Documentary film, news and broadcasting executive Marie Nelson has been appointed president of Hot Docs.

The U.S. media veteran assumes the position effective June 1 and will take on the strategic leadership and management of the annual Hot Docs festival and its conference and market in Toronto, according to a news release.

She’ll also oversee the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and the year-round industry and public-facing initiatives and activities from the organization, which is currently running its 30th annual Hot Docs festival through Sunday (May 7).

Outgoing Hot Docs president Chris McDonald “has decided to step back from his role on the executive team” after 25 years at the festival, said the release. He will continue to work with Hot Docs in a “voluntary capacity on special projects.”

McDonald received the sole president title when former co-president and executive director Heather Conway announced plans to transition to an advisory position after joining Hot Docs in October 2021. He made “immeasurable contributions” to Hot Docs, said the board of directors, including leading negotiations to renovate, operate, program and, as of 2016, own the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.

Nelson has held senior positions at U.S. networks over her decades-long career, most recently as SVP, integrated content strategy at ABC News/Disney. There, she led a brand and reporting strategy “that pioneered and developed inclusive and diverse-led content for television, streaming and film audiences,” said the release.

Nelson also launched Emmy Award-winning non-fiction programs, including the 2021 ABC/Hulu/Disney+/Star series Soul of a Nation, and partnered with teams across The Walt Disney Company — as well as Nikole Hannah Jones, Oprah Winfrey, Harpo, The New York Times, and Lionsgate — to secure and develop the 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning docuseries The 1619 Project for Hulu.

Prior to ABC News, Nelson was VP, news and independent film at PBS, where she oversaw programming for documentary series such as Frontline, Independent Lens and POV. Titles under her tenure included the Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, and Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize winner One Child Nation.

Nelson’s previous positions have included executive producer, national programs at WGBH in Boston; VP (acting), executive producer at Viacom/BET Networks; and executive producer at National Public Radio. She holds a master of public policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and has served with government, non-profit and development organizations, including senior foreign policy appointments in the Clinton and Obama administrations.

In a statement, Nelson said she jumped at the chance to join Hot Docs.

“From my first trip to Toronto for the festival and its legendary pitch forum, it was love at first sight,” she said. “Hot Docs has earned its reputation as a beacon for the global documentary filmmaking community and their audiences by fostering a sense of home and supporting the best in the genre year-round. I am so energized to begin working with my colleagues at Hot Docs to continue innovating and building an even more inclusive and dynamic future for our storytellers.”

Lalita Krishna, co-chair of the Hot Docs board of directors, called Nelson “a dynamic leader with a proven track record of supporting filmmakers, growing and diversifying audiences and lifting powerful and yet often unheard voices into national discussion, which makes her ideally suited to lead Hot Docs into its next chapter.”

Added co-chair Robin Mirsky: “She is well-known and respected in the international industry for her passion and commitment, along with her sharp insights and strategic skill at establishing organizational frameworks that empower original storytelling.”

Photo by Mimi Ho