The Television Academy Foundation on May 21 named three new members to its board of directors, including Metzger Iwashina Media co-founder Kevin Iwashina, who was elected to a three-year term.
Noted entertainment attorney Allison Binder was also elected to a three-year term and Banijay Americas CEO Ben Samek was selected as a chair appointee for a one-year term.
“We are thrilled to welcome these three exceptional leaders whose deep industry expertise and relationships will continue to fuel the accelerated growth of the Foundation’s emerging talent initiatives,” said Tina Perry, chair of the foundation. “Their participation and contributions will elevate our programs and provide more opportunities for the future industry workforce.”
Iwashina is the founder of Audivisuel, a film and documentary sales, distribution and finance advisory company. His career milestones include brokering the landmark $75 million sale of “Hamilton” to The Walt Disney Company; facilitating the sale of the first original documentaries to Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Disney+; and assembling financing and distribution for the Oscar-winning films “Crash” and “The Hurt Locker.”
Iwashina most recently handled the sale of the Broadway live performance of “Merrily We Roll Along” to Sony Pictures Classics as well as the West End live performance of Hadestown to Bleecker Street Media. His credits include the Andscape/Hulu Original documentary short “Hoops, Hopes & Dreams”; the Emmy-nominated Netflix original documentary “Long Shot”; and “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”
The Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to inspiring tomorrow’s Emmy winners today by discovering and championing future television leaders. Through its celebrated nationwide programs — including its Internship Program and College Television Awards — the foundation opens doors for emerging talent, empowering them to launch careers in television.
The foundation also produces “The Interviews: An Oral History of Television,” an archive that preserves the stories of the industry’s most influential voices. Together, these initiatives inspire creativity, foster inclusion and shape the future of television.
For more information, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.