Matt Miller, President and CEO of AICP today announced that a new slate of officers has taken leadership roles at AICP, promising to continue setting progressive policies and goals for the association as it addresses rapidly changing business conditions.
Newly elected as AICP National Board Chairperson is Rich Carter of brother, who was re-elected as a Director at Large, and previously served as Vice Chairperson. He’s succeeded in that position by Lisa Mehling of Chelsea, who also serves as a Director At Large, and had been an appointed Member of the Executive Committee of the Board for 2018. Elected Treasurer is Robert Fernandez of Moxie Pictures, a previous Chair of the Board. Sally Campbell of SOMESUCH, who is a Director at Large, was appointed Member At Large to the Executive Committee. Rounding out the Executive Committee is Ralph Laucella, who recently concluded two terms as Chair and assumes the post of Immediate Past Chairperson.
Growth & Diversity
“For the board and for AICP, a major goal will be continuing to diversify the membership of the association and to ramp up our education and communication efforts,” Carter comments. He sees both efforts as helping members stay on top of developments that impact the business of production and post for agencies and brands.
“We’re looking for greater inclusiveness and more diversity of personal backgrounds and company types,” he adds. “And that’s why I’m excited to have Lisa and Sally serving on the Executive Committee,” adds Carter. “Sally and Lisa are both savvy business owners committed to working with the AICP membership to help create best practices for the industry. Our National Board has become more reflective of the industry as a whole, and that’s been helped by the addition of several representatives from the post production community. The more we grow, the stronger we are.”
Mehling previously served on the AICP East Chapter board, and several committees. She also served as Chairperson of the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the American Commercial in 2017. “AICP is incredibly important to the production and post industry,” notes Mehling, “especially now, as the rate of disruption to our business has been radical and the new paradigm is nowhere near settled. As an organization, AICP gives us a way to address change as a community, setting best practices that can benefit the entire industry.”
This is the second time Carter has served as Chairperson of the AICP Board – he was previously Chair from 2008-2010 while a partner at Gartner; prior to that he held positions on both the National and West Boards and served on numerous committees. In addition to his time on the AICP Board, he is on the Board of Trustees of the Producers’ Health Benefits Plan (PHBP), a position he has held since the Plan’s inception. Carter also serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).
He notes that now, as owner and executive producer of a small, boutique company that straddles the advertising and entertainment industries, he brings a different perspective to his role as Board Chair. “Having transformed my own business gave me insights into how to manage constant change,” he says, “and that focus on education and guidance will continue to be an important part of our mission, not just for AICP members, but for our agency and advertiser partners as well.”
The National Board has several new additions as a result of chapter board elections around the country. Brian Hwang, most recently of 3008 in Dallas, was elected by the Southwest Chapter as its board representative; Hwang is also president of the chapter. Similarly, Lisa Masseur of Tessa Films, president of the Midwest Chapter, was elected as its representative to the National Board. Fernandez will serve as the new East representative to the National Board.
Re-elected as General Member Directors at Large are Eriks Krumins of MJZ, and Frank Scherma of RadicalMedia. Returning to the Board as Chapter Representatives are Tabitha Mason-Elliot of BARK BARK (Southeast); Michael Savitz of Shoot Collective (Florida); and Bob George of Drive Thru (Minnesota), all of whom are presidents of their respective chapters. Newly elected as an Associate Director at Large is Dee Tagert of Sage Ideas.
To view the full AICP National Board, click here.
About AICP
AICP represents, exclusively, the interests of independent companies that specialize in the pro-duction and post production of commercials in various media—film, video, digital—for advertisers and agencies. The association, with national offices in New York and Los Angeles as well as region-al chapters across the country, serves as a strong collective voice for this $5 billion-plus industry. Founded in 1972, AICP assists its members by: disseminating information; representing production and post production companies within the advertising community in business circles, in labor negotiations and dealing with employment issues; and before governmental officials; developing industry standards and tools; providing professional development; and marketing American pro-duction and post production via events and awards shows.
