FRAPA APPOINTS NEW GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS

FRAPA, the Format Recognition and Protection Association, has announced the appointment to the general board of two senior format executives from Japan and the United States: Universal Studio Group’s Enrique Guillen, and TBS’ Fumi Nishibashi. The two new appointments fill the roles previously occupied by Andrea Jackson, Ricardo Ehrsam and Vivian Yin. A further board member will be announced in the coming weeks.

Guillen, who currently serves as Universal Studio Group’s Executive Vice-president of Commercial Strategy and International Development, and Fumi Nishibashi, International Business Development Lead at TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System), take up their positions on the FRAPA board this week.

“FRAPA continues to increase its relevance year after year. As we move into our third decade of service to global format industry, we are thrilled to welcome two new members to our advisory board. Fumi Nishibashi is a legend not only in his home country Japan, but to format creators and distributors the world over. His years of creative experience will enhance FRAPA’s perspective and understanding of Asia and across the globe. Enrique Guillen brings amazing leadership and perspective. His experience in Europe and throughout North and South America as a producer, commissioner and now as a key player in NBCUniversal’s global initiative makes him an invaluable addition to our family of thought leaders and format experts,”  said Phil Gurin, Co-chair at FRAPA and President and CEO of The Gurin Company.

“And while no one ever replaces valued board members such as Ricardo Ehrsam, Andrea Jackson and Vivian Yin, whom we thank for their service, these two additions are worthy successors and great thinkers FRAPA is honored to bring onboard,”  Gurin added.

Guillen and Nishibashi bring a wealth of global experience to the FRAPA community. Guillen is responsible for Universal Studio Group’s International Formats Group, which creates, sells and adapts all scripted and unscripted formats from NBCUniversal and Sky Studios. Since taking on the role in early 2020, Guillen has focused on expanding Universal Studio Group’s global reach and generating new business via innovative strategic partnerships and co-productions.  

With more than 20 years on the front line of the global entertainment industry, Nishibashi heads international commercial development at TBS, one of Japan’s leading broadcasters and home to a slew of hit formats, including "Ninja Warrior" and "Takeshi’s Castle". Nishibashi previously worked at Fuji Creative Corp, the distribution arm of Japanese broadcast giant Fuji TV, where he was involved in numerous non-scripted format projects.

“I’ve been involved in the formats industry for more than 20 years, watching its growth as well as the more puzzling aspects of this business. Creativity should travel around the world with proper respect and protection. FRAPA works to safeguard this and I am honoured to be a part of its activity,”  Nishibashi commented.

“Our business cannot survive without global respect for and protection of intellectual property, and I am thrilled to join the mission at FRAPA,”  Guillen added.