The Television Academy Foundation today announced four new members to its board of directors: Cris Abrego, CEO, Endemol Shine North America, and chairman, Endemol Shine Americas; Rickey Minor, music director, composer and producer; Jonathan Murray, co-founder and executive consultant, Bunim/Murray Productions; and Tina Perry, president, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
"Our incoming board members bring extensive business and creative acumen in key sectors of our television industry," said Madeline Di Nonno, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "We welcome their thought leadership, strategic guidance and support as the Foundation expands its educational programs and community outreach, which are designed to promote diversity and inclusivity within the television industry and deepen support for the next generation of entertainment leaders."
Cris Abrego, chairman, Endemol Shine Americas, and CEO, Endemol Shine North America, oversees both the North American and Latin American divisions of Endemol Shine Group, the global independent content creator, producer and distributor with a diverse portfolio of companies that are behind some of the world's most prominent hit television formats. Abrego oversees all of Endemol Shine North America's programming, including Big Brother, MasterChef, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Trading Spaces, Deal or No Deal, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Lego Masters, The Biggest Loser, and the upcoming Utopia for Amazon Prime.
Additionally, Abrego has oversight of Endemol Shine Latino, the company's Spanish-language sales and development arm that leads all programming initiatives across Latin America. Abrego recently led the launch of Endemol Shine Boomdog, the division's newest studio that produces original content for both the U.S. Hispanic and Mexican markets.
Nine-time Emmy Nominee Rickey Minor, who took home his first statuette in 2017 for Outstanding Music Direction for Taking The Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America, is a prolific music director, composer and producer. His numerous television credits include The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno, American Idol, America's Got Talent, The Kennedy Center Honors, The American Music Awards, the Grammys, the Emmy Awards and The Oscars. Throughout his career he has worked with renowned recording artists including Adele, Beyoncé, Arianna Grande, Elton John, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Janelle Monáe, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban.
Minor has served on the Television Academy board for multiple terms representing the Music Peer Group and currently serves as a board appointee to the Academy's Executive Committee and co-chair of the Academy's Diversity Committee.
Jonathan Murray, co-founder of Bunim/Murray Productions, is widely credited with helping to usher in the modern reality television genre with his late partner Mary-Ellis Bunim when they launched The Real World on MTV in 1992. Murray has executive produced some of the industry's most popular unscripted television shows including Project Runway, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Challenge, The Simple Life, Starting Over, Family or Fiancé, and Making the Band. He has won two primetime Emmy Awards for Born This Way, a series documenting the lives of young adults with Down Syndrome, and the documentary Autism: The Musical. His most recent documentary titled TransHood is slated to air on HBO in June.
In 2012 Murray was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He has served multiple terms on the board of the Television Academy representing the Reality Peer Group and has been a co-chair of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards Committee. Murray also serves on the board of RespectAbility, a national disability rights organization.
Named president of OWN in 2019, Tina Perry oversees all operations and creative areas of the network, reporting to OWN Chairman and CEO Oprah Winfrey. Her leadership is a driving force behind the network's ongoing evolution to become the leading destination for African American viewers. She also oversees OWN's robust digital division including the Watch OWN app, the network's award-winning website Oprah.com and its growing podcast business. Perry was instrumental in OWN's successful launch into scripted programming with popular drama series Queen Sugar, Cherish the Day, Greenleaf, The Haves and the Have Nots, and Peabody Award-nominated David Makes Man. She oversees the continuing success of the network's lineup of unscripted hits that include Iyanla: Fix My Life, Love & Marriage: Huntsville, Black Women OWN the Conversation, Family or Fiancé, Black Love, Love Goals, and Ready to Love in addition to the Daytime Emmy Award-winning Super Soul Sunday and Home Made Simple.
Perry serves on the OWN board of directors, The Paley Center for media's Los Angeles board of governors, and the board of directors of The Friends of Saban Community Clinic. This year she was named to Ebony magazine's "Power 100" list, and Multichannel News named her a "Wonder Woman" for 2020.
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 Project, College Television Awards and Student Internship Program, 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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Jane Sparango
jane@breakwhitelight.com
310.339.1214
breakwhitelight for the Television Academy
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