(Washington, DC) – Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins today announced that MPTD Director Crystal Palmer takes on a new role as Senior Adviser for Special Projects in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and Herbert Niles, who is the senior advisor for Business Development & Strategic Partnerships in the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD), will serve as interim director for MPTD. Palmer and Niles will assume their new roles on Monday, October 7.

“We are excited to have Crystal Palmer join our team and help us move forward with growing and diversifying our economy and continuing our successes with the Five-Year Economic Development Strategy,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “Herbert Niles was an obvious choice to continue the work Crystal has done as he brings a wealth of knowledge in the entertainment and media industry.”   

Niles has over 20 years of experience serving in various professional roles related to media and entertainment, including hands-on film production crew member, creative development executive at the motion picture studio Orion Pictures, independent screenwriter, independent film producer, and corporate executive/department head at BET Networks, a nationally-known television cable broadcast company.

Niles has been responsible for developing, acquiring, managing and distributing creative content, as well as managing, supervising and training a diverse pool of talent with various levels of experience in the industry. A native of Washington, DC, Niles lives in Ward 4.

During her tenure as director of MPTD, Palmer helped attract film, television and multimedia projects that doubled the level of production and tripled the number of temporary jobs created since 2010. Also under her direction, MPTD launched two successful film initiatives, Filmmaker of the Month and Location of the Month that will continue beyond her tenure. Palmer, with more than 20 years’ experience as the director of MPTD, began her career as a WJLA-TV copywriter and, later, an account executive at The Wayne Smith Company, a public relations firm, where she assisted in representing prominent politicians, lawyers and sports celebrities. A native of Washington, DC, Palmer resides on Capitol Hill with her husband and two children.

Media Contacts

• Chanda Washington (DMPED) - (202) 727-6365
• Leslie Green (MPTD) - (202) 724-2070