Former Connecticut Sen. Dodd to leave movie industry lobbying group
LOS ANGELES — Christopher Dodd will step down as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America after six years as the head of the lobbying arm of major Hollywood studios, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment.
The industry group is expected to announce Dodd’s departure Monday, the people said. Charles Rivkin, who was assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs under President Barack Obama, is expected to succeed Dodd.
The decision was mutual, and Dodd was ready to retire, one of the people said. However, some studio executives were unhappy with his performance and had questioned the effectiveness of the MPAA under his leadership. In 2015, Dodd extended his contract through 2018.
A representative of the MPAA was not available for comment.
Dodd, a former Democratic senator from Connecticut, was recruited by the six major studios to lead the organization in 2011 after a 36-year career in Congress. At the time of his hiring, the studios hoped he would restore some of the clout the organization had when it was led by Jack Valenti, who ran the group for nearly four decades.
But the entertainment industry has changed significantly since then. The priorities of the major studios have become increasingly disparate because their corporate owners don’t see eye to eye on key issues.
Those differing opinions include how to shorten the time-honored gap between a movie’s theatrical release and its availability on video on demand, a debate that clouded the industry’s CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas last month. Dodd was conspicuously absent from the event. The MPAA said he had a family commitment.
Dodd also has faced growing competition from Silicon Valley during his tenure. The trade association took a major hit from Google and other tech companies in 2012 because of a campaign against the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, known as SOPA.
The MPAA faced another crisis over its handling of the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures that crippled the studio and exposed a trove of sensitive documents, including emails from film studio chief Amy Pascal, who later stepped down. Dodd had tried to write a letter of solidarity for Sony, but many executives balked. Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton threatened to leave the MPAA as a result.
Dodd earned $3.3 million in 2013, according to tax records.
Rivkin is well regarded because of his connections in Washington and his familiarity with the entertainment industry.
He formerly ran Jim Henson Co., creator of the Muppets and “Sesame Street.” Before working at the state department, Rivkin was the U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco from 2009 to 2013.
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