MPTF Elects Emma Thomas & Kevin McCormick As New Board Co-Chairs

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning producer Emma Thomas and veteran Warner Bros film executive Kevin McCormick have been elected as new co-chairs of the MPTF‘s board of directors.

The new positions are effective immediately, with the pair taking over from longtime board chair Jim Gianopulos, who is stepping down after nine years in the post. He will continue as member of the board at the entertainment industry nonprofit.

Thomas, who has served as an MPTF board member since 2018, and McCormick, Warner Bros Pictures EVP and Senior Advisor and longtime MPTF supporter, currently co-chair the Social Services Governing Body, which is the organization’s financial assistance committee.

“Our organization has been so blessed to have Jim guiding the board through a very rocky period and we couldn’t be more appreciative of his outstanding leadership,” MPTF president and CEO Bob Beitcher said. “With Emma’s and Kevin’s fierce advocacy for MPTF’s mission of ‘taking care of our own,’ we are preparing to tackle all of the challenges posed by a rapidly changing industry. Speaking for MPTF staff and our board, we are looking forward to working closely with them in the future.”

Thomas and her husband Christopher Nolan, who won the Best Picture Oscar for Oppenheimer, are among the organization’s most generous philanthropic supporters. Nolan serves on the MPTF board of governors.

“Since 1921, MPTF has been a lifeline for our industry’s workers when they have fallen on hard times,” she said. “I have been lucky enough to witness the work of its incredible staff first hand, whether that be in offering funding to tide families over during crises, providing a home for film and TV industry professionals who have reached the end of their working lives, or help with accessing benefits due from state or federal agencies. It is an immense privilege to take on this new role with Kevin during a period which will no doubt bring new and harder challenges.”

McCormick has been part of the MPTF family for 35 years and is a founding producer of its fundraising event Reel Stories, Real Lives.

“For years, I had thought MPTF was nothing more than the Country House for retirees,” McCormick said. “And then Roddy [McDowell] introduced me to the expanding campus and the entire menu of support that MPTF offers — from childcare to geriatric care, with financial assistance, social services, case management, and wellness opportunities in between. Thanks to him, I can’t imagine being part of this industry without being part of MPTF.”

Gianopulos, the former studio chief at Fox and Paramount, has helped lead the MPTF through challenging times during his 20 years on the board, from Covid to industry strikes to the devastating Los Angeles fires earlier this year.

“It’s been a real honor for me to lead the board of MPTF for nine years, and I feel it’s time to hand the baton over,” he said. “There couldn’t be two more thoughtful, passionate, and enthusiastic supporters of MPTF than Emma and Kevin, and they have the full support and respect of all of us on the MPTF board going forward. I look forward to working with them as an MPTF board member.”