Banijay Group 
Television Academy 
Endemol Shine North America 
Banijay Americas is undergoing a leadership transition as Cris Abrego hands the CEO reins to Ben Samek as he shifts focus to business development and acquisitions for the Banijay Group unit focused on production for North and South America.Abrego has served as chairman of Banijay Americas and president and CEO of the Endemol Shine imprint since November 2020. With the restructure, Samek will become CEO of Banijay Americas. He had been president and chief operating officer of Banijay Americas since...
Banijay Group
Cris
Abrego
Chairman, Americas / President & CEO, Endemol Shine Holdings
One of the highest-ranking Latino C-suite media execs, Abrego has been busy setting up the management team and operational structure for Banijay’s Americas department. The company has made strides in scripted in addition to its core business of unscripted franchises such as “MasterChef,” “Big Brother,” “Deal or No Deal” and “Below Deck.” He has expanded production capabilities in Mexico via a development pact with producer Marie Leguizamo. Under his direction, Banijay implemented an internship program designed to open doors to talent from underrepresented backgrounds. As Television Academy Foundation chair, Abrego in April secured a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to preserve its oral-history archives online.
