ABC and ESPN Leaders Among Honorees in NATAS Gold & Silver Circle Inductions
The inductees will be honored later this month.
Honoring decades of excellence in television, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced its latest group of distinguished inductees and scholarship recipients.
What’s Happening:
- The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has revealed this year’s Gold and Silver Circle Honor Society inductees, along with recipients of scholarships from the NATAS Foundation.
- These individuals will be honored during the 47th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards and the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards, scheduled for May 26–28 in New York City.
- NATAS is also continuing its partnership with Coca-Cola, which will present the Coca-Cola HBCU Sports Production Grant to three student winners at the Sports Emmy® Awards.
- The Gold and Silver Circle Honor Society celebrates individuals who have made lasting and meaningful contributions to the television industry.
- Inductees are recognized for distinguished careers spanning 50 years for the Gold Circle and 25 years for the Silver Circle, highlighting both their professional achievements and their influence on the field.
- From Disney, several of this year’s inductees arrive ABC and ESPN, both current and former..
- Check out a list of Disney inductees below:
2026 Sports Inductees, Gold & Silver Circle
Gold
Howard Katz (Former Senior Vice President, Broadcasting for the NFL)
2026 News Inductees, Gold & Silver Circle
Gold
Fountain Jones (Sr. Technical Director/Vision Mixer/Audio Engineer, CBS; and, formerly Recording and Mixing Audio Engineer, ABC)
David Sloan (Senior Executive Producer, ABC News)
Kerry Smith (Senior Vice President, ABC News)
- These names join other notable Disney executives and employees who joined last year, including Susette Hsiung ( Executive Vice President, Studio Production & Network Programming Operations, Disney Branded Television) and Steven Vincent (Senior Vice President, Music and Soundtracks, Disney Branded Television).
- Tune in on May 26–28 to celebrate these notable additions to NATAS.
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