Netflix and MPA Alum Orit Michiel Named President of ESRB

Orit Michiel takes office as president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board on November 2, 2026. She replaces Patricia Vance, who retires after more than two decades leading the video game industry's self-regulatory ratings body.

Michiel arrives with a resume built almost entirely around classification systems. She spent eight years at Netflix, most recently as director of content policy, where she led the streamer's global content policy team and developed a global classification and maturity-rating system. She left Netflix in November 2025.

Her earlier career is no less relevant. Before joining Netflix in 2017, Michiel spent 13 years at the Motion Picture Association, serving as VP of legal affairs and chair of the MPA's Classification and Rating Appeals Board. She is credited with leading a comprehensive overhaul of the movie industry's U.S. rating and advertising guidelines. She began her career as an attorney at Loeb & Loeb LLP and holds a JD from the UCLA School of Law and a bachelor of arts in political science from UCLA.

What does the role cover?

As president, Michiel will oversee the ESRB's age and content rating system, enforce the advertising and marketing guidelines adopted by the video game industry, and run its Privacy Certified program, which helps companies implement responsible privacy practices. She will also sit on the board of directors of the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), which provides global age ratings for digitally delivered games and apps.

Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software and chair of the board of directors of the Entertainment Software Association and ESRB, framed the appointment in a statement. "Orit understands the responsibility that comes with providing trusted age ratings and the numerous positive benefits of interactive entertainment on our society and culture," Zelnick said. "Her experience across the entertainment industry, and her deep knowledge of classification systems, makes her an exceptional choice to lead ESRB for the future. She will build on its longstanding commitment to giving parents clear, reliable information to decide what is right for their families and ensuring that our self-regulated industry continues to adhere to its stringent guidelines and practices."

Michiel set out her own priorities in a statement.

"Interactive entertainment sparks imagination, inspires learning and brings families together. Parents deserve clear, useful information to help them choose gameplay experiences that are right for their children. ESRB has earned parents' trust and empowered them with that information. I am honored to lead this team and build on its work to help families make confident choices as video games and the ways people play continue to evolve."

A rare turnover at the top

Vance's departure ends one of the longest tenures in entertainment self-regulation. Her successor inherits an organization that bridges game publishers, parents and regulators at a moment when digital distribution keeps reshaping how ratings reach consumers.

Michiel's path — from the MPA's rating appeals board to Netflix's global maturity system — tracks the migration of content classification from cinemas to streaming to interactive media. With IARC board duties attached to the presidency, her mandate extends beyond U.S. shelf labels toward a single global framework for how games and apps are rated, and how parents learn to trust those ratings.