Motion Picture Association Renews Charles Rivkin’s Contract as Chairman and CEO
Member Studios Back Rivkin to Continue MPA’s Growth and Transformation Through 2023
WASHINGTON – The Motion Picture Association today announced Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin’s contract has been renewed for another three years, starting Jan. 1, 2021.
“I am honored to continue leading the Motion Picture Association through this pivotal moment for the film, television, and streaming industry,” said Rivkin. “Our members are leading the way in creating the most compelling stories around the world and delivering them to global audiences in the most innovative ways on every available screen. The pandemic has only underscored how great storytelling helps to connect people – even when they are forced to be apart. I look forward to continuing to work with our Members and partners to advocate for creators, protect their content and economic livelihoods, and sustain the unparalleled pioneering spirit that has characterized our industry for more than a century.”
Since becoming CEO and Chairman of the MPA in January 2018, Rivkin has transformed the Association. He prioritized recruiting new members to reflect the global and dynamic nature of the industry and restructured the organization to forge a more cohesive team that has resulted in a number of key advocacy and content protection wins.
In January 2019, Rivkin championed Netflix as the newest member of the MPA – joining Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. – underscoring the rapid shift underway in the industry towards streaming. Similarly, last month, Rivkin recruited Apple TV+ to join the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the global coalition to reduce piracy and protect the legal marketplace for creative content. ACE membership, during Rivkin’s tenure, has grown to include 35 leading global media and entertainment companies.
To reflect the international audiences its members serve, last year Rivkin also updated the association’s brand identity by unifying the regional sub-brands under the banner of a more globally aligned MPA. In 2019, international markets outside the United States and Canada accounted for 73 percent of the total box office and over $28 billion in digital home entertainment revenue. The industry also generates $16.3 billion in exports and registers a positive trade balance with nearly every country in the world.
Under Rivkin’s leadership, the MPA’s government affairs team played a key role in the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rivkin has been working closely with Member Studios and with federal, state, and local governments to get productions safely back up and running in key markets, ensuring the health and safety of the creative workforce and audiences everywhere. In addition, the MPA has played an important role in helping studios navigate and interpret the myriad regulations governing return to production in numerous jurisdictions around the world. Rivkin will continue to lead the industry’s efforts to license and distribute its global content by opening and expanding markets, strengthening copyright protections, fighting for artistic freedom, and pressing for meaningful enforcement against illegal piracy operations.
Rivkin has also prioritized, the MPA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program, which has rapidly grown to support more than 40 multicultural creative and civil rights organizations, working to create a diverse and inclusive pipeline for creators in front of and behind the camera. During his tenure, Rivkin has built a talented and diverse senior executive team to lead the MPA from Washington DC, Los Angeles, and regional offices around the world.
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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: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Netflix, Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO.
Media Contact:
Tom Zigo, Motion Picture Association
202.378.9110