Paramount Global executive George Cheek is set to keynote Canada’s Banff World Media Festival in June.
The president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+ will take part in the festival’s Summit Series, a premium keynote speaker lineup. Cheeks will speak on June 12.
The 44th edition of the fest will take place from June 11 to 14 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta.
“George Cheeks has been an innovative business and creative force in the television industry for over thirty years,” said Kevin Beggs, chair of the board of directors for BANFF and chair and chief creative officer of the Lionsgate Television Group. “We at the Banff World Media Festival are honored to have George give our keynote and share his views on the evolving industry.”
Added Banff executive director Jenn Kuzmyk: “In this liminal era of the entertainment industry, George Cheeks is paving an innovative path. We’re honoured to welcome him to the festival and look forward to hearing his vision for the future of the business as well as insights on some of the industry’s big questions.”
Previous speakers for the BANFF Summit Series include Bela Bajaria, Pearlena Igbokwe, Greg Berlanti, Ted Sarandos, Channing Dungey, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Paula Kerger, Sarah Barnett, Paul Feig, Kenan Thompson, Maverick Carter, David Linde and Seth Meyers.
Cheeks oversees CBS-branded assets within Paramount Global, including the CBS Television Network, which encompasses CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, as well as CBS Studios, CBS Stations, CBS Media Ventures, its first-run syndication business, and CBS-branded digital assets.
He’s also the chief content officer for news and sport at Paramount+, which extends content from CBS News and CBS Sports to the streaming service. In addition, his leadership portfolio across Paramount Global also includes responsibility for BET, Paramount Television Studios and the company’s free-to-air networks in the U.K., Australia, Argentina and Chile.
Prior to joining CBS, Cheeks served more than seven years at NBCUniversal in senior executive positions that spanned creative, business and operational roles. Most recently, he was vice chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios and was also in charge of late night programming for NBC Entertainment.
