MUMBAI: Rod Perth has been named as the new NATPE Content First president, CEO.

The association?s co-chairs Jordan Levi, Chris Grant made the announcement.

Perth has overall responsibility for the vision, strategic evolution, marketing, programming and financial/administrative operations of the organisation. Reporting to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors, he will also lead a senior management team made up of six direct reports and a total staff of 20 people.

Bill Simon and Nicola Shocket of Korn/Ferry conducted the search on Natpe?s behalf.

Levin and Grant commented, ?After an expansive executive search process, where there were many highly qualified candidates, we concluded that Rod?s broad range of experience reflects the diverse influences shaping our industry and Natpe?s role in bringing together its various constituencies. Combined with his vast network of relationships and senior management skills, we believe Rod is ideally suited to evolve Natpe into a dynamic global organisation relevant to all who touch content. His imprint will be on next year?s conference in Miami, which marks Natpe?s 50th anniversary. It will recognise the considerable milestones in our business and serve as a springboard into our new initiatives for the future.?

Prior to joining Natpe, Perth was RHP Media Consulting founder, president specialising in strategic consulting and planning for digital media, broadcast, cable and new media initiatives.

He said, ?I have grown up professionally knowing and experiencing what NATPE has to offer, and find the prospect of developing and implementing a path for its future to be an extremely exciting and challenging one. NATPE?s Executive Committee and Board represent many of the top leaders in our business and, with their support, I believe that we can accomplish a great deal together for the benefit of our members from around the world?.

Natpe Content First is a global, nonprofit organisation committed to serving as a catalyst for the content revolution. Natpe operates and manages a US-based global content marketplace, a destination event where creativity meets connectivity and commerce.

MUMBAI: Rick Feldman, who has served as Natpe president, CEO for the past nine years, will segue, as planned, from his post at the end of his contract on 30 April into a three-year consultancy with the organisation, it was jointly announced by Natpe co-chairmen Jordan Levin and Chris Grant.

Natpe has retained Korn Ferry to administer an executive search to select a new operating chief for it. Feldman will assist with the transition.

Levin stated, "We deeply appreciate the contributions Rick has made to Natpe including his work most recently on our very successful Miami Conference, which grew in all key categories for the second year in a row. His knowledge and experience will continue to be put to good use as a consultant to the person we select and to the organization as a whole."

Grant said, "Our goal now is to find an individual who can oversee the proposed plans we have for our 50th Anniversary celebration and can help implement the ideas we have discussed to grow Natpe and solidify its position as the premier content association in the world across all platforms, both traditional and emerging."

Celebrating nearly 50 years of service to the ever-evolving television industry, Natpe continues to redefine itself and the services it provide to meet the needs of its members. In light of the changing dynamics of the global industry, Natpe has remained flexible in an effort to encourage and support the progress of the industry and all of the platforms it now serves.

MUMBAI: US independent production company Zig Zag Productions has entered into an exclusive partnership with The National Enquirer, the US-based celebrity and news tabloid magazine, which is published by American Media (AMI).

Zig Zag Productions CEO, executive chairman Danny Fenton announced the partnership will generate content for a number of platforms and the first show currently in development is "Enquirer", a fast paced observational documentary series following the lives of a group of National Enquirer reporters who come together on the road from their respective bureaus in New York, Los Angeles and Florida to uncover the exclusive stories that end up shocking the world.

The National Enquirer has been breaking world news for over 30 years and stories include the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair, the Tiger Woods scandal and the presidential candidate John Edwards love child discovery, which earned the publication a prestigious American journalism "Pulitzer Prize" nomination in 2010.

?Enquirer? viewers will find that how the news is broken is often more interesting than the news itself.

Co-sxecutive producers for AMI of the TV show are David J. Pecker, chairman, CEO and President of AMI, and Barry Levine, National Enquirer executive editor/director of news, who is based in New York. Coordinating producer is Patricia Gonzalez.

Zig Zag VP commercial, current production Leila Monks said: "We are incredibly excited about this new partnership ? our production background and contacts paired with The National Enquirer?s access and library is going to make for some pretty explosive viewing."

Barry Levine added: "Connecting with Zig Zag at the recent Natpe convention in Miami Beach was like finding the proverbial ?Diamond in the Rough.? Their eclectic approach in factual entertainment program-making makes them the ideal fit to bring our show to life. And their success in distributing content worldwide will only enhance and expand The Enquirer?s celebrity/news brand!"