Motion Picture Association Builds Out Federal Government Affairs Team

Alivia Roberts, Katherine Grayson, and Charlie Schonberger Join Global Film, Television, and Streaming Trade Association

WASHINGTON – Patrick Kilcur, the Motion Picture Association’s Executive Vice President for U.S. Government Affairs, today announced three key additions to the association’s federal advocacy team. Alivia Roberts and Katherine Grayson will both join as Director, Federal Government Affairs. And Charlie Schonberger will join as Manager, Federal Affairs and Trade Policy.

Roberts, who will be coming from the office of Vice President Kamala Harris, started on September 11 and reports to Ben Staub, Senior Vice President, Federal Government Affairs. Grayson is joining from the office of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and started on September 5. She reports to Hap Rigby, Senior Vice President, Federal Government Affairs. Schonberger will join the MPA from the National Governors Association. He begins September 18 and will report to Anissa Brennan, Senior Vice President, Global Policy and Federal Affairs. All three will be based in the MPA’s global headquarters in Washington, DC.

“I’m excited to have Alivia, Katherine, and Charlie join our government affairs team,” said Kilcur. “The combination of their backgrounds will be invaluable as we continue to advance key priorities before Congress, the Administration, and the federal agencies operating in areas critical to our member studios and the entire creative community.”

Roberts’ most recent role with the Administration was as Special Assistant to Vice President Harris, where she assisted in West Wing operations in support of the Vice President. Prior to the Biden White House, she held key roles at the Department of Justice and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from George Washington University, a certificate in entrepreneurial leadership from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Mississippi State University.

Grayson comes to the MPA from the Office of the Senate Republican Leader, where she was Senator Mitch McConnell’s Deputy Press Secretary. She previously worked in public affairs at Kivvit, a communications company. Grayson has also worked for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Barbara, where she majored in Film and Media Studies.

Schonberger previously was a policy analyst at the National Governors Association, where he was a member of the NGA Center for Best Practices. Prior to that, he worked at the National Association of Counties. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy & Administration from James Madison University.

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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