Association of Film Commissioners International Taps Rajiv Dalal and Jess Conoplia for New L.A.-Based Leadership Team

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) today announced an organization-wide restructuring that includes new leadership, an enhanced core mission focused on driving economic growth, and a commitment to working more closely with content creators and policy makers.

Now leading the association are Rajiv Dalal in the newly-created position of president, and Jess Conoplia in the newly-created position of executive vice president/chief operating officer – reporting to Dalal. Both will be based in Los Angeles to centralize AFCI operations.

Today's announcement was made at the start of AFCI's 41^st Annual Cineposium, which brings together 100 film commissioners from around the world to share best practices. This year's event is being held October 20-22 in Los Angeles, with an opening night reception at Warner Bros.

Prior to joining AFCI, Dalal held a range of leadership posts including managing director of MPAA's India office and executive director of Time Warner's Asia-Pacific Corporate Affairs Division. He also served as deputy film czar for the City of Los Angeles, where he helped engineer and usher in California's expanded film and TV tax credit program. 

Conoplia previously held senior positions with Wanda Studios Qingdao, the British Film Commission and Screen Queensland, where she oversaw billions of dollars in production investment that bolstered local economies. She also served as global executive director of the China Hollywood Society.  

Their focus on the global production policy space – which until now has been largely ignored – will include educating government officials about industry best practices that promote economic development and job growth. AFCI will also continue to serve its member commissions through workforce development training and strengthened ties to the production industry. 

"The leadership and strategic changes announced today represent a significant turning point for our organization," said AFCI Board Chair Kevin Jennings, who has served as executive manager of New Zealand's Film Otago Southland since 2006. "Rajiv and Jess bring the international industry expertise, experience, and relationships needed for AFCI to better serve its members and the production community." 

Dalal added, "I look forward to empowering AFCI members and serving as their voice to policy makers and the production industry."

About AFCI
Founded in 1975, the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) is the professional organization for film commissioners worldwide. Its represents more than 300 city, county, state, regional, provincial and national film commission members on six continents, including the California Film Commission, New York Governor's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, FilmL.A., British Film Commission, Vancouver Film Commission, Ausfilm, and New Zealand Film Commission, among others. For more information, visit AFCI.org.

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SOURCE Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI)