News in 2009

Tom Botelho Appointed Executive Director of the Denver Film Society

7/27/2009

The Board of Directors of the Denver Film Society (DFS) announced that Tom Botelho has been appointed executive director of the Society effective immediately. Botelho returns to the position he held on an interim basis for six months in 2008. He also served as a member of the board of directors of DFS for 12 years, including one term as board chairman in 2003.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Tom has returned to the Denver Film Society to lead our organization in the coming years,” said David Charmatz, chairman of the DFS Board of Directors. “He served us with great skill and accomplishment as our interim director and brings a wealth of experience, energy and vision to his new position as the permanent executive director.”

Botelho, a 30-year veteran of the advertising industry, began his career in Los Angeles at BBDO International. With additional industry experience gained in Chicago, he came to Denver in 1984 to join local advertising leader, Tracy-Locke/BBDO where he served as vice president of account service on the $26 million Mountain Bell account. In 1988, he teamed with four other partners at Thomas & Perkins to build the agency to $45 million in annual billings.

The Denver Post hired Botelho in 1996 to lead the newspaper’s marketing efforts during the intense battle for market dominance with the Rocky Mountain News. Six years later, Botelho became the Denver Newspaper Agency’s senior vice president of Brand Marketing.

“Tom’s track record of innovation in both business and philanthropy is exactly what our organization needs as we confront a challenging economy,” said Charmatz.

Botelho has worked with some of the largest companies in Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver developing advertising and marketing campaigns and has considerable experience in repositioning companies and organizations for future growth. At the Denver Newspaper Agency, Botelho also led the sports sponsorship division that generated more than $8 million in revenues through partnerships with all of Denver’s professional sports teams.

“Coming back to the Denver Film Society is a tremendous honor and opportunity for me,” said Botelho. “This organization has a 32-year track record for producing industry-renowned film festivals, exceptional programming at the Starz FilmCenter and innovative educational offerings. And, looking ahead to the 32^nd Starz Denver Film Festival, we’re preparing to deliver one of the strongest programming lineups in years, including a focus on Mexican cinema featuring emerging fimmakers.

“In today’s economic climate, the challenge is to keep moving forward and expand programming while also generating incremental revenue associated with these new initiatives,” said Botelho.

In 2005, Botelho was appointed a Commissioner for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs where he chaired the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts committee for two years. He is also a member of the board of directors of Concerts for Kids and has previously served on the boards of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and United Way.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Botelho acquired a master’s degree in Journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University in 1981. He is married with three children.