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After seven and a half years as president and CEO of Promax, Steve Kazanjian is stepping down. Kazanjian will serve as a consultant to the non-profit organization for the next few months.
Stacy La Cotera, general manager and executive producer, will become the association’s next leader. The announcements were made by Promax board co-chairs Stephanie Gibbons, president, marketing, FX Networks, and Alan Beard, CEO, Synonymous.
“Steve has played a critical role in the development and success of Promax,” said Gibbons and Beard in a joint statement. “We sincerely thank Steve for his dedicated leadership which involved many significant accomplishments in navigating us through the challenges of industry consolidation and the unprecedented period of the pandemic. While his inspiring leadership will be missed, we wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.”
Kazanjian joined Promax in October 2015 after spending his career in marketing. He served as vice president of global creative for packaging company MWV and spent more than 15 years in entertainment branding, marketing and promotions. He is the previous chairman of the Broadcast Design Association, served as the vice chairman of the Promax board and has been an adjunct professor at Otis College of Art and Design.
“In early 2020, the pandemic uprooted our lives and Promax was hit incredibly hard and we faced a very challenging future,” said Kazanjian in a statement. “I knew that there was no greater obligation than to lead this association through to the other side. Not only have we done that, but we’ve also done it incredibly successfully, having tremendous accomplishments. We maintained financial stability, honored our obligations, kept our community connected, and launched first-ever virtual content, networking, and leadership programs, to name a few. It was two incredible years of experimentation and innovation. And now, it’s time to say goodbye. I am extremely proud of leading an incredibly hard-working team with the support of our board. I’m equally excited to reveal my future plans, which I can say involve marketing and maintaining my Promax membership.”
La Cotera came from the Recording Academy and the Grammys in 2008 to join Promax as manager of awards, moving up to director, vice president, and in 2016, general manager and executive producer. In this role, she oversees the association’s global business and operations for awards, events, marketing and industry relations.
“We are thrilled that Stacy will be leading Promax,” Beard and Gibbons said. “She not only possesses the respect of the membership, knowledge of the industry and strategic forethought for our future, but she brings to the role a passion, love and drive for our association that is unmatched.”
“I’m honored and I’m grateful to the board for the opportunity to lead this exceptional association, representing some of the most amazing global marketers and creatives across the media and entertainment industry,” La Cotera said in a statement. “Promax is resilient, and I am so proud of all that the team has accomplished. I look forward to continuing to evolve Promax in new and diverse ways.”
In June, Promax is returning to in-person events for the first time since 2019, with Station Summit at the Mirage in Las Vegas from June 20-24 and an in-person North America Awards show at the Directors Guild of America Theater on June 16.