MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman will be stepping down from his position in April, five months ahead of his contract, while Bob Pisano, currently the president of the organization, will take his place, the lobby announced on Friday.
Glickman, a well-liked former secretary of agriculture, has been increasingly regarded as an awkward fit for the position, and recently apologies were offered to at least two studios for the MPAA's taking a position on net neutrality with which they disagreed.
While Glickman has been a staunch proponent of protecting Hollywood's intellectual property, some of the moguls felt he did not provide leadership for the strong personalities running the industry.
Glickman has taken a job as the chief of Refugees International.
Chairman of the MPAA since 2004, the mild-mannered Glickman was a stark contrast to the swashbuckling personality of his predecessor, the long-serving Jack Valenti.
A search for a replacement has been under way for a couple of months, but no candidates have yet been identified, according to individuals close to the search. One mogul recently said they were looking for "a killer," one indication of the qualities they might have considered lacking in Glickman.
The current lobbyists for the studios, Preston Padden for Disney and Matt Gerson for Universal, may be up for consideration.
"The problem is, no one really knows what the job is anymore," said another senior studio executive involved in the search.
The lobby position is regarded as one of the most coveted in Washington.
Barry Meyer, chairman of Warner Bros., said in a statement: “We thank Dan for his tireless support of the issues facing our businesses, particularly in protecting intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world. We wish him every success in his new position.”
The MPAA released this statement on Friday:
Washington, D.C. – Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA), today announced that he will be leaving the MPAA beginning April 1, to become President of Refugees International, the leading advocacy organization on refugee crises worldwide. Bob Pisano, President and Chief Operating Officer at the MPAA since 2005, will become interim CEO, while the search continues for Glickman’s replacement.
“In making this announcement, I want to thank Barry Meyer, Jim Gianopulos, Brad Grey, Bob Iger, Michael Lynton, Ron Meyer, and the entire MPAA Board of Directors, for their guidance and leadership. It has been an honor to have worked so closely with them. I also want to thank Bob Pisano and all the MPAA staff for their dedication during a time of major transition in our business,” Glickman said. “As I look forward to returning to public service and joining Refugees International, I am proud to look back at what the MPAA has accomplished since I took this job in 2004. We have fought vigorously on behalf of the 2.4 million Americans and other workers throughout the world whose jobs are based on a vibrant film and television business.
