CBS, Paramount+ Exec George Cheeks to Keynote Banff Festival

George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS and CFO of news and sports for Paramount+, is set to keynote the upcoming Banff World Media Festival.

Cheeks will speak on June 12 as part of the Summit Series for the festival’s 44th edition. “George Cheeks has been an innovative business and creative force in the television industry for over 30 years,” Kevin Beggs, chair of the board of directors for Banff, while also head of the Lionsgate Television Group, said in a statement on Thursday.

In 2020, Cheeks left NBCUniversal after seven years with that studio to join CBS and more recently, has taken on new duties at Paramount Global as that studio diversifies into streaming. He also has oversight of other Paramount Global assets like BET, Paramount Television Studios and the company’s free-to-air networks in the U.K., Australia, Argentina and Chile.

Cheeks joined NBC in 2012 after serving as executive vp of business affairs and general counsel at the Viacom Music and Entertainment Groups, Content Distribution and Marketing, as well as head of standards and practices for Viacom Media Networks in New York City.

“In this liminal era of the entertainment industry, George Cheeks is paving an innovative path. We’re honored to welcome him to the festival and look forward to hearing his vision for the future of the business as well as insights on some of the industry’s big questions,” Banff executive director Jenn Kuzmyk added in her own statement.

The Banff World Media Festival is set to run June 11 to 14 in Banff.