Motion Picture Association Appoints Kathy Bañuelos to Lead State Government Affairs, Vans Stevenson to Assume Senior Advisor Role
WASHINGTON – Kathy Bañuelos will join the Motion Picture Association as Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs. Vans Stevenson, who has led the State Government Affairs Department for 26 of his 32 years at the association, will become Senior Advisor. Ms. Bañuelos will start March 21 based at the MPA’s Los Angeles office and report to Patrick Kilcur, the MPA’s Executive Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs.
In his new role as Senior Advisor, Stevenson will continue to serve our member companies in all aspects of the Global Government Affairs department, in addition to supporting our colleagues in other departments and regions at the MPA. He will continue reporting to Kilcur.
“The Motion Picture Association and our member companies will no doubt benefit from Kathy’s impressive skills, experience, and network of relationships in her leadership of the state and local government affairs team,” said Mr. Kilcur, “And I’m incredibly gratified that Vans will continue his service at the MPA as Senior Advisor, where he will continue to provide his wise counsel, draw on his unparalleled network of relationships, and work tirelessly on behalf of our member companies.”
“I am humbled and honored that the Motion Picture Association has chosen me to represent this iconic industry in state capitals and city halls across the country, and grateful to my colleagues at NBCUniversal for providing me so many opportunities over my eleven years of service with them,” said Bañuelos. “I look forward to working to make sure that governments at all levels understand our challenges and will work as partners to help this industry thrive. And I’m very grateful that Vans will continue working with our team as we build on his unrivaled track record of achievement over the past three decades.”
“I am very excited that Kathy has accepted this position and will lead and manage MPA state government affairs into the future,” said Stevenson. “After 32 years with MPA, I look forward to being a partner and advisor as Kathy charts a new course to meet the evolving challenges in the states as the member companies’ expand in the ever-changing world of digital technology.”
Bañuelos joins the MPA after eleven years at NBCUniversal, where she is currently Vice President, Government Affairs. There, Bañuelos earned a stellar reputation and widespread praise from colleagues for her work representing the company before state and local governments on a wide variety of issues, ranging from tax to intellectual property to land use to labor and employment.
Prior to joining NBCU, Bañuelos served as counsel to the California Senate Judiciary Committee in Sacramento and worked as an employment litigator at the law firm of Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton LLP in Los Angeles. A native of Los Angeles, she is a graduate of Pomona College and Columbia University Law School.
Stevenson joined the MPA in 1989 and has led the State Government Affairs department since 1995. A tireless champion for the industry and its workforce, he has covered an array of issues including tax, the First Amendment, right of publicity, labor issues, and myriad production matters. Among its many successes, the MPA’s State Government Affairs team under Stevenson’s leadership, has created, retained, and enhanced production tax incentives throughout the United States, creating jobs and boosting local economies.
Prior to joining MPA, Stevenson was vice president of corporate affairs for Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation, responsible for financial and stock market relations as well as federal and state government affairs. Prior to Blockbuster, he was director of public affairs and corporate projects for Erol’s, a video store chain acquired by Blockbuster. Stevenson holds a B.S. from Ohio University and has completed post-graduate studies at New York University and the University of Cincinnati.
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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
202.378.9110