Video-Game Rating Group ESRB Names Netflix and MPA Alum Orit Michiel President

Orit Michiel is the next president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the video game industry’s self-regulatory body that assigns age and content ratings for video games and mobile apps.

Michiel will take the helm of ESRB on Nov. 2, 2026, replacing Patricia Vance, who is retiring after more than 20 years as president of the organization.

Michiel previously spent eight years at Netflix, most recently as director of content policy, leading the streamer’s global content policy team and developing a global classification and maturity-rating system. She left Netflix in November 2025.

Before joining Netflix in 2017, Michiel spent 13 years at the Motion Picture Association (MPA), serving as VP of legal affairs and chair of the MPA’s Classification and Rating Appeals Board. At MPA, she’s credited with leading a comprehensive overhaul of the movie industry’s U.S. rating and advertising guidelines.

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

“Orit understands the responsibility that comes with providing trusted age ratings and the numerous positive benefits of interactive entertainment on our society and culture,” Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software and chair of the board of directors of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and ESRB, said in a statement. “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 commented: “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.”

Michiel began her career practicing law 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.