The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) announced the election of Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max; Sean Cohan, Chief Growth Officer and President, International at Nielsen; Dan Cohen, President of Global Distribution Group at ViacomCBS; and Laura Kennedy, CEO of Avalon, to its Board, effective immediately.
The announcement was made today by Andy Kaplan, NATPE’s Chairman of the Board, and JP Bommel, President and CEO of NATPE. The new appointees will serve a term of three years. Representing streaming, global distribution, data, and analytics, international production, and talent management, these new Board members bring additional expertise and connections to NATPE, that has 41 members from all areas of the content industry.
“The addition of these four executives to our strong, diverse and experienced board embraces our objective through the next three years to continue to reflect the industry’s content and distribution while actively increasing the diversity of our membership,” Kaplan remarked.
Sarah Aubrey is Head of Original Content for HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform, where she oversees a distinctive slate of drama, comedy, unscripted, documentary and animation. Prior to HBO Max, Aubrey was Executive Vice President of Original Programming for TNT and played an integral role in the network’s evolution into a destination for prestige original dramas.
Sean Cohan is responsible for overseeing Nielsen’s Global Strategy, Corporate Development, Growth Partnerships and all International, including Measurement, Outcomes, Sports, and Gracenote Content Services across more than 80 countries. Prior to Nielsen, Sean spent decades in the media business, including a 15-year tenure at A+E Networks, most recently as the President, International and Digital.
Dan Cohen is President of the ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group, where he leads the company’s global content licensing and distribution operations. He is responsible for monetizing a large and growing portfolio of original content that airs on the CBS Television Network, The CW, Paramount+ and Showtime, as well as programming from the MTV Entertainment Group, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television Studios, Paramount Players, Paramount Animation, CBS Studios, CBS News, CBS Media Ventures, and Miramax.
Laura Kennedy is CEO of Avalon, the talent management, production and distribution group based in London, Los Angeles and New York. Avalon represents a prolific roster of artists including comedians, actors, writers, and directors and produces numerous award-winning television shows.