The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced that three respected industry leaders–Vicky Colf, Alison Hoffman and Kim Snyder–have been named as recipients of HPA League Honors, which recognize diverse members of the media and entertainment community who shine as examples of accomplishment, innovation and leadership.
Colf, former CTO at Warner Bros., will receive the Excelsior Honor, which recognizes a leader who runs a business or finance team in the M&E industry (either manufacturer, service provider, or end-user) and who shows impressive business acumen and outstanding leadership while achieving remarkable business growth as well as a commitment to service in our community.
Hoffman, president of STARZ Domestic Networks, will receive the Rainmaker Honor, recognizing a leader who deployed intelligent tactics & ensured their company or organization achieved its sales and marketing goals and revenue targets. The award honors excellence in creative marketing, financial performance and business growth, as well as commitment to serving the community.
Snyder, CEO of Panavision, will be recognized as the Alchemist. This honor recognizes a leader who spearheads the innovation of noteworthy technology, bringing tangible benefits to the industry in production, post or workflow, as well as a commitment to serving the community.
HPA president Seth Hallen said, “These outstanding individuals operate at the vanguard of change. They are the people that up-and-coming leaders can aspire to emulate, while leading organizations and illuminating a path to the future. We are delighted to honor their accomplishments.”
Previous recipients of the League Honors include Annie Chang, Vice President, Creative Technologies, Universal Pictures (The Catalyst); Tammy Garnes, Vice President of Education & Understanding, ARRAY (The Excelsior); Patricia Keighley, Chief Quality Guru, IMAX Corp. (The Rainmaker); Charles D. King, Founder & CEO, MACRO (The Star); and Iris Wu, Founder, Ambidio (The Alchemist).
Recipients of the HPA League Honors are determined by a jury of industry leaders, with the enthusiastic support of the HPA Board of Directors.
Vicky Colf
Fueled by a love of innovation and a passion for organizational transformation, Colf provides technical and operational oversight and strategy that drives excellence and continuous improvement for top enterprises while fostering a culture of increased representation and diversity in the workplace. Colf was promoted and served as CTO/CIO at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. from 2017 until the close of 2020, overseeing the Studio’s extensive technology services and solutions portfolio (including security). She led the development of the entertainment industry’s first-of-its-kind, completely automated, digital supply chain, Digital End-to-End (DETE), which has helped improve efficiencies and speed up time-to-market for industry-related managed content. Supporting the boards of innovative institutions that share her passion and commitment to advancing technical innovation, Colf sat on the Board of Motion Picture Laboratories, Inc. (MovieLabs) until the end of 2020 and is a current member of Harvey Mudd College Board of Trustees, Harvey Mudd College STEAM:Coders, and the Sierra Ventures CXO Advisory Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif.
Alison Hoffman
Hoffman is president of Domestic Networks for STARZ, with revenue and operational responsibility for STARZ’s U.S. retail and wholesale businesses. She oversees key network operations, including distribution, marketing, publicity, product development, analytics and program planning. Hoffman was one of the key executives responsible for launching the STARZ app and manages the network’s direct-to-consumer business. She reorganized the business and built world-class performance marketing and analytics departments from the ground up, setting STARZ up for success in the streaming landscape. Additionally, Hoffman works closely with wholesale partners, including Amazon, Hulu, Roku and Apple to successfully drive revenue on their platforms. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer for STARZ and was responsible for spearheading brand and content marketing for the network, driving acquisition for the STARZ app and delivering data-driven insights that support all facets of the business. Hoffman joined STARZ in 2012 after serving as VP, Creative and Brand Strategy at AMC Networks where she was a key architect of award-winning marketing campaigns for series such as “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.” She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Brown University.
Kim Snyder
Snyder has led Panavision’s global portfolio of companies since 2012. Under her guidance, the company has innovated in the areas of camera and lens design, enhanced its rental footprint, and expanded the company’s reach into services. She has overseen the acquisition of Light Iron, advancing Panavision’s evolution as a premier provider of end-to-end services for the feature, series, and commercial markets. Prior to joining Panavision, Snyder held the position of president and general manager for Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division, responsible for all aspects of its business with the motion-picture industry. Her experience is expansive and diverse, encompassing leadership positions in finance, regional sales, and general management. Snyder is a graduate of the California University of Pennsylvania with a degree in computer science, and she holds an MBA from the University of Rochester William E. Simon Graduate School of Business. She is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers. Snyder is a passionate supporter of the creative community and the advancement of diversity initiatives in the industry.
The Grammys’ voting body is more diverse, with 66% new members. What does it mean for the awards?
For years, the Grammy Awards have been criticized over a lack of diversity — artists of color and women left out of top prizes; rap and contemporary R&B stars ignored — a reflection of the Recording Academy's electorate. An evolving voting body, 66% of whom have joined in the last five years, is working to remedy that.
At last year's awards, women dominated the major categories; every televised competitive Grammy went to at least one woman. It stems from a commitment the Recording Academy made five years ago: In 2019, the Academy announced it would add 2,500 women to its voting body by 2025. Under the Grammys' new membership model, the Recording Academy has surpassed that figure ahead of the deadline: More than 3,000 female voting members have been added, it announced Thursday.
"It's definitely something that we're all very proud of," Harvey Mason jr., academy president and CEO, told The Associated Press. "It tells me that we were severely underrepresented in that area."
Reform at the Record Academy dates back to the creation of a task force focused on inclusion and diversity after a previous CEO, Neil Portnow, made comments belittling women at the height of the #MeToo movement.
Since 2019, approximately 8,700 new members have been added to the voting body. In total, there are now more than 16,000 members and more than 13,000 of them are voting members, up from about 14,000 in 2023 (11,000 of which were voting members). In that time, the academy has increased its number of members who identify as people of color by 63%.
"It's not an all-new voting body," Mason assures. "We're very specific and intentional in who we asked to be a part of our academy by listening and learning from different genres and different groups that... Read More