Television Academy Appoints Linda Swain Vice President, Membership and Outreach (TV News Roundup)

Plus: Amazon Prime Video's 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' received a teaser trailer and the release date for 'Big Brother' was announced.

Linda Swain has been appointed the vice president of membership and outreach for the Television Academy, the body responsible for the annual Emmy Awards.

Swain will be the first person to serve in the position, after the Academy created it as part of the organization’s persity, equity and inclusion goals. In this role, Swain will be responsible for spearheading programs and initiatives to boost membership engagement, boosting the persity and cultural inclusivity of the overall membership and leading outreach and recruitment of inpiduals and organizations that can provide perse perspectives for the Television Academy.

Swain joins the Television Academy from Velocity Frequent Flyer, Virgin Australia’s airline loyalty program, where she lead strategic marketing plans for consumer partners. She has also held marketing executive positions at American Express Australia, CCH Publishing and Westpac Banking Corporation.

“We are thrilled to have Linda on board to guide our membership team,” Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, said in a statement. “Linda’s extensive marketing and leadership experience will help propel new membership initiatives and drive systemic change across our organization.”

Also in today’s TV news:

TRAILERS

Amazon has released the first trailer for “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” the new young adult romance series based on the book series by Jenny Han. Lola Tung stars as Lola Tung as Isabel “Belly” Conklin, during a vacation at a beach town, where she becomes tangled up in a love triangle between her childhood friend Conrad (Christopher Briney) and his brother Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Jackie Chung, Sean Kaufman, Rachel Blanchard, Alfredo Narciso, Minnie Mills, Colin Ferguson and Tom Everett Scott also star in the series. Han will serve as showrunner of the series with Gabrielle Stanton. The two executive produce with Karen Rosenfelt, Hope Hartman, Mads Hansen and Nne Ebong for Wiip Productions. The series is set to premiere June 17. The trailer features the recently released re-recording of “This Love” from the 2014 Taylor Swift album “1989;” watch below.

PREMIRE DATES

The latest season of CBS reality staple “Big Brother” and new series “The Challenge: USA” will premiere July 6 with 90-minute episodes. “Big Brother,” based on the long-running Dutch series which sees strangers forced to live quarantined in a house for several weeks, will return for its 24th season. “The Challenge: USA” is a spinoff of the long-running MTV “Challenge” franchise, and sees former contestants from CBS reality series such as “Big Brother,” “Survivor,” “Love Island” and “The Amazing Race” compete in demanding physical games and missions. Fly On The Wall Entertainment produces “Big Brother” in association with Endemol Shine North America, while Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan executive produce and Julie Chen Moonves hosts. “The Challenge: USA” is produced by MTV, with Julie Pizzi and Justin Booth executive producing and T.J. Lavin hosting.

Epix announced that four-part music docuseries “Women Who Rock” will premiere on July 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. From John Varvatos and Derik Murray’s Network Entertainment, the docuseries features original interviews with Nancy Wilson, Shania Twain, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheryl Crow, Sheila E., Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth, St. Vincent, Jody Watley and Nona Hendryx. Jessica Hopper, Jesse James Miller, Paul Gertz, Kent Wingerak, and Rachel Brill serve as executive producers alongside Varvatos and Murray, while Hopper directs.

“Nickelodeon Slime Cup,” a new golf competition special, will simulcast on Nickelodeon, TeenNick and Nicktoons June 25. Produced in partnership with the team behind the TV golf franchise “The Match,” The hour-long special will see four teams — consisting of a professional golfer, a celebrity and a Nickelodeon actor — compete in a golf match in the Rose Bowl Stadium. Nick stars Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Young Dylan and CBS Sports announcer Noah Eagle host, while Jerry Trainor and Hunter March serve as sideline reporters. Bryan Zuriff produces with Excel Sports Management. Nickelodeon also released a promo teaser for the event; watch below.

EXECS

Marilu Galvez has been appointed president and general manager of ABC-owned New York outlet WABC-TV, the television station has announced. Galvez will replace Chad Matthews, who was promoted to president of all ABC owned television stations earlier this year. In her new role, Galvez will lead day-to-day operations of WABC-TV (Channel 7). Prior to the appointment, she served as vice president of community engagement and development for the station since 2018, and has worked at the station for over 20 years.

EVENTS

The KCET Fine Cut Speaker Series is returning this year with two new workshops, and is currently taking submissions for student filmmakers aged 18 and older to be featured on KCET in the fall. Fine Cut accepts films 25 minutes and under that were produced after January 2020. Student filmmakers can submit their on Film Freeway. Finalists will be broadcast on KCET as part of six one-hour episodes in the fall. Deadline for submissions is June 5th. At the Speaker Series, Emmy-winning film and TV producer Sasheen Artis will moderate the discussion “Making the Most of Your Festival,” on May 25 at 6 p.m. He will be joined by Andrew Chung (“Ma”), Larry Laboe (co-founder and executive director of NewFilmmakers LA) and Gabriela Ortega (“Papi”).

INITATIVES

Ten participants have been selected for the 2022 Series Scriptwriters Program, a 7-week intensive developed by the National Hispanic Media Coalition. The participants include: Andrew Ruiz, Angela Treviño, Dominic Abeyta, Edwin Alexis Gómez, Elisha Miranda-Ramirez, Marcos Antonio Rodriguez, Melanie Martinez, Miguel Ramirez, Natalie Torres and Sofia Quintero. The 10 will receive professional mentorship from experienced screenwriters, and produce an original series pilot that they can pitch to NHMC partners such as NBC and the Walt Disney Company.