Industry

NATPE today announced the election of Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max; Sean Cohan, Chief Growth Officer and President, International, Nielsen; Dan Cohen, President, Global Distribution Group, ViacomCBS; and Laura Kennedy, CEO, Avalon to its Board, effective immediately.

The announcement was made today by Andy Kaplan, NATPE 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.

Remarked Kaplan, “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.”

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. Aubrey has also enjoyed a career as a television and film producer. Throughout her tenure, she has prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera and across executive ranks.

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 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. He is a Corporate Director at H&R Block (NYSE - HRB) and AccuWeather. Sean is a Trustee/Board member at the Parrish Art Museum, the Banff World Media Festival and the Opportunity Network, which helps develop underrepresented high school students on their paths to and through college into their careers. He also is the Vice Chair on a content committee of UJA Federation of New York.


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. He also oversees the distribution of the industry’s largest library of film and television titles and runs worldwide home entertainment for the company.

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. Current shows include Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), Breeders (FX), Everything’s Gonna Be Okay Freeform), Taskmaster (Channel 4), Flatbush Misdemeanors (Showtime) and Starstruck (HBO Max).