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Michael Pearce of Yahoo and David Roofthooft of HBO Appointed to New York Festivals World’s Best TV & Films Advisory Board & Grand Jury

New York, NY | September 24, 2014

 New York Festivals World’s Best TV & Films™ announced the appointments of Michael Pearce, Head of Global initiatives for Yahoo Studios and David Roofthooft, Creative Director, Creative Services at HBO to the New York Festivals® International Television & Film Awards Advisory Board and Grand Jury.

“To have Michael Pearce from Yahoo Studios and David Roofthooft from HBO joining as advisory board members, adding their production expertise and hands-on knowledge of the evolving broadcast industry, will be a great asset to the competition as we continue to work together across all platforms of the television and film industry world-wide,” said Rose Anderson, Executive Director, NYF Television & Film Awards.  “They will participate in the selection of the World’s Best TV & Films™ during this year’s judging sessions.” 

“The  New York Festival International TV & Film Awards is one of the most important awards programs every year, recognizing the world’s best work in television, film, industry and online video, said Michael Pearce, Head of Global Initiatives for Yahoo Studios. “NYF’s TV & Film awards already welcomes and accepts all platforms for recognition, but the chance to engage with the advisory board and help ensure the importance of online video is something that’s terribly important to me. The chance to participate in the advisory board is a tremendous honor.”

Michael Pearce is the current Head of Global Initiatives for Yahoo Studios in charge of major events coverage and global video production. In his previous role as Head of Sports for Yahoo Studios, Mr. Pearce directed coverage of five Olympics and two World Cups for Yahoo and created and launched award-winning series such as Memorable Moments, Elite Athlete Workouts, Fantasy Football Live and the Yahoo Sports Minute.  Mr. Pearce spent 20 years in television news as a reporter, producer and executive producer before joining Yahoo in 2005.

“I have been a keen follower of The New York Festival and International TV & Film Awards since the fall of 2001. While observing its continued evolution each year since, it has been a real pleasure to participate in this particular annual celebration of the great work submitted by our industry. The New York Festival and International TV & Film Awards remains true to its intent; it provides a diverse range of category offerings; there’s a clear level of transparency surrounding the awards process; and of course the recognition of the awards themselves is something my colleagues and I at HBO take great pride in,” said David RoofthooftCreative Director, Creative Services at HBO.  “For these reasons specifically, it is truly an honor to join the advisory board this year.  I will offer my support in any way possible to ensure that the festival continues on its upward trajectory, growing in scale and prestige year by year.  It is a wonderful festival to be a part of, and I am both honored and thrilled to be included.”

As HBO’s Creative Director within the Creative Services, David Roofthooft spearheads all promotional video content for HBO Sports, HBO Documentaries, as well as several HBO Films, Original Series and specials. He has helmed campaigns for some of HBO’s most renowned past series including Entourage, Treme, and Eastbound and Down and most recently campaigns for The Newsroom and Silicon Valley.

A multiple award-winning director, Mr. Roofthooft is also behind much of the promotion for boxing. He has personally created several highly successful promotional franchises for HBO Sports as part of their shoulder programming offerings that include Face Off with Max Kellerman, and 2 Days - the documentary series that follows a boxer in the days leading up to a major fight.  Before joining HBO in 2000, Mr. Roofthooft served as executive producer overseeing the on air department at Nick-at-Nite and previously worked as staff producer/director of interstitial programming at AMC.

The deadline to enter the 2015 Television & Film Awards competition is October 15, 2014. Entry details and competition rules and regulations can be found on the NYF Television & Film Awards website http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/. To view the complete list of categories click here.

All Entries in the 2015 competition will be judged online and screened by New York Festivals Television & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200 plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from 30 countries around the globe. All award-winning entries will be showcased on the NYF Television & Film Awards website.

Press inquiries are welcome and should be directed to Gayle Mandel: gmandel@internationalawardsgroup.com, Ph: 1 212 643 4800.

About New York Festivals

New York Festivals organizes advertising and programming competitions for the following brands:

AME Awards World's Best Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness™
The Global Awards World's Best Healthcare & Wellness Advertising™

Midas Awards World's Best Financial Advertising™
New York Festivals World's Best Advertising™
New York Festivals World's Best Radio Programs™
New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films™

Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.

About the 2015 NAB Show
NAB Show, held annually in Las Vegas, is the world's largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With nearly 98,000 attendees from 159 countries and more than 1,700 exhibitors, the NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, the NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways. Complete details are available at www.nabshow.com.

About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.