ChIPs to Welcome Entertainment Executives to Global Summit

Michele Ganeless (left), Mary Olson (center) and Erin Underhill (right) will share insights from their long careers in entertainment with ChIPs Global Summit attendees on October 22 in Los Angeles, CA.

The 2026 ChIPs Global Summit will feature Michelle Ganeless, Mary Olson and Erin Underhill in conversation for the panel “Women Who Run Entertainment.”

SAN FRANCISCO , CA, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Entertainment executives Michele Ganeless, CEO of Comic Relief and the long-serving Comedy Central president; Mary Olson, studio head at Santa Monica Studios; and Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television, will speak at the ChIPs Global Summit 2026, on October 22 in Los Angeles, CA. More than 800 ChIPs members are expected to attend the sold-out event at the J.W. Marriott LA LIVE. Ganeless, Olson, and Underhill will sit down for a conversation with Stephanie Burns, ChIPs Board Director and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The panel is part of the ChIPs Global Summit theme for 2026, “The Next Act: IP, Innovation, and Influence.” As innovators across the entertainment landscape, Ganeless, Olson, Underhill, and Burns will discuss what lies on the horizon for film, television, and gaming.

“The entertainment industry and IP have always gone hand in hand,” Joan Toth, Executive Director of ChIPs Network, shared. “There’s been a deeper focus in the industry as it focuses more heavily on pre-established intellectual property and identifies opportunities to ensure artists’ rights are upheld. This is the exact type of conversation the ChIPs Global Summit is designed to unpack.”

Burns shared a similar sentiment. “I encounter many leaders in gaming, film, and television. Michele, Mary, and Erin are some of the greatest within their respected industries. They not only hold some of the highest positions in entertainment, but also have some of the longest tenures. Together, they bring over a century of experience and knowledge to our main stage.”

Michele Ganeless currently serves as CEO of Comic Relief US, a role she took on in 2025 after long serving as a board member. Comic Relief uses the power of comedy to fight childhood poverty — changing the stories that keep it invisible, engaging communities to take action, and resourcing local nonprofits doing the work on the ground. She's best known for her earlier tenure as president of Comedy Central from 2004 to 2016, where she built the network into a cultural powerhouse and it became the leading brand in comedy across all platforms, earning numerous Emmy and Peabody awards.

Mary Olson is Studio Head of Santa Monica Studio, the award-winning Sony Interactive Entertainment studio behind the acclaimed God of War franchise. Appointed Studio Head in 2025, she leads one of the industry's most respected first-party game studios. Prior to Santa Monica Studio, Olson held leadership roles at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft, 343 Industries, Midwinter Entertainment and Behaviour Interactive. Beginning her career as a sound designer, Mary has built a multidisciplinary career spanning creative, technical and production leadership, overseeing some of gaming's most celebrated and commercially successful franchises.

Erin Underhill is President of Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, where she oversees creative affairs, casting and production for one of the most successful television studios in the world. She's spent her entire career at NBCUniversal since 2000, rising up to lead the studio’s drama development department before being named President in 2020. Acclaimed series under her purview include Dick Wolf’s enormously successful “Law & Order,” “One Chicago” and “FBI”-branded series, and many Emmy-winning shows including “Hacks,” "The Gilded Age," as well as the critically lauded "The Four Seasons. " She currently serves on the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s Board of Governors and the Hollywood Radio & Television Society Advisory Council.

About ChIPs

ChIPs is a nonprofit organization representing more than 10,000 members in over 30 regional chapters in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. ChIPs advances and connects women in technology, law and policy. We accelerate innovation through diversity of thought, participation, and engagement. ChIPs is open to all who share its mission.

Olivia Moorer
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