ABS-CBN President, CEO & CCO Charo Santos-Concio to Chair 43rd International Emmy® Awards Gala

NEW YORK, August 25, 2015 – Charo Santos-Concio, President, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Content Officer of ABS-CBN Corporation, the Phillipines’ media and entertainment conglomerate will serve as Gala Chair for the 43rd International Emmy® Awards, which will take place on Monday, November 23, 2015 in New York City.
 
Ms. Santos-Concio will preside over the Gala, during which the International Academy will recognize programming in ten program categories and present Special Awards to Julian Fellowes, creator and writer of Downton Abbey (Founders Award) and Richard Plepler, Chairman & CEO of HBO (Directorate Award). As previously announced, the awards ceremony will be hosted by Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef, former host of the popular TV show Al-Bernameg (“the Program”).
 
“Ms. Charo Santos-Concio is an internationally respected broadcast producer and executive who has spearheaded the growth of her organization to a leading position in the Philippines and the region beyond,” said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “We are delighted to have her Chair our 2015 International Emmy Awards Gala.”
 
Ms. Santos-Concio said, “Viewing habits of TV audiences worldwide have changed in recent years, but what has not changed is the passion of creators to produce excellent, meaningful, and transformative content in different platforms that resonates with people and what the International Emmy Awards celebrates annually. I am honored to chair this year’s Gala that brings together and recognizes the achievements of these extraordinary individuals from across the globe.”
 
Maria Rosario “Charo” Santos-Concio was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of ABS-CBN in 2008 and Chief Executive Officer in January 2013. And in 2014, she won Gold Stevie Awards at the prestigious Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the Asia Pacific Stevie Awards. She was also named Asian Media Woman of the Year by ContentAsia, a premier information resource that covers the entertainment media industry across Asia-Pacific region.
 
Onscreen, Ms. Santos-Concio hosts ABS-CBN’s longest-running drama anthology “Maalala Mo Kaya” (Remembering). She began her career as an actress and won Best Actress in the 1977 Asian Film Festival for her performance in the film “Itim” (Black). She joined ABS-CBN as a Television Production Consultant in 1987 after working as a line producer for a number of prestigious film production companies. She also worked as a Film Production Manager for the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, which produced some of the country’s best films. Ms. Santos-Concio is a recipient of many cinema and broadcast industry-related awards over the years. She graduated cum laude from St. Paul’s College in Manila with a Communications Arts degree. She also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2007.

The 2015 International Emmy® Nominees will be announced at a press conference in Cannes at Mipcom on Monday, October 5, 2015.  This year’s sponsors, to date, include, Deluxe, Dori Media, Ernst & Young, Globo, Mipcom, Phoenix Satellite Television, Semba, Sofitel and Variety.

About the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a membership based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment figures from over 60 countries and 500 companies from all sectors of television including internet, mobile and technology. The Academy’s yearly schedule of events includes the prestigious International Emmy® Awards and International Emmy® Kids Awards Ceremonies held in New York, The International Digital Emmy® Awardsat MIPTV and a series of industry events such as Academy Day, The International Emmy® World Television Festival and Panels on substantive industry topics. The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognizes excellence in television produced outside of the United States, as well as US Primetime programs produced in languages other than English, with the prestigious Emmy® Award. Currently celebrating programming across varied areas including: Arts Programming, Current Affairs, Comedy, Documentary, Drama Series, News, Non-Scripted Entertainment, Telenovela, and TV Movie/Mini-Series, it also recognizes excellence in Performances, Kids programming and Digital. For more information go to www.iemmys.tv.  

About ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN Corporation is the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment organization. The Company is primarily involved in television and radio broadcasting, as well as in the production of television and radio programming for domestic and international audiences and other related businesses. ABS-CBN produces a wide variety of engaging world-class entertainment programs in multiple genres and balanced, credible news programs that are aired on free-to-air television. The company is also one of the leading radio broadcasters, operating eighteen radio stations throughout the key cities of the Philippines. ABS-CBN provides news and entertainment programming for eight channels on cable TV and operates the country’s largest cable TV service provider. The Company also owns the leading cinema and music production and distribution outfits in the country. It brings its content to worldwide audiences via cable, satellite, online and mobile. In addition, ABS-CBN has business interests in merchandising and licensing, mobile and online multimedia services, glossy magazine publishing, video and audio post production, overseas telecommunication services, money remittance, cargo forwarding, TV shopping services, theme park development and management, property management and food and restaurant services, all of which complement and enhance the Company’s strength in content production and distribution. The Company is also the first TV network in the country to broadcast in digital. In 2015, it commercially rolled out its digital TV box, ABS-CBN TV plus, to prepare for the country’s switch to digital TV.

MEDIA CONTACTS

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Eva Obadia, Senior Director, Communications & Partnerships
Tel: +1-212-489-6969
eva.obadia@iemmys.tv

The Lippin Group
Don Ciaramella
Tel: +1-212-986-7080
don@lippingroup.com