FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Tom Maddrey, ASMP General Counsel
maddrey@asmp.org
Marianne Lee, ASMP Board Chair
marianne@asmp-board.org
Washington, D.C., July 10, 2020 — The Board of Directors of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has named James Edmund Datri as its new chief executive officer. He will begin his tenure on July 13th and will be based out of San Francisco. Datri is succeeding Tom Kennedy, who announced in January that he would be stepping down after over 5 years at ASMP’s helm.
James Edmund Datri ©JMichaelTucker.com
Datri served for a decade as the president & CEO of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), and was named President Emeritus by the AAF Board for his leadership there. He is a co-founder of a successful film and video production company in Los Angeles and New York City, Miller/Datri Entertainment. Datri is also a former executive director of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was named five times to Roll Call’s “Fabulous Fifty” list of the most influential staffers on Capitol Hill. He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Harvard Law School, and was a partner at two large law firms, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and McDermott Will & Emery.
“I am honored and excited by the opportunity to lead this incredible organization, and the chance to work for and with creative professionals who make an enormous impact across all forms of media. These are challenging times for ASMP’s members, the industry, and the nation, and I am committed to ensuring that ASMP provides its membership with the best and most innovative resources, tools, network, programs, and community an association can provide to help members with the challenges they are facing, while building a forward-thinking organization that will thrive, grow, and lead the way in a fast-changing industry landscape,” Datri said.
ASMP Board Chair Marianne Lee said, “The Board was looking for a proven leader who could successfully position and innovate ASMP for the future, while guiding it through these challenging times. Jim’s background and accomplishments across trade association leadership, media, content creation, politics, and law & lobbying are a perfect fit for what ASMP needs to accomplish those important goals.”
About ASMP: The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is the premier trade association for the most respected photographers across the worlds of advertising, magazines, photojournalism, architectural photography, portraiture, sports, fashion, entertainment, fine art, video/film, and beyond. ASMP is the leader in providing extensive education and resources to photographers on the best practices to run and grow a business in these fields, promoting the rights of photographers through a robust program of legal and public policy advocacy, connecting member photographers with clients, and producing business publications for photographers that set the industry standards. The organization exists because the work of these visual creators is so important to our economy and our culture. Founded in October of 1944, with a storied history that is an integral and pivotal part of the progression of photography as a profession, industry, and cultural force, ASMP is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year with nearly 3,500 members and 38 chapters.
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