MPTF Makes It Official: Bob Beitcher Named President and CEO

The former Panavision CEO had been serving in the post on an interim basis and has helped cool tensions over a plan to shutter the non-profit’s hospital

He's been in the post for over a year, but the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) announced Tuesday that Bob Beitcher has officially been named its president and chief executive officer.

Beitcher has been serving as the interim CEO for the organization since February 2010, shepherding the non-profit through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.

Also read: MPTF Chief Beitcher Grilled: 'It’s a Big Win For Everybody'

The former Panavision CEO took over after his predecessor Dr. David Tillman resigned over criticism about his $600,000 a year salary and push to close the Hollywood home for the aged's hospital and long-term care facility. That plan resulted in a standoff between residents' families and the MPTF administrators over whether the facility should be shuttered in the wake of budget shortfalls. 

Beitcher has been credited with helping to cool the tensions between the groups. He has also helped shape a plan that would see the MPTF turn over its longterm care facility to Providence Health & Services, allowing the facility to stay open. A deal isn't in place yet, but Beitcher has told staff that Providence could take over operations by the end of the year.

"Bob's broad experience in the entertainment industry and expertise in revamping organizations has made him the right person for the job. We were appreciative that he chose to step up last February on an interim basis to lead the organization, and he has already exceeded our expectations in all he has been able to accomplish in the last year. We're pleased that he's committed to the role on a permanent basis," Bob Pisano, chairman of the MPTF's Board of Directors, said in a statement. 

In a sign of how much the atmosphere has improved under Beitcher, Nancy Biederman, the co-founder of Saving the Lives of Our Own, the grassroots group formed to protest the closure, hailed the appointment. 

"We are working with Bob Beitcher to achieve our goals of keeping the Long Term Care Facility open, insuring its future and preserving the MPTF's commitment to its historic mission," Biederman told TheWrap. "We're glad to see his responsible and responsive approach to leadership and the stability that has resulted."

Prior to joining the MPTF, Beitcher never worked in the healthcare sector, but he did boast  several high profile jobs in the media industry. In addition to his work at Panavision, Beitcher worked as president of Technicolor Creative Services, and in various senior positions at Lucasfilm, Jim Henson Productions and Paramount Pictures.

Comments