Chris Dodd's New Job: Hollywood's Top Lobbyist

Chris Dodd, freshly retired from the Senate, has a new job—CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, notes the Hollywood Reporter. The MPAA is Hollywood's biggest lobbying group, though it's probably better known for its role overseeing the ratings system. Dodd takes over at a time of declining sales and rampant piracy, notes the Los Angeles Times, and his biggest challenge will be finding consensus among the studios on strategy in the digital age.

As a senator, Dodd had been a firm supporter of the MPAA on piracy and other trade issues, and he authored a banking law last year that had provisions tailored to help the industry protect revenues. "Chris Dodd not only has the political instincts and experience, but he's the right person to lead the film industry through its toughest challenges regarding content protection and piracy on a domestic and global scale," said Warner Brothers' Barry Meyer. (More Chris Dodd stories.)