Rob Wade
The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) announced Rob Wade, CEO of FOX Entertainment, as the first keynote speaker for its BANFF Summit Series. The 45th edition of the festival will take place June 9 – 12, 2024, at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada, and feature new content streams focused on the challenges and opportunities within the international entertainment industry.
The BANFF Summit Series is a curated, future-focused lineup of keynote sessions that was launched in 2019 in honor of the festival's four-decade legacy. Additional keynotes for the festival in June will be announced in the coming months. This year, international financing and co-production will be a major focus with the launch of the "Better Together" content stream. BANFF will also debut "Soundtrack," a new conference stream focused on music on screen. Technology, AI, and entertainment content on social media and online platforms will also be a key content focus.
The festival will again include master classes that go behind the scenes of some of the global industry's most innovative projects, more than 1,200 facilitated networking opportunities, and over 25,000 meetings connecting the global media industry to ignite new projects and support business growth.
Kevin Beggs, Chair of the Board of Directors, BANFF and Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Lionsgate Television Group, highlighted the role of the keynote speaker: "The Banff World Media Festival is pleased that Rob Wade will keynote in our 2024 program. He is a seasoned producer, savvy, creative executive, and now CEO of FOX Entertainment, with exactly the kind of forward-thinking and focus on creative and business excellence that defines BANFF."
Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment, expressed gratitude for the invitation: "Being part of BANFF's 45th milestone year is quite an honor. This annual must-attend festival is like no other, uniting our industry to celebrate creativity and forward-thinking innovation. I very much look forward to sharing FOX Entertainment's global growth story and the strategies that are driving our content business."
Finally, Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director of Banff World Media Festival, mentioned the festival's historical significance and present importance: "BANFF is where the industry moves forward. In celebration of the 45th anniversary, we'll be launching more new approaches to foster industry collaboration, inspiration, and business development with formats that can only happen at this festival. It's a challenging time in global entertainment, but in times like these, new opportunities also grow. We are leaning into what is most unique about the festival, and that is access to thought leadership, provocative topical panels, and celebrating great accomplishments in creativity and business."