Motion Picture Association Hires Hap Rigby and Kenneth Mallory to Government Affairs Team
Rigby Joins as Senior Vice President, Federal Government Affairs; Mallory as Vice President, Media Policy & Regulatory Counsel
WASHINGTON – The Motion Picture Association (MPA) today announced two new hires to its U.S. Government Affairs department. Hap Rigby, a U.S. Senate veteran and communications policy expert, will join as Senior Vice President, Federal Government Affairs. Kenneth Mallory, a technology and communications policy expert, will join as Vice President, Media Policy & Regulatory Counsel.
Rigby, who brings nearly two decades of policy experience to the association, will help lead the MPA’s federal advocacy to advance industry priorities in Congress and the executive branch. Mallory is an attorney and policy expert with a deep background in media, technology, and communications matters and will lead the MPA’s engagement with regulatory agencies including the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission. Both will begin on Jan. 23 and will be based in the MPA’s global headquarters in Washington, DC.
“As Washington considers proposals governing the digital marketplace to address the digital evolution of the film, television, and streaming industry, the addition of Hap and Kenneth will better position the MPA to advance key industry priorities,” said Patrick Kilcur, Executive Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs. “Their expertise in media, technology, and communications policy will help the association and our member studios continue to innovate and produce films and shows audiences love – particularly as the streaming ecosystem continues to grow and evolve.”
Rigby joins the MPA from Wiley Rein, where he was Senior Policy Advisor and advised key clients from the communications and technology sectors. Prior to that, he worked for Sen. John Thune (R-SD) on the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, for former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), and for former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS).
“I am excited to join the Motion Picture Association and share the dynamic story of today’s film, television, and streaming industry with policymakers in Congress and across the Administration,” said Rigby. “This industry supports 2.4 million jobs nationwide, and every day, our member studios are producing high-quality content in all 50 states and innovating to reach audiences where, when, and how they want to be entertained.”
Mallory was most recently Head of Public Policy for Meta in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. He has also worked for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia, and the Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council (MMTC), among others.
“The Motion Picture Association and its member companies are at the forefront of some of today’s most exciting innovations,” said Mallory. “I’m thrilled to join the team and work to advance and protect those innovations and our members’ creative works.”
Rigby will report directly to Kilcur. Mallory will dually report to Ben Sheffner, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Law and Policy and Anissa Brennan, Senior Vice President, Global Policy and Federal Affairs.
About The Motion Picture Association
The Motion Picture Association, Inc. (MPA) serves as the global voice and advocate of the motion picture, home video, and television industries. It works in every corner of the globe to advance the creative industry, protect its members’ content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences around the world.
Its member studios are Netflix Studios, LLC; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Universal City Studios LLC; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO.
Media Contact
Tom Zigo, Motion Picture Association
Tom_Zigo@motionpictures.org
202.378.9110