Ron Cohen is back at the helm of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, taking over from outgoing chair Paul Gratton, whose four-year term is up.

‘It is another new chapter for the Academy,’ says Cohen, ‘We have a new CEO, which is a huge change, since Maria was there for such a long time.’ Bay Street media and entertainment lawyer Sara Morton took over for president and CEO Maria Topalovich — who had been with the Academy for nearly 28 years — in July. The Academy says the post of president has been eliminated.

Cohen, founding chair of the Academy in 1979, feels that having a long-standing history with the Academy will be an asset. ‘What is past is prologue. Let’s build on that. When you have a new chapter, you have an exciting opportunity to see what new direction the Academy will take.’

The Academy, which selected Cohen at its recent annual general meeting, announced the decision on Thursday.

A lawyer and film producer by profession, Cohen’s film Ticket to Heaven won four Genie Awards, including best picture, in 1982. He also chaired a federal task force on film distribution, exhibition, and marketing, was on the board of directors of the Consumers’ Association of Canada for several years and, since 1993, has been national chair of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

Showcasing Canadian talent is first and foremost for Cohen. ‘I come from an outreach approach, trying to get into the corners of our country, wearing my Canadian Broadcast Standards hat. We put out our brochure in 44 languages. It’s important that Canadians be in touch with what’s on their screens, small and large. And with the nature of Canadian content at risk, it’s more important than ever,’ he says.

Cohen applauds Gratton’s efforts as Academy chair. ‘He saw us through a difficult time, stepping in as CEO before Sara was hired, and the initiative to take the Geminis on the road, to the public, in their community, was a big challenge. It’s a direction I back completely.’

Gratton also cites taking last year’s Geminis to Vancouver — the first time the TV awards were not held in Toronto in 21 years — as one of his tenure’s highlights. But he’s most proud of changing the nomination process for the Genies. ‘We used to have two separate juries judging, and no one saw all of the films, so we would have really inexplicable, indefensible results, which hurt our credibility. Now all the same people see the same films.’

Gratton will stay involved with the Academy while continuing his ‘day job’ as VP of the CHUM Television entertainment specialty channels recently acquired by CTVglobemedia.