Stringer Is Chosen to Head AFI’s Board of Trustees
The American Film Institute announced Friday that Howard Stringer, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Corp. of America, has been elected chair of the institute’s board of trustees. Tom Pollock, who has served as the chair for three years, will remain with AFI as the chair of a newly formed board of directors.
In a phone interview from his office at Sony’s Culver City studio, Stringer stressed the importance of AFI taking a leadership role in “redefining the moving image in the digital era. This is a de facto revolution and we have to embrace it.”
Noting the reluctance of some of Hollywood’s old guard to embrace the switch to digital, Stringer points out “George Lucas is shooting the next ‘Star Wars’ on Sony’s digital cameras. He doesn’t wax nostalgic about the tangible qualities of film. . . . I’m very eager to get the AFI campus to be part of the revolution. And the kids on the campus are already further ahead than the Hollywood studios in that respect.”
Stringer emphasized that he is not replacing Pollock. “We’re sharing the responsibilities as much as anything,” he said. “I’m totally dependent on him in some ways because Tom is better connected than I am in Hollywood and knows more about the industry than I do. I hope it’s a partnership. If it isn’t, I’m in trouble.”
The Hollywood-based AFI is the country’s preeminent nonprofit organization dedicated to “advancing and preserving the art of the moving image.” Until recently the AFI’s board consisted of 60 members. Last month the board voted to expand its membership to 85 and restructure its role; 25 members, headed by Pollock, will comprise the smaller board of directors.
AFI spokeswoman Nancy McCready describes the smaller group as a “working board” that will meet more frequently than the larger board and will focus on overseeing programs and fiscal matters.
In the past few years, AFI has gained a higher profile than ever with its televised lifetime achievement awards. The AFI’s selection of the 100 greatest films and 50 top film legends drew international interest. But critics say the organization has lost its original focus.
Stringer said AFI’s dedication to preservation remains strong and again pointed to new digital technologies that he thinks will aid preservationists in their work.
Stringer was born in Wales, educated at Oxford University in England, served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war (and has since become a U.S. citizen) and was recently bestowed a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth of England. He has been with Sony since 1997. Before that he was chief executive of Tele-TV and, from 1988-1995, president of CBS Broadcast Group.
Jon Avnet, Mark Canton, Robert A. Daly, Jerry Katzman and Michael Nesmith were elected vice chairs of the newly structured board of trustees.
Among the new trustees elected are John Hendricks, chairman and chief executive of Discovery Communications, and James Kimsey, founder of America Online and chairman of the AOL Foundation.