Writer/Director Mark Gardner selected to International Academy of Web Television Board of Directors

I recently found out that I was selected to be one of the new members of the International Academy of Web Television’s Board of Directors. I can’t tell you what an honor it is for me to be included with this group. There are so many people serving on the Board that I’ve looked to for inspiration and guidance over the past few years that to now suddenly be included with them is humbling to put it mildly.International Academy of Web Television

In case you didn’t know, the IAWTV is a non-profit organization helping shape the rapidly evolving web television industry while providing a venue for the acknowledgement of artistic and technological achievement in original entertainment distributed on the open internet. I’ve been working in the background with the group for a while. The organization’s members voted on nominees and I was one of the five elected to a two-year term..

The four other newly selected members include Tim Shey (Director of Channels and Programming, You Tube Next Lab), Jim Louderback (CEO, Revision 3), Rob Barnett (Founder/CEO, My Damn Channel), and Jeff Koenig (Founder/CEO, OMFGeek.com). Also sitting on the Board are current members Felicia Day (“The Guild”), Dina Kaplan (blip.tv), Paul Kontonis (Digitas), Jenni Powell (Relativity Media/Rogue Pictures), George Ruiz (ICM), and Tim Street (mDialog).

This really is an exciting time to be working in web video. The IAWTV is in a position to be at the forefront of the new media world and to be a voice for the talented creators working hard to tell great stories. Now I can be a voice for the truly independent creators out there and also for people working hard to make it outside of LA or New York.

The future looks bright and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

Next stop… the first annual IAWTV Awards at the Venetian in Las Vegas in January!