ESRB Picks Netflix and MPA Veteran Orit Michiel as Its Next President

The Entertainment Software Rating Board has named Orit Michiel as its next president. The board is the video game industry's self-regulatory body, responsible for assigning age and content ratings to video games and mobile apps.

Michiel will take over on Nov. 2, 2026. She replaces Patricia Vance, who is retiring after more than 20 years leading the organization.

Her most recent post was at Netflix, where she spent eight years and rose to director of content policy. In that role she led the streaming service's global content policy team and helped develop a global classification and maturity-rating system. She left the company in November 2025.

Michiel joined Netflix in 2017, after 13 years at the Motion Picture Association. There she served as vice president of legal affairs and chaired 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.

As ESRB president, Michiel will oversee the age and content rating system, as well as enforcement of the advertising and marketing guidelines adopted by the video game industry. She will also be responsible for the Privacy Certified program, which helps companies put responsible privacy practices in place. In addition, she will sit on the board of directors of the International Age Rating Coalition, 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 boards of both the Entertainment Software Association and the ESRB, welcomed 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," he said. He added that her experience across the entertainment industry and her deep knowledge of classification systems make her "an exceptional choice to lead ESRB for the future."

Zelnick said Michiel will build on the organization's longstanding commitment to giving parents clear, reliable information so they can decide what is right for their families. She will also work to ensure the self-regulated industry continues to follow its stringent guidelines and practices, he said.

Michiel said she was honored to lead the team. "Interactive entertainment sparks imagination, inspires learning and brings families together," she said, adding that parents deserve clear, useful information to help them choose gameplay experiences suited to their children. She noted that the ESRB has earned parents' trust and said she intends to help families make confident choices "as video games and the ways people play continue to evolve."

Michiel began her career as an attorney at Loeb & Loeb LLP. She holds a JD from the UCLA School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from UCLA.