NATO taps Fithian prez
Theare Owners org replacing retiring Kartozian
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Kartozian, also an attorney, announced last April that he planned to retire. He became the exhib entity's first full-time prexy in 1988.
Fithian is a partner in the D.C. firm Patton Boggs LLP. He's long repped trade groups, pro-athlete unions and various corporations and nonprofits. He's been NATO's Washington counsel since 1992.
"John has the unique experience of having long worked in the trenches of NATO to defeat onerous legislation and shape federal policy, and has developed a keen understanding of the issues that affect our industry," NATO chairman Barrie Lawson Loeks said in a statement.
Kartozian added, "He has proven himself both talented and capable."
Many NATO vets see the 37-year-old Fithian as a dynamic, media-savvy leader who can keep the group's profile high.
Still, Kartozian "is a hard one to follow," Fithian said. "And there are a lot of tough issues facing the industry."
Chief among those, he said, are the evolution of digital technology and the scrutiny of Washington lawmakers.
"It'll be a bicoastal challenge," said Fithian, who'll split time between Los Angeles and Washington.
The son of a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, Fithian has degrees from the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia.
North Hollywood-based NATO is the top exhib trade group, repping the operators of about two-thirds of U.S. screens.
