From a media release:
The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce Bela Bajaria, Head of Global TV for Netflix and David Linde, CEO of Participant as Summit Series keynotes, a premium speaker lineup featuring the boldest voices and world’s most influential media leaders. The 43rd edition of the Festival will take place in-person June 12-15, 2022 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
“We are beyond excited about Bela and David joining us at BANFF this June,” said BANFF Board Chair and Lionsgate Television Group Chair Kevin Beggs. “The incredible line-up of speakers, award recipients, and talent reinforce what we have been saying for years now – The Banff World Media Festival is the ‘it’ gathering for global content creators. See you in June!”
“Bela and David are two of the most accomplished and inspiring entertainment executives in the industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. “We’re looking forward to hosting them on the BANFF stage as they deliver what are sure to be thoughtful insights on the future of the industry, programming opportunities and their unique content strategies.”
The BANFF Summit Series is a curated lineup of keynotes featuring global players who are shaping the future of the media industry.
Now in its 43rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.
ABOUT BELA BAJARIA
Bela Bajaria was named Head of Global TV for Netflix in 2020, overseeing all English language and local language scripted and unscripted series around the world. Bajaria leads the team for all of television, responsible for hit series including Bridgerton, MAID, Stranger Things, Lupin and Squid Game. Previously, she oversaw local language originals, managing the teams behind shows such as La Casa de Papel (Spain), The Witcher (Poland), Who Killed Sara? (Mexico) and Kingdom (Korea).
Prior to joining Netflix in 2016, Bajaria was President of Universal Television, where she made history as the first woman of color to oversee a studio. Earlier, she held two key posts simultaneously: Senior Vice President, Cable Programming for CBS TV Studios, and Senior Vice President of Movies and Miniseries for CBS Network.
Bajaria currently serves on the LA Board of Governors for the Paley Center and the Board of LA’s Saban Community Clinic, where she received the Lenny Somberg award in 2018. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Meridian International Center. Bajaria was honored by the Asia Society in 2021 as one of their Entertainment Game Changers of the Year, and has also been honored by the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of LA, The March of Dimes Foundation, and received the Industry Leadership Award from the LA Indian Film Festival.
ABOUT DAVID LINDE
David Linde is CEO of Participant, the leading global media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Founded by Jeff Skoll, the company’s contributions were honored in 2021 with a retrospective at MoMA and by American Cinematheque as the inaugural recipient of the Power of Cinema Award. Linde is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategy, content creation, social impact, operations, strategic investments and acquisitions. Noteworthy films from Participant include Oscar® Best Picture winner Spotlight; Oscar winners for Best Documentary Feature, American Factory, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove and An Inconvenient Truth; Oscar winners for Best Foreign Language Film ROMA and A Fantastic Woman; as well as acclaimed, award-winning long-form content including Steve James’ docuseries America To Me and Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us.
Linde’s background spans production, global distribution and building multiple companies from the ground up. Linde has served as chairman of Universal Pictures, co-founder of acclaimed specialty film studio Focus Features and CEO and owner of Lava Bear Films. Linde currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Board Of Trustees of the American Film Institute and the Board of Directors of Film Independent.
