The global organization’s highest honor recognizes individuals and institutions who have made outstanding contributions to typography.

The Type Directors Club, the world’s leading typography organization, announced Akira Kobayashi, creative type director at Monotype, as this year’s recipient of its highest honor, the prestigious TDC Medal.

First awarded to Hermann Zapf in 1967, the TDC Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of typography. The honor represents TDC’s collective gratitude to those who, by their work and talent, have demonstrated the value of typography in communication, community, and culture. The list of past TDC Medalists can be viewed here.

“I was surprised to hear that I had been chosen to receive the TDC Medal, whose past recipients include my heroes in the field of type design. I am deeply honored and humbled to have my nearly 40 years of career recognized in this way,” said Kobayashi. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all my teachers and colleagues, past and present, for their guidance and encouragement, and to my parents and family for their unwavering support. Without them, I would never have achieved this honor.”

Kobayashi is a leading figure in the field, with three decades of experience, an extensive background in Japanese and Latin typeface design, and a deep understanding of calligraphy.

After studying at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, he accepted his first job at phototypesetting manufacturer Sha-Ken Co., where he was involved in the lengthy and intricate process of designing Japanese fonts. He then studied calligraphy at the London College of Printing, and later worked as a freelance type designer.

Kobayashi released Optima Nova – a modernization of Hermann Zapf’s Optima design – in 2002, and seven years later partnered with fellow TDC Medalist Adrian Frutiger to update his eponymous typeface family, Neue Frutiger. In 2017, he directed development of Tazugane Gothic, Monotype’s first original Japanese typeface.

Over the course of his career, Kobayashi has designed more than 50 font families including DIN Next and Akko Pro, and worked with major brands including Sony, UBS, and Panasonic.

One of his latest achievements was the release of Shorai Sans earlier this year, a typeface to expand horizons within the Japanese type landscape. Shorai Sans was designed as a companion typeface to Avenir® Next, built to work harmoniously in global designs while preserving the essence of Japanese handwriting.

Kobayashi is a frequent speaker at type conferences and workshops around the world, has won numerous awards, and has served as a judge in prestigious international type design competitions, including the TDC typography competition in 2004.

“Akira is the epitome of a TDC Medalist: a person who excels in typographic design, and is passionately devoted to fostering creative excellence in the field,” said Carol Wahler, executive director, TDC. “On behalf of the global type community, we are proud to recognize him for his exemplary accomplishments and contributions.”

To honor this special occasion, TDC collaborated with the design tool Readymag on “The Faces Behind Typefaces”, a deep-dive into the impact and legacy of the TDC Medal and past medalists.

Kobayashi will be presented with the TDC Medal as part of The One Club for Creativity’s Creative Hall of Fame black-tie induction ceremony, which is a fundraising gala to support the nonprofit organization’s many global diversity and inclusion programs. The event will take place on the evening of October 27, 2022, at Tisch Skylights at The Shed, Hudson Yards in New York. TDC became part of The One Club for Creativity in 2020.

From The Director’s Chair is a content series from Ged Tarpey, managing director of Global Media & Entertainment at Twitter. It unpacks the latest news, trends, and insights happening on Twitter within media and entertainment, providing a fresh perspective on what’s happening as it’s happening.

Life is a collection of choices with varying levels of importance ... but no choice has more momentary importance and impact than what are we watching tonight? From a new original series that brings the laughs to a classic movie that brings on the nostalgia, streaming gives fans an experience wherever they are, and its popularity isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

To understand the streamer perspective, Twitter consistently runs research on streaming behaviors, content preferences, timeline conversation, and more. Because there's a never-ending amount of information available about streaming services, we want to help break down the highlights so studios have easy access to what's going on behind the scenes and what audiences actually care about.

Globally, viewers turn to streaming services mainly to watch new, original content, with catalog content trailing closely behind in popularity.1 And our research shows studios matching the trend as an increasing number of platforms take back the rights to stream their classics, while simultaneously ramping up new original content. In addition, sports programming and adaptations are smaller, yet still popular, streaming drivers. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the type of content available on a platform plays a significant role in how consumers weigh in on what service(s) they subscribe to … or not.

Studios looking to find success in a thriving market of established and upcoming streaming services will need to take the time to expand the reach of their exclusive content and uniquely engage with audiences. Here we share trends and opportunities we’re seeing in the industry, and how studios can achieve success by converting streamers into fans — particularly on Twitter.

Reach out and touch the timeline

Looking across North America, LATAM, Europe, and Asia, our research shows that more than 67% of the sampled audiences watch two or more streaming services, and almost 51% watch three.2 This is a significant figure considering the varying preferences and socioeconomic ranges of households around the world. Studios looking to expand their reach to patrons of multiple streaming services can find that reach on Twitter. Because on average, audiences on Twitter are 44% more likely than non-Twitter users to watch more than three streaming services.

For streamers, Twitter provides the combination of complimentary content and conversation that enhances streaming experiences. Having a built-in watch party on the timeline, streamers can discuss and debate before, during, and after their favorite shows, covering everything from the latest happenings to viral moments. For others, timeline conversations get people excited to join new communities and watch content they haven’t seen. This kind of conversation organically drives interest, and for studios that interest may mean tune-in as streamers look to stay in the loop on the most talked-about movies and shows. This gives studios a unique opportunity to be a part of the conversation and deepen the connection with audiences.

Make a genuine connection with fans

If you want to tap into the conversation around what people are watching, look no further than Twitter as the thread connecting communities around entertainment, in real time.

With over 250MM Tweets and 37MM4 unique authors mentioning streaming-specific content over the last year, it’s easy to see that Twitter is not only the platform where fans dive deeper into the shows and movies they love, it’s also the platform where users discover new content.

In fact, approximately 51% of US Twitter users find out about TV shows from social media5 and US Twitter users are more likely to use social media as a means of discovery, compared to users from other social media platforms.6 What’s more, with 72% of fan bases saying that Twitter makes them feel like they’re a part of an online community, the Twitter timeline lends itself as a place where cultural moments can — and do — occur.

This means of discovery is only preceded by recommendations from friends and advertising on the streaming platform themselves.

Conversation equals success

In a crowded and global streaming market, studios have to find fresh ways to cut through the noise. And for the entertainment industry, we know that the power of conversation on Twitter drives tune-in.

Exposure to conversation and paid media yields, on average, 1.5X higher tune-in compared to paid media alone from studios.8 And Twitter is, by far, the most efficient way to drive conversation with a 4:1 ratio of conversation impact compared to TV, print, OOH, and other social media outlets.

Streamers start out as audiences, but when a studio can organically foster authentic connections with these viewers, they quickly become fans. And fans create communities … that thrive on Twitter. This is where the long-lasting value lies.

Authored by Ged Tarpey (@Ged),managing director of Global Media & Entertainment at Twitter. In his role, he’s focused on building durable partnerships across movie studios, TV networks, streaming platforms, publishing, sports leagues, and sports betting companies in the US, and around the world. Ged’s first career was as a professional footballer in his native England for Manchester City.

Ogilvy today announced that Devika Bulchandani has been appointed Global Chief Executive Officer. In this role she will be responsible for all aspects of the creative network’s business across 131 offices in 93 countries and spanning its Advertising, Public Relations, Experience, Consulting, and Health units. She will also join WPP’s Executive Committee as she takes on her new role.

Devika most recently served as Global President and CEO of Ogilvy North America. She takes the helm from Andy Main who is stepping down as Global CEO and will serve as a Senior Advisor until the end of the year.

Over the last two years the creative network has deepened and grown relationships with current clients while winning new business with brands including Absolut, Enterprise Holdings, World of Hyatt, TD Bank, FEMA, New York Philharmonic, and Audi of America. Ogilvy also played a key role in WPP being named as The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Marketing Network Partner. Recently Ogilvy earned the coveted position of Network of the Year at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the first time since 2016 and secured the same honor from The One Show and Campaign magazine. Additionally, Ogilvy also became the only agency network to secure top rankings on both WARC’s Creative 100 & Effective 100 lists.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “Over the last two years, under Andy’s leadership, Ogilvy has seen a transformation in its creative and business performance. This stems from the consistently outstanding quality of work from Ogilvy’s teams around the world, the investment in attracting and developing talent across the business, and the strong and more diverse leadership team Andy has built. With the agency’s transformation a year ahead of the schedule we originally envisioned, Andy has decided that now is the right time to seek a new challenge and he is moving on with my personal thanks and best wishes.

“Devika is a champion of creativity who brings passion, purpose, and an uncompromising focus on generating impact to everything she does. In partnership with Andy and Liz Taylor, she has been instrumental in Ogilvy’s recent growth and development. Her love for our industry, deep understanding of clients’ needs, and track record of delivering growth for agencies and brands, make her the perfect choice to lead Ogilvy to even greater success.”

Andy Main said: “When I joined Ogilvy, my goal was to build on the company’s incredible heritage, raise its ambitions, and deliver growth for our clients through work that has impact. Our progress is a testament to all the talented people across the network and our amazing clients for whom I have the deepest gratitude and respect. David Ogilvy spoke about the importance of hiring giants and Devika is truly one of the giants in the industry. It has been an honor being a part of this company’s rich history and I know Devika will continue accelerating the momentum our team has built.”

Devika Bulchandani said: “David Ogilvy changed the industry 74 years ago when he founded this iconic agency. As we write the next chapter in the history books of Ogilvy, we will do it together with our clients, using creativity to push the boundaries of what’s possible. I am honored and humbled to take on this role, and to do it with all our incredibly talented people all over the world.”

Prior to joining Ogilvy, Devika spent 26 years at McCann in various leadership roles including President of McCann North America. As a leader who believes in the power of creativity to make a positive impact on society, Dev’s proudest achievements have occurred at the intersection of the social causes she champions and brand-building efforts on behalf of clients. She was the driving force behind Mastercard’s long-running “Priceless” campaign as well as “True Name,” a first-of-its-kind feature launched in 2019 that empowers transgender and non-binary people to display their chosen name on their Mastercard. Known for ideas that capture the cultural zeitgeist, Dev also helped launch “Fearless Girl,” an iconic and beloved symbol of women’s equality; the campaign became one of the most awarded campaigns in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Next month Dev will be honored by New York Women in Communications (NYWIC) at the 2022 Matrix Awards, which honors women who are making a difference, building community, and inspiring the next generation of female leaders in their field. She has previously received a range of other honors including, NY Power Woman by Moves Magazine; US Advertising Agency Head of the Year by Campaign Magazine; Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It; and ADCOLOR Innovator. She has been the recipient of multiple 4As Jay Chiat Awards for strategic planning. Dev serves on the board of the ERA Coalition. She is also a founding member of Times Up Advertising and serves on the boards of the Ad Council, the 4A’s, and the Advertising Club.

Featuring the Always-On display, the first-ever 48MP camera on iPhone, Crash Detection, Emergency SOS via satellite, and an innovative new way to receive notifications and activities with the Dynamic Island

Apple today announced iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the most advanced Pro lineup ever, featuring the Dynamic Island — a new design that introduces an intuitive way to experience iPhone — and the Always-On display. Powered by A16 Bionic, the fastest chip ever in a smartphone, iPhone 14 Pro introduces a new class of pro camera system, with the first-ever 48MP Main camera on iPhone featuring a quad-pixel sensor, and Photonic Engine, an enhanced image pipeline that dramatically improves low-light photos. These groundbreaking advancements make iPhone even more indispensable for everyday tasks, creative projects, and now even emergency situations with features such as Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection. iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available in four gorgeous new finishes: deep purple, silver, gold, and space black. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 9, with availability beginning Friday, September 16.

“Our customers count on their iPhone every day, and with iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, we’re delivering more advancements than any other iPhone. iPhone 14 Pro introduces a camera system that empowers every user — from the casual user to the professional — to take their best photos and video, and innovative new technologies like the Always-On display and the Dynamic Island, which offers new interactions for notifications and activities,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Groundbreaking safety capabilities bring users even more security, offering help when they need it most. And with the incredibly powerful and efficient A16 Bionic chip and all-day battery life, this is the best iPhone yet.”

Dynamic Island: An Interactive User Experience

The Dynamic Island enables new ways to interact with iPhone, featuring a design that blends the line between hardware and software, adapting in real time to show important alerts, notifications, and activities. With the introduction of the Dynamic Island, the TrueDepth camera has been redesigned to take up less of the display area. Without impeding content on the screen, the Dynamic Island maintains an active state to allow users easier access to controls with a simple tap-and-hold. Ongoing background activities like Maps, Music, or a timer remain visible and interactive, and third-party apps in iOS 16 that provide information like sports scores and ride-sharing with Live Activities can take advantage of the Dynamic Island.

A New Class of Pro Camera System

The pro camera system on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in a smartphone, empowering every user — casual or professional — to capture the best photos and video.

iPhone 14 Pro takes computational photography even further with Photonic Engine, offering a giant leap for mid- to low-light performance in photos across all cameras through a deep integration of hardware and software: up to 2x on the Main camera, up to 3x on the Ultra Wide camera, up to 2x on the Telephoto camera, and up to 2x on the TrueDepth camera. Photonic Engine enables this dramatic increase in quality by applying Deep Fusion earlier in the imaging process to deliver extraordinary detail, and preserve subtle textures, provide better color, and maintain more information in a photo.

Additional pro camera system upgrades and features include:

A new 12MP Ultra Wide camera with 1.4 µm pixels, which delivers sharper images with more detail, improving already powerful macro photography capabilities.

An improved Telephoto camera that offers 3x optical zoom.

A new front TrueDepth camera with an ƒ/1.9 aperture that enables better low-light performance for photos and video.

A new Adaptive True Tone flash that has been completely redesigned with an array of nine LEDs that change pattern based on the chosen focal length.

Powerful computational photography benefits like Night mode, Smart HDR 4, Portrait mode with Portrait Lighting, Night mode Portrait photos, Photographic Styles to personalize the look of every photo, and Apple ProRAW.

A new Action mode for incredibly smooth-looking video that adjusts to significant shakes, motion, and vibrations, even when video is being captured in the middle of the action.
Cinematic mode, now available in 4K at 30 fps and 4K at 24 fps.

Pro-level workflows for video, including ProRes3 and end-to-end Dolby Vision HDR.

● Global audience growth

● Product launches and platform changes

● New consumer insights

Twitter MENA hosted an event in Riyadh for partners highlighting the platform’s plans for the fourth quarter of 2022. Twitter’s Q2 earnings announced a +16% year-on-year growth in average monetizable daily active users (mDAUs) recorded in 2022 (237.8M). This has been reflected in audience’s engagement, with a +39% increase in Tweet engagement and +29% increase in watch time on the platform.

Over the course of 2022, Twitter has continued to globally prioritize and invest in product improvements, research and insights to drive growth on the platform. This has included launches such as Branded Likes, which allows advertisers to own the Twitter Timeline for a 24-hour period and transform the ‘Like’ button into a custom animation using iconic brand imagery. Launched across four key markets globally, including Saudi Arabia, Twitter’s Timeline Takeover has witnessed a +277% lift in recall and +202% lift in purchase and consideration intent when paired with Branded Likes.

Twitter has also rolled-out internal testing of the Edit Tweet feature before expanding to Twitter Blue subscribers in the coming weeks. Through the Edit button, the platform aims for Tweeting to feel more approachable and less stressful, allowing people to participate in the conversation in a personalized way.

Antoine Caironi, Interim Regional Director Twitter MENA, commented:“With so much happening in the world, Twitter more than ever remains the place to connect with the biggest events and conversation drivers as they unfold in real-time, where people are engaged, leaned-in and influential. As a platform, we have never been more committed to growth and innovation in MENA and, with so many moments ahead of us, it is essential for brands and marketers to tap into the conversations and communities that aid brand awareness and drive performance during moments that resonate best with local audiences.”

Looking to the future

In parallel to platform updates, Twitter MENA released the Twitter Trends 2022 Report for Saudi Arabia for the first time this year, which revealed three must-know trends. In Saudi Arabia, Finance Goes Social was identified as a unifying trend, which was also reflected around the world. It highlights a shift in behaviors and conversations, recording a +49% YoY growth in conversations related to offers, competitions, and discounts. The trend also highlighted YoY growth in conversations around the digital economy (+36%) and cryptocurrencies (+595%). Whether it’s cryptocurrencies, online retailers, digital banks, or smart cities, the trend nods to people’s growing sense of financial empowerment. 

The second trend, Identity in Transit, reflects feelings of pride in place, openness to new experiences, more gender balance in relationships, a desire to be recognized, and a melding of identity and personal aspirations. The report outlined an incredible growth in conversations around pride for smart cities and NEOM (+172%), alongside aspiring to achieve the Saudi dream (+161%). 

Finally, the Saudi-focused report also identified Eco-innovation as a rising star, with sustainability driving real excitement about the future of the nation, as well as individual advancement and opportunity. The platform recorded a YoY increase in conversations around tech (+49%), electric cars (+55%) and smart cities (+180%). 

Connecting with culture and sports

In 2021, Saudi National Day saw a 12% increase in the volume of conversation as compared to 2020. The conversation started as early as 9th September and peaked closer to 23rd September with a heavy focus on video content, with as high as 573M video views recorded on Twitter related to the occasion. 

With Saudi National Day and the 2022 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, case studies such as this highlight the importance of a multi-format approach, with a Nielsen Brand Effect study showcasing that using 3+ ad formats increase the probability of a campaign’s success. 

In August, Twitter saw a 74% spike in average monthly football conversations in comparison to the previous 12 months - reaffirming that football is one of the biggest conversations in the region, and that Twitter is where football lives. 

Twitter recently partnered with beIN SPORTS, the official broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), to share bespoke content throughout the world’s biggest football event this year, which kicks off in Qatar on 20 November 2022. beIN SPORTS will be sharing content for regional audiences across Twitter, highlighting the biggest moments throughout the tournament and providing brands and marketers with association opportunities via Twitter Amplify. Each match will be highlighted through content clips, one match recap and an in-studio analysis, aired through the beIN SPORTS official handle, @beINSPORTS, for a total of 320 videos.

Solutions such as Twitter Amplify offer the opportunity to align a brand’s message with more than 200 premium content partners, while Takeover Ads are a key tool in owning the conversation on the platform’s most premium placement. Similarly, video content is king when it comes to driving engagement and interest. 

In summary, with a number of connect moments fast approaching, there is a large opportunity for brands to connect with their audiences and stay relevant by joining the conversation using a tailored and dynamic campaign strategy.

The Epica Awards 2022 advertising campaign highlights the PR advantages of entering the competition.

The Epica Awards’ 2022 “Open For Entries” campaign, created by VMLY&R, has a stronger focus than ever on the competition’s unique press jury.

Based on the line “Give them something epic to talk about”, the campaign uses banners and full-page press ads to literally point to articles written by journalists. In other words: if you want journalists to write about your work, you should enter The Epica Awards!

The campaign was led by Dimitri Guerassimov, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of VMLY&R France, working with creative duo Abi Stephenson and Matt Jones at VMLY&R London. The pair were Campaign Faces To Watch in 2021 and represented the UK at the Global Young Lions competition in Cannes.

Dimitri Guerassimov said: "VMLY&R is immensely proud to help connect agencies with journalists, giving epic campaigns the opportunity to be seen, recognized, and talked about."

Mark Tungate, editorial director of The Epica Awards, commented: “As the only global creative competition judged solely by journalists, we punch above our weight in terms of press coverage. Simply by entering Epica, before you’ve even won anything, you’re showing your work to this influential audience. We wanted to express that idea and VMLY&R nailed it in a direct and eye-catching way.”

The Epica Awards jury is made up of senior editors and leading journalists from the most prestigious trade press titles in over 50 countries, as well as writers from specialized titles voting on categories related to their industry.

The awards are currently open for entries until October 7. The ceremony will take place on December 8.

Inspired by the most extreme activities, Apple unveils a revolutionary new design with breakthrough capabilities

Apple today announced Apple Watch Ultra, which brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure. Apple Watch Ultra introduces a 49mm titanium case and flat sapphire front crystal that reveals the biggest and brightest Apple Watch display yet. A customisable Action button offers instant access to a wide range of useful features. Apple Watch Ultra has the best battery life of any Apple Watch, reaching up to 36 hours during normal use.1 Additionally, a new low-power setting, ideal for multi-day experiences, can extend battery life to reach up to 60 hours.2 The Wayfinder watch face is designed specifically for the larger Apple Watch Ultra display and includes a compass built into the dial, with space for up to eight complications. Apple Watch Ultra also brings three new bands — Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band — offering unique design features that provide a secure and comfortable fit for every adventure.

Apple Watch Ultra is available to order today, with availability beginning Friday, September 23.

“Inspired by explorers and athletes from around the world, we created an entirely new category of Apple Watch designed for new and extreme environments — it’s the most rugged and capable Apple Watch yet,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Apple Watch Ultra is a versatile tool that empowers users to push their boundaries with adventure, endurance, and exploration.”

Additional Features

Apple Watch Ultra includes all of the connectivity, activity, and health features that have made Apple Watch the best-selling smartwatch in the world — from heart rate monitoring and the ECG and Blood Oxygen apps, to Activity rings and Mindfulness, along with additional health, safety, and navigation features.

Apple Watch Ultra features innovative new temperature-sensing capabilities that enable further insights into women’s health. The unique two-sensor design reduces bias from the outside environment and the body itself. Utilising the new capabilities, users can receive retrospective ovulation estimates, which can be helpful for family planning.6 Temperature sensing also enables improved period predictions for users who menstruate.7 With iOS 16 and watchOS 9, Cycle Tracking users can now receive a notification if their logged cycle history shows a possible deviation, which can be a symptom of underlying health conditions.

Using two new motion sensors and an advanced sensor-fusion algorithm, Apple Watch can detect a severe car crash with Crash Detection. When Apple Watch detects a severe car crash, the device will check in with the user and dial emergency services if they are unresponsive after a 10-second countdown. Emergency responders will receive the user’s device location, which is also shared with emergency contacts.

Pricing and Availability

Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the UK, the US, and more than 40 other countries and regions can order Apple Watch Ultra today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 23.

watchOS 9 will be available for Apple Watch Series 4 and later on Monday, September 12, and requires iPhone 8 or later and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later running iOS 16. Not all features are available on all devices and in all regions.

Three months of Apple Fitness+ are included for customers who purchase Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 8, or Apple Watch SE, or new purchases of Apple Watch Series 4 or later.

TV & Film Awards Unveils New Category Updates in Documentary, News Reports, and News Features

The 2023 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards competition is now accepting entries.

New York Festivals Television & Film Awards celebrates innovative storytelling from around the globe and honors content creators whose compelling programs reach international audiences. The competition's 65-year legacy provides a showcase of exceptional work across all genres of entertainment media.

For 2023 New York Festivals has updated several categories reflecting the evolving nature of the industry.

"Journalists today are finding new ways to keep viewers informed in our ever-changing and interconnected world. Here at New York Festivals, we want to be able to amplify their dedication with categories tailored for those purposes," said Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director, New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. "We are thrilled to partner once again with the WaterBear Network honoring documentary filmmakers who are using their talents to save our planet."

Documentary categories award in-depth storytelling with a distinctive point of view. New Documentary categories include Best Nonfiction Series and Investigative Journalism.

News Programs categories for 2023 include Best Breaking News Coverage, Best Continuing News Coverage, and Best Investigative News Coverage. News Reports/Features include Breaking News Story Coverage, Continuing News Story Coverage, Financial News Report, Heroes Feature, Human Interest Feature, Investigative Report and Legal News Report

View TV & Film's powerhouse roster of categories, visit HERE.

New York Festivals TV & Film Grand Awards for 2022 went to the following programs: "The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals" Performing Arts Special (TBI Media for BBC One), "Old People's Home For 4 Year Olds S2" Social Issues Documentary (Endemol Shine Australia for ABC), and "Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special" Variety Special (Done+Dusted for Apple TV+).

Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports, was honored with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. CBS Sports host Greg Gumbel made the presentation to Mr. McManus.

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards debuted a prestigious new award for 2022, the WaterBear Award, a partnership between WaterBear Network that honors the highest scoring documentary across the Climate Change & Sustainability, Environment & Ecology, and Nature & Wildlife categories. Together NYF and WaterBear Network honored "Hippo King" (A Terra Mater Factual Studios / Skyland Productions/ Into Nature Productions production in co-production with DOCLIGHTS/NDR NATURFILM/ The WNET GROUP in association with PBS and CPB) Nature & Wildlife with the inaugural WaterBear Award.

For the sixth consecutive year, Al Jazeera English Qatar's coverage of international issues and wide-ranging themes earned the network the prestigious title of Broadcaster of the Year. Done+Dusted earned the Production Company of the Year Award for 2022.

Due to ongoing global pandemic quarantine restrictions, the 2022 NYF TV & Film Awards winners were honored via a virtual ceremony on April 26th during the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The two-part virtual Storytellers Gala ceremony hosted by Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director, New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, featured highlights and acceptances from award-winning teams of men and women recording from their hometowns in over 40 countries around the globe.

The 2023 TV & Film Awards Storytellers Gala will take place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 18, 2023. This is the 13th year of NYF's strategic partnership with NAB Show. All NYF TV & Film Award winners have access to the multi-day event which is the world's largest global gathering for the media and entertainment industry.

The deadline to enter the 2023 Television & Film Awards competition is December 31st, 2022. To view entry details and competition rules and regulations visit HERE. For a complete list of 2023 categories, visit HERE.

Microsoft has invested in Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick's new venture, Cloud Kitchens, becoming the first known U.S.-based investor to do so, according to the Financial Times.

The news outlet, citing two people with knowledge of the agreement, reported that the investment was part of CloudKitchens' $850M funding round in November 2021. It gave the company, which provides "dark kitchens" to restaurants for the purpose of cooking food to be sold on delivery apps, a $15B valuation. The infusion of capital was used to help the company expand with more than 4,000 employees across the U.S., Latin America, the U.K. and the Middle East.Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which gave Uber $3.5 billion in 2016, invested $400 million into CloudKitchens in 2019.

Ghost kitchens — also known as cloud kitchens and dark kitchens — initially hit the scene in 2015 and took off in March 2020 when the pandemic took hold and the demand for delivered restaurant meals skyrocketed. 

The concept involves buying or leasing warehouse, storefront, or other space and converting the premises into a massive kitchen for preparing food for multiple restaurants simultaneously specifically for takeout orders. 

Howard Schultz will continue as interim CEO until April 1, 2023 and serve as an advisor to Narasimhan through calendar 2023 while remaining on Starbucks Board of Directors.

Starbucks announced that Laxman Narasimhan will become the company’s next chief executive officer and a member of the Starbucks Board of Directors. Narasimhan will join Starbucks as incoming CEO on October 1, 2022 after relocating from London to the Seattle area and will work closely with Howard Schultz, interim ceo, before assuming the ceo role and joining the Board on April 1, 2023.

Narasimhan brings nearly 30 years of experience leading and advising global consumer-facing brands. Known for his considerable operational expertise, he has a proven track record in developing purpose-led brands. Building on companies’ histories, he has succeeded in rallying talent to deliver on future ambitions by driving consumer-centric and digital innovations. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer of Reckitt, a FTSE-12 listed multinational consumer health, hygiene and nutrition company, where he led the company through a major strategic transformation and a return to sustainable growth.

“Laxman is an inspiring leader. His deep, hands-on experience driving strategic transformations at global consumer-facing businesses makes him the ideal choice to accelerate Starbucks growth and capture the opportunities ahead of us. His understanding of our culture and values, coupled with his expertise as a brand builder, innovation champion, and operational leader will be true differentiators as we position Starbucks for the next 50 years, generating value for all our stakeholders. On behalf of the entire Board, I am thrilled to welcome Laxman as Starbucks next CEO,” said Mellody Hobson, Independent Starbucks Board of Directors chair.

During the transition period, Narasimhan will be fully immersed in the company, spending time with Schultz and the management team, partners and customers and gaining in-depth exposure to the brand, company culture, and Reinvention plan. This will initially include Starbucks store immersions, visiting manufacturing plants and coffee farms, connecting with partners around the globe as well as Starbucks long term business partners.

Schultz will remain in the role of interim CEO during this transition period, following which he will continue as a member of the Starbucks Board of Directors. He will remain closely involved with the company’s Reinvention and act as an ongoing advisor to Narasimhan.

“When I learned about Laxman’s desire to relocate, it became apparent that he is the right leader to take Starbucks into its next chapter. He is uniquely positioned to shape this work and lead the company forward with his partner-centered approach and demonstrated track record of building capabilities and driving growth in both mature and emerging markets. As I have had the opportunity to get to know him, it has become clear that he shares our passion of investing in humanity and in our commitment to our partners, customers, and communities. The perspectives he brings will be a strong asset as we build on our heritage in this new era of greater well-being. I greatly look forward to our partnership over the coming months and years,” said Schultz.

“Starbucks commitment to uplift humanity through connection and compassion has long distinguished the company, building an unrivaled, globally admired brand that has transformed the way we connect over coffee. I am humbled to be joining this iconic company at such a pivotal time, as the Reinvention and investments in the partner and customer experiences position us to meet the changing demands we face today and set us up for an even stronger future,” said Narasimhan. “I look forward to working closely with Howard, the Board, and the entire leadership team – and to listening and learning from Starbucks partners – as we collectively build on this work to lead the company into its next chapter of growth and impact.”

Previously, Narasimhan held various leadership roles at PepsiCo, including as global chief commercial officer, where he was responsible for the company’s long-term strategy and digital capabilities. He also served as ceo of the company’s Latin America, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa operations, and previously as the ceo of PepsiCo Latin America, and the cfo of PepsiCo Americas Foods. Prior to PepsiCo, Narasimhan was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on its consumer, retail and technology practices in the U.S., Asia and India and led the firm’s thinking on the future of retail.

Narasimhan is also a trustee of the Brookings Institution, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, served as a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Build Back Better Council, and is a member of Verizon’s Board of Directors. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, University of Pune, India. He has an MA in German and International Studies from The Lauder Institute at The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.