The Banff World Media Festival has announced that CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach will be part of the ‘In Conversation With’ session lineup at its 45th edition in June. The Canadian Rockies festival has also revealed additional speakers for the upcoming event including Lisa Kramer, president of international TV licensing at Paramount Global Content Distribution; Asif Sadiq, chief global diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Warner Bros. Discovery; and Cori Wellins, partner at William Morris Endeavor. The festival will take place from June 9 to 12 in Banff, Alberta.
Joining the lineup of headliners at the Banff Festival are Gold House CEO Bing Chen and Sandra Dewey, COO of Media Res. This year’s conference is expected to focus on international financing and co-productions for global TV content. Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group, and Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment, will also be keynote speakers at the event. The appearance of these Hollywood executives comes as studios and streamers navigate recent writers and actors strikes to reduce costs.
At the same time, major Hollywood studios are working on expanding their streaming platforms in key international markets and strengthening their creative pipelines across film and TV studios. Banff Festival executive director Jenn Kuzmyk emphasized the significance of the upcoming 45th edition, stating that the industry is at an inflection point and that this year’s festival is meant to be a cornerstone event for media professionals in a rapidly evolving landscape.