Former NATPE exec Victoria Elmacioglu has announced the creation of WAVES (Women Advancing Voices in Entertainment & Screen), a new private network for leading women across television, film and the wider entertainment industry. The initiative will be officially launched at MIPCOM CANNES 2026, bringing together key decision-makers from across the international entertainment landscape.

The mission of WAVES is to create more space for business relationships to develop. It brings together executives, producers, creators, commissioners, studio and network leaders, agents, distributors, and other influential voices shaping the global entertainment landscape.

Rather than operating as a one-off networking event, WAVES will be an intentional ,year-round ecosystem. Through curated gatherings, private introductions and ongoing connection, members can meet peers with shared ambitions and complementary expertise, leading to new partnerships, collaborations, and business opportunities.

At its core, WAVES is grounded in the idea that when influential women know one another, support one another, and actively create opportunities for one another, the impact extends beyond individual careers to the wider industry.

Victoria Elmacioglu is an international television executive with more than 20 years of
experience across the global content industry. Her career has spanned international distribution, production, commissioning, and partnerships, giving her a broad view of how the industry operates across markets and where new opportunities are created.

Over two decades, she has built a wide international network across broadcasters, studios, production companies, distributors, and independent businesses. The idea to launch WAVES grew out of that experience and her belief that stronger connections between women across different parts of the entertainment industry can lead to better
conversations, partnerships, and opportunities.