Television Academy Foundation Announces New Board Members

The Television Academy Foundation TODAY named six new members to its board of directors: Jorge R. Gutierrez, Emmy and Annie Award-winning animation writer and director; Mina Lefevre, chief content officer of television at Trending; Brian O'Rourke, chief production officer at TBWAMedia Arts Lab; Kimberly Evans Paige, EVP, chief marketing officer, BET; John Pollak, co-founder and chief executive officer, Allied MGMT Group; and Mike Prickett, extreme director of photography. Board members have been elected to three-year terms, effective immediately. 

The Foundation also announced that Foundation Vice Chair Jonathan Murray will serve as the organization's interim chair beginning January 1, 2024, as current Chair Cris Abrego transitions to his newly elected role as Chair of the Television Academy. Elections for a new Foundation Chair will be held in March 2024.  

“We're thrilled to announce the appointments of these distinguished industry colleagues to the board,” said Jodi Delaney, executive director of the Foundation.  

“It's fantastic that the Foundation continues to draw Hollywood heavyweights with amazing careers who want to give back and participate in its mission to build a more inclusive and diverse television industry.” 

Gutierrez is an Emmy and Annie Award-winning Mexican animator, painter, voice actor, writer and director. Gutierrez directed and co-wrote the Guillermo del Toro- produced animated feature The Book of Life, which earned him a 2014 Golden Globe Award nomination. Along with his wife, Sandra Equihua, he created the multiple Emmy Award-winning animated series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon.

Gutierrez most recently created, wrote and directed the event series Maya and the Three for Netflix which won two Annie Awards and was nominated for five Emmys. He is currently developing, writing and directing a Netflix animated feature titled I, Chihuahua with Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias. Gutierrez is a distinguished Television Academy Foundation alumnus, winning a 2001 College Television Award in the animation category and interning through the Foundation in 1999. 

Lefevre was recently named chief content officer of television at Trending, the newly formed media group created by Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan, where she oversees creative and strategic oversight in scripted and unscripted programming. Prior to joining Trending, she held the position of head of development and programming at Meta/Facebook where she oversaw the development and production of original series for Facebook's video platform “Watch,” as well as spearheaded original content across Facebook, Oculus, Messenger and Instagram.

Lefevre developed the platform's NAACP Award-winning and Daytime Emmy Award-nominated series Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris. On the scripted side, she was behind Elizabeth Olsen-fronted Sorry For Your Loss and Sacred Lies as well as an adaptation of podcast Limetown with Jessica Biel and Stanley Tucci.

Before she joined Facebook, Lefevre was EVP and head of scripted at MTV. She oversaw its scripted department that was responsible for series including Awkward, Faking It, Scream, FINDING CARTER and Shannara Chronicles. She was also VP, development and programming at ABC Family, where she was behind Pretty Little Liars, THE FOSTERS and Melissa & Joey. 

While at Facebook Watch, Lefevre launched unscripted programming such as STEVE on Watch with Steve Harvey, Piece of Mind with Taraji with Taraji P. Henson, and docuseries like 9 Months with Courteney Cox, Unfiltered: Paris Jackson and Gabriel Glenn, The Biebers on Watch and Latin Music Queens, in addition to Tom vs. Time with Tom Brady and Stephen vs The Game with Stephen Curry. She also developed youth focused series for Messenger's Watch Together, which included Cardi Tries series with Cardi B, Post Malone's Celebrity World Pong League and Here for it with Avani Gregg. 

O'Rourke is currently chief production officer overseeing all production globally for Apple at TBWAMedia Arts Lab - the brand's bespoke advertising agency. His passion is creating multi-screen experiences that build emotional connections with audiences and affect culture. At the forefront of blending short and long-form content, he's brought to life commercials, documentaries, TV series, events and digital experiences. Global companies that have sought his expertise include Sony, Nissan, Gatorade, Adidas, Airbnb, Intel, Visa, Pepsi and many others. O'Rourke credits the Television Academy Foundation for his success, having landed an internship in commercial production through their prestigious internship program in 1992. 

Paige is currently EVP, chief marketing officer at BET, a position she's held since 2019. In this role, she is responsible for managing and implementing brand and marketing strategy across all platforms including all BET linear networks and the #1 Black streaming platform, BET+. In addition, she leads Social and Digital, the largest Black digital ecosystem and the highly successful BET Live Events business.

A seasoned brand marketer and general manager with over 25 years of experience, Paige started her career at P&G and The Coca-Cola Company and is widely recognized as a leading business executive who is known for driving transformative growth among existing and emerging brands and companies.  

Pollak is co-founder and chief executive officer at Allied MGMT Group. After 20 years in the entertainment business, as both a global distribution head and producer, John Pollak launched Allied MGMT Group (AMG) with Co-Founder, Wilmer Valderrama. This forward-thinking management company is focused on partnering with, packaging and representing the most sought after new and existing Latino voices across traditional and digital media.

From writers, directors, showrunners and producers to new media creators, AMG is committed to fostering Latino talent to meet the increased demand for authentic and diverse storytelling in Hollywood. Pollak is a founding partner of the Alliance For Latino Executives, a group of senior level Latino executives whose mission is to create sustained opportunity for up and coming Latino executives, storytellers and producers. 

Prickett is known as the extreme director of photography from the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. He's been shooting for over 30 years in dangerous locations worldwide, yet he's probably best recognized for his action cinematography in feature films, commercials and television. He's shot nearly every ocean in the world and has won many awards for his work. Prickett's work as a cinematographer or director of photography can be seen in feature films such as Point Break 2, Chasing Mavericks, Billabong Odyssey, X Men 2, Riding Giants, Step Into Liquid, Blue Horizon, The Ride, Day of Days and Red Sky Morning among others.  

About the Television Academy Foundation 

Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future.

Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship Program and the Media Educators Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation. 

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