Warner Bros. Television Group; Andy Kaplan, the president of worldwide networks at Sony Pictures Television; Michael Kassan, the president and CEO of MediaLink; and Lauren Zalaznick, the executive VP of NBC Universal.

Digital Advisory board members joining the overall board are Ross Levinsohn, the CEO of Guggenheim Digital Media; Erin McPherson, the VP and head of video programming and originals at Yahoo!; and Tim Spengler, the Worldwide CEO of MAGNA Global.

Returning board members include Rob Barnett, Kevin Beggs, Emerson Coleman, Steven J. Davis, Cesar Diaz, Robert Friedman, Bruce David Klein, Lew Klein, Jordan Levin, Greg Lipstone, Rod Perth, Hans Schiff, Peter Tortorici and Elizabeth Tumulty.

NATPE's 2014 Executive Committee will be comprised of Chair Jordan Levin, Kevin Beggs, Emerson Coleman, Steve Davis, Bruce David Klein, Lew Klein and Rod Perth. The executive committee's senior advisor will be Dick Lippon.

Rod Perth, the president and CEO of NATPE||Content First, said: "We chose each of these board members because they are at the heart of strategic relevance for NATPE. Collectively they will contribute to our growth because they are experienced executives who are successfully managing businesses during this time of enormous change. NATPE is breaking down barriers by recognizing the interdependency of content, distribution, advertising, the international marketplace, and the narrowing divide between traditional and digital content. We are fortunate that this outstanding group will provide valued counsel as we continue to evolve as a 50 year old provider of internationally important markets and conferences."

He added: "Over the years, I've worked with many of these exceptionally talented executives, so we are colleagues that get to reconnect. Their voices will add enormous value to this organization."