The Gotham Film & Media Institute Adds Jason Cassidy And Riley Keough To The Board Of Directors

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced that Focus Features Vice Chairman Jason Cassidy and actor, producer, and director Riley Keough will join the organization’s Board of Directors. The newest Board members will help advance The Gotham’s mission of celebrating and nurturing independent film and media creators.

“We are so excited to add Jason, one of the most respected and innovative film executives, and Riley, an extraordinarily talented actress and critically acclaimed filmmaker, to The Gotham’s already incredible Board of Directors,” said Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute. “With their genuine passion for championing independent creatives, we are confident that the organization will amplify its positive impact on the media industry through their expertise and perspectives.”

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Jason and Riley will join The Gotham’s existing board members including, Nancy Abraham, Anthony Bregman, Jeb Brody, Gerry Byrne, Alina Cho, Dan Crown, Mark D’Arcy (Director Emeritus), Amy Emmerich, Philipp Engelhorn, Kai Falkenberg, James Janowitz, Franklin Leonard, Stephanie March, Soledad O’Brien, Dee Poku, Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, John Schmidt, Lisa Taback, Teddy Schwarzman, Drew Wilson, and Celia Winchester. The complete list of The Gotham’s Board of Directors with bios can be found here.

The announcement was made ahead of the 33rd annual Gotham Awards, which will be held at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday, November 27th. The annual ceremony provides early recognition and media attention for outstanding and groundbreaking voices in storytelling inclusive of writers, directors, producers and actors. Nominations for the Gotham Awards – singling out 20 feature films, 11 series, and 30 performances in ten award categories – can be found HERE.

The Premier Sponsor of the 2023 Gotham Awards is Vanity Fair. Cadillac will serve as the Official Vehicle and FIJI Water will serve as the Official Water for the Awards

About The Gotham’s New Board Members

Jason Cassidy was named Vice Chairman of Focus Features in November 2019 after joining the studio as President of Marketing in 2016. As Vice Chairman, Cassidy oversees Focus’ theatrical marketing operations and digital initiatives, and leads the releasing side of the business, working closely with the distribution and strategic planning departments on all global film releases.

During his tenure, Focus has released some of the most successful films of the last decade, including Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, The Northman from visionary filmmaker Robert Eggers, as well as Academy Award® winning films like Belfast from Kenneth Branagh, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Phantom Thread from Paul Thomas Anderson and Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour, and Downton Abbey, which went on to become the highest-grossing Focus film of all time.

Riley Keough is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses, known for her chameleon-like versatility that spans blockbuster hits to independent films. The actress can most recently be seen in Amazon’s highly anticipated original series Daisy Jones and the Six, based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best selling novel. Keough stunned critics and audiences alike with her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Daisy and within hours of their respective releases, the series hit No. 1 on Amazon Prime Video’s Top 10 list in the U.S., and the show’s coinciding debut album Aurora made it to No. 1 in the U.S. on iTunes.

Her directorial debut, War Pony  competed in the 2022 Festival De Cannes, which resulted in an astounding win of the Camera D’Or award as well as the honorable mention at the 2022 Munich Film Festival. Following its US release in 2023, the film was selected as a NYT Critics Pick and became certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

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