Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, has been elected chair of the American Film Institute’s board of directors, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively report. Sarandos, who won by a vote of acclamation, succeeds Bob Daly, who held that position for the last 17 years.
“Ted Sarandos is one of the world’s most dynamic industry executives and a passionate movie lover,” Daly tells us. “It’s my honor to hand him the gavel to lead AFI into an even greater future.” Adds Sarandos, “I’m honored to carry on the stewardship of an organization that celebrates film and television arts. Bob Daly presents huge shoes to fill. He has been a lifelong cheerleader and inspirational leader for the industry and AFI. It is my honor to follow in his footsteps.”
Few if any people have had a greater influence on Hollywood in the 21st century than Sarandos. He has been responsible for all content operations at Netflix since 2000; led the company’s transition into original content in 2013 with the launch of House of Cards, Arrested Development and Orange Is the New Black; presided over the company’s rise in the film industry through projects like Roma, The Irishman, The Power of the Dog and KPop Demon Hunters; and has served as the company’s co-CEO since July 2020, through plenty of ups — and occasional periods of turbulence, such as the company has experienced over the past week.
Sarandos was selected as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2013, received the Producers Guild of America’s Milestone Award in 2019, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2026. In addition to his work with AFI, he also serves as a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and on the boards of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Exploring the Arts and Spotify.
The AFI’s board of directors serve as an executive committee of the AFI board of trustees, which is chaired by Kathleen Kennedy. Both boards are comprised of leaders from the film and television communities, set the Institute’s priorities and guide its national education programs.
In addition to Sarandos and Kennedy, AFI board members include Pamela Abdy, Cris Abrego, Wylie A. Aitken, Esq., Sean Astin, Jon Avnet, Jeanine Basinger, Alan Bergman, Halle Berry, Gary Birkenbeuel, Jim Breyer, James L. Brooks, Charlie Collier, Ariana DeBose, Ava DuVernay, Jamie Erlicht, Nancy Collins Fisher, Richard Frank, Josh Grode, Bonnie Hammer, Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Marshall Herskovitz, Mike Hopkins, Alan Horn, Lynette Howell Taylor, Arlene Inch, Patty Jenkins, Michael B. Jordan, Zach Kitschke, Donna Langley, Debra L. Lee, Lori Lee, Eva Longoria, Bryan Lourd, Lori McCreary, Jonathan Miller, Michele Mulroney, Christopher Nolan, Edward James Olmos, Shonda Rhimes, Charles Rivkin, Jay Roach, Josh Sapan, Chris Silbermann, Octavia Spencer, Steven Spielberg, Anthony Vinciquerra, Todd Wagner, JaHan Wang and Edward Zwick.