In its 25th anniversary, FRAPA taps three new board members

FRAPA, the Format Recognition and Protection Association, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has announced several changes to its executive team as it restructures to meet the challenges of a content industry in transition. The Association has appointed three influential format executives from the US, the UK and Italy — Blink49’s Adam Steinman, Shimmer Media’s Pascal Dalton and Formatbiz’s Maria Chiara Duranti respectively — to its advisory board, as BBC Studios Nordics’ Jan Salling steps down as co-chair after 10 years in service. Mike Beale, ITV Studios’ managing director, creative network, is also standing down from the management board after a five-year stint.

Salling and Beale have been named Lifetime FRAPA Ambassadors in recognition of their many years of service to both FRAPA and the global formats industry. Salling’s fellow co-chair, The Gurin Company/TGC Global Entertainment’s Phil Gurin, will now serve as the Association’s sole chairman.

FRAPA chairman Phil Gurin, president and CEO of The Gurin Company/TGC Global Entertainment, said: “As we enter our 25th year, FRAPA is working hard to stay relevant and reinvent itself for the future. Central to this ambition is to assemble a multinational, multi-hyphenate board capable of guiding both FRAPA and the formats community it serves through a media market battling fragmentation, economic instability and the existential threat of AI. Adam, Pascal and Maria bring enormous skill, insight and global expertise to our mission to serve as the conscience of the format community. And, as part of our ongoing commitment to offer tangible value to our membership, we will also be announcing a raft of new initiatives and services in the coming months. Stay tuned!”

Pascal Dalton said: "FRAPA stands as the moral compass of our industry, a true North Star guiding the format business for everyone involved. I'm absolutely thrilled to join the board and eager to serve FRAPA's members, while collaborating with my esteemed fellow board members."