AFM President Ray Hair is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Varriale as Director of Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD), effective January 26. Varriale is an assistant to the president and has served as EMSD assistant director since 2008, supervising and coordinating all media issues in the Federation’s New York headquarters. He replaces outgoing Director Bill Thomas, who resigned from that position earlier this year.

Varriale began his service to the Federation 40 years ago in 1974, when he was hired into the AFM’s Recording Department by then AFM Executive Assistant to the President Bob Crothers. He eventually was tasked with supervising contract matters for Jingles, National Public Television, and Radio, and Sound Recordings. After Crothers retired and was succeeded by Dick Gabriel, who directed the Division from the AFM’s West Coast Office in Los Angeles, Varriale oversaw preparations for media negotiations and ratification processes for all nonsymphonic media agreements, including Live Television and Motion Picture-TV Film. During his 40 years of service, he has advised and counseled seven AFM presidents on media matters, from AFM President Hal Davis onward.

“I am extremely proud to welcome Patrick Varriale as the new director of our Electronic Media Services Division,” says Hair. “There is no one on the labor side of the media business more qualified for the job or more capable of assuming the role of EMSD director than Pat Varriale. The decades of knowledge and experience he brings to the division each day have served our members well. He will now lead a great team of experienced staffers who are dedicated to improving the lives of professional musicians working in the media industry.”