First, working with our partners across the industry — and at the local and national level — to keep (and bring back) production in Los Angeles and the United States as a whole. Second, implementing a clear and proactive strategy on AI that supports our members while allowing our medium to continue to innovate responsibly. And third, upholding inclusion not as an abstract ideal but as a core strength of our industry and a prerequisite for its ongoing cultural relevance and impact.
One significant item on the 2026 agenda will be striking a new agreement for the Emmy Awards telecast, as our current “wheel deal” concludes this year. There will be much more to share on that front in the coming months. For now, I want to assure our members that we are approaching this moment with both flexibility and intention. Our goal is to identify partners who recognize this opportunity as a meaningful investment in the celebration of television’s excellence and its enduring significance.
It is also important to acknowledge the broader context in which our work is taking place. We are living in a period marked by heightened conflict, division and violence. In the period since my last letter closed out 2025, we have already seen so much bloodshed, from an antisemitic attack on Bondi Beach in Australia and federally sanctioned assaults on our neighbors in Minnesota to here in Los Angeles, where a tragic family situation led to the loss of a beloved couple and generational talent from our community. In moments like these, the stories we tell — and the values we choose to elevate through them — carry ever more weight.
The Academy has long sought to support creators whose work engages with the social moment through avenues like the Television Academy Honors and the Foundation’s Power of TV series, as well as through formal and informal partnerships with organizations engaged in narrative-change work. As we look forward, I believe there is an opportunity to consider how this commitment can be further integrated into the Academy’s core mission and work in ways that encourage dialogue, not diminish it, and that reinforce television’s unique role as a place where the most difficult issues can be examined with nuance, empathy and courage.
As an organization that has always championed television’s ability to connect people and create shared experiences, we must ask ourselves how to best lead in this moment. I look forward to speaking with you and working together to ensure the Academy remains a thoughtful, inclusive steward of our industry.
This chair letter originally appeared in emmy magazine, issue #1, 2026.
