Netflix’s Bela Bajaria to Receive The Hollywood Reporter’s Impact Award at Banff World Media Festival

As Netflix global head of TV, Bela Bajaria is responsible for curating of hundreds comedies, unscripted series and more, and most notably for bringing blockbusters like Bridgerton and Squid Game to collective screens. To honor her achievements, THR editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody will present Bajaria with the magazine’s Impact Award at the 2022 edition of the Banff World Media Festival.

“Thank you to The Hollywood Reporter for recognizing the impact stories can have,” Bajaria tells THR. “Growing up I never saw people who looked like me on my TV screen and I couldn’t have imagined how that would change. I’m grateful to be a part of bringing new and untold stories to audiences around the world and helping more people to feel seen.”

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The annual festival, which will take place June 12-15, is returning to the Canadian Rocky Mountains for the first time since before the COVID pandemic. This year’s edition will feature speakers from companies like Vice Media, CBC, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC Studios, and Bajaria will present a keynote speech in addition to her onstage conversation with Moody.

“Bela is having a greater impact on global storytelling than perhaps anyone else in this industry,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos tells THR. “As witnessed by the massive worldwide success of Squid Game. She is a creative force, armed with great taste and sensibilities. Bela has lived all over the world and has worked on all sides of the television business. She has an incredible understanding of what people love, and the fact that she can combine that creative power with the ability to scale projects globally is what makes her truly unique. We are lucky to work with her every day at Netflix.”

A version of this story first appeared in the June 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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