MGM Appoints Lesley Freeman Chief Legal Officer

LOS ANGELES, CA, May 9, 2016 – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) has appointed Lesley Freeman as its Chief Legal Officer, it was announced today by Gary Barber, chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. Freeman joins MGM from HBO where she served as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, relocating to Los Angeles from New York. In her new role, she will oversee all legal matters on behalf of the company, reporting to Barber.
 
“Lesley is a consummate professional who is well respected in the legal community and has a deep understanding of the issues surrounding our ever-evolving industry,” said Barber. “We are thrilled to have her join the team and help continue the growth of MGM.”
 
“I could not be more pleased to join Gary and the incredible senior management team at MGM,” said Freeman. “What they have accomplished is simply remarkable and the results speak for themselves.  I am really excited to jump right in as the company is so well-positioned for future success.”
 
Freeman spent nearly ten years at Home Box Office, Inc. as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs where she was responsible for the oversight of all legal matters in the areas of film programming, home entertainment/digital program distribution and domestic joint venture/strategic investments and M&A. Prior to joining HBO Freeman was Senior Counsel in the  entertainment, sports and media department at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles, where she represented major studios, independent production companies, television networks and financial institutions in the entertainment industry. She began her legal career as a commercial finance and real estate associate at Goldberg, Kohn, Bell, Black, Rosenbloom & Moritz, Ltd. in Chicago.  She holds a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.
 
Freeman will succeed the outgoing Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Scott Packman, who will be stepping down from his post in August after 14 years at MGM, having decided he wanted to pursue other career opportunities. 
                                                                                               
“Scott shared with me that he was interested in moving on some time ago and we appreciate his flexibility in staying on during a transition,” said Barber. “He has been a trusted and valued executive and we are sorry to see him go. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
 
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content.  In addition, MGM has investments in domestic and international television channels.  For more information, visit www.mgm.com.