Full Name
Audrey Lee
Job Title
EVP and General Counsel
Company
Starz
Bio
Audrey Lee is a seasoned media executive with more than 20 years of legal and business experience and currently serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for STARZ.
Based in the company’s Santa Monica office, Lee is responsible for developing the strategic direction of business and legal affairs for the company, including distribution, content acquisition, production, litigation, employment matters and legal and regulatory compliance worldwide.
In 2020, Lee played an instrumental role in creating COVID Television Production & Safety Guidelines which allowed STARZ/Lions Gate to be one of the first studios in the country to restart production after the initial March 2020 pandemic shutdown. Lee was instrumental in creating these guidelines well before most of the industry, obtaining buy-in from a number of stakeholders, including consulting with health and safety advisors, health departments, governor’s offices, film commissions and OSHA. Lee ensured strict compliance with federal, foreign, state, county and city-level regulations and guidance, negotiating with guilds to attain support for the protocols. As a result, Lionsgate Television has been able to successfully begin production with limited interruptions on almost 20 shows (more than half were for STARZ) since the start of the pandemic and are scheduled to begin production on nearly 15 more in the near future.
Lee has also managed legal issues for Starz’ continued aggressive international expansion,including devising a worldwide trademark strategy and leading the team that negotiated the company’s first local production deals and agreements with every PRO in every country in which StarzPlay has launched. StarzPlay is now in 56 countries around the world. Lee was named Counsel of the Year by The Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel (AMEC) 2019, Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2019 and is a CableFax Most Powerful Women 2020 honoree.
Lee most recently served as Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Lionsgate where she worked closely with the Lionsgate senior management team, supporting them on M&A and film financing activities and overseeing legal affairs for Lionsgate’s OTT SVOD channels, digital studios division, location-based entertainment, merchandising and gaming businesses.
Prior to Lionsgate, Lee served as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs at Sony Pictures Entertainment where she oversaw legal affairs for home entertainment and television distribution, across all platforms and means of delivery, both domestically and in select international markets. Audrey began her career at the international law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities, and intellectual property licensing.
Lee graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA with a B.A. in Economics and holds an MBA from the same institution. She received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School.
Based in the company’s Santa Monica office, Lee is responsible for developing the strategic direction of business and legal affairs for the company, including distribution, content acquisition, production, litigation, employment matters and legal and regulatory compliance worldwide.
In 2020, Lee played an instrumental role in creating COVID Television Production & Safety Guidelines which allowed STARZ/Lions Gate to be one of the first studios in the country to restart production after the initial March 2020 pandemic shutdown. Lee was instrumental in creating these guidelines well before most of the industry, obtaining buy-in from a number of stakeholders, including consulting with health and safety advisors, health departments, governor’s offices, film commissions and OSHA. Lee ensured strict compliance with federal, foreign, state, county and city-level regulations and guidance, negotiating with guilds to attain support for the protocols. As a result, Lionsgate Television has been able to successfully begin production with limited interruptions on almost 20 shows (more than half were for STARZ) since the start of the pandemic and are scheduled to begin production on nearly 15 more in the near future.
Lee has also managed legal issues for Starz’ continued aggressive international expansion,including devising a worldwide trademark strategy and leading the team that negotiated the company’s first local production deals and agreements with every PRO in every country in which StarzPlay has launched. StarzPlay is now in 56 countries around the world. Lee was named Counsel of the Year by The Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel (AMEC) 2019, Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2019 and is a CableFax Most Powerful Women 2020 honoree.
Lee most recently served as Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Lionsgate where she worked closely with the Lionsgate senior management team, supporting them on M&A and film financing activities and overseeing legal affairs for Lionsgate’s OTT SVOD channels, digital studios division, location-based entertainment, merchandising and gaming businesses.
Prior to Lionsgate, Lee served as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs at Sony Pictures Entertainment where she oversaw legal affairs for home entertainment and television distribution, across all platforms and means of delivery, both domestically and in select international markets. Audrey began her career at the international law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP where she focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities, and intellectual property licensing.
Lee graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA with a B.A. in Economics and holds an MBA from the same institution. She received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School.
