Michael Burns

Since becoming Vice Chairman of Lionsgate in March 2000, Mr. Burns has played an integral role in building the Company into a more than $5 billion global content leader with a reputation for innovation. He recently helped spearhead Lionsgate’s $4.4 billion acquisition of Starz, the biggest deal in the Company’s history, as the studio continues to grow into a diversified global content platform.

Lionsgate’s portfolio of businesses features a film slate that has averaged nearly $2 billion at the global box office each of the past five years, driven by the critically-acclaimed La La Land, which won six Academy Awards while becoming a global box office phenomenon, and the blockbuster Hunger Games, Twilight Saga, Now You See Me and John Wick franchises. One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate’s television slate encompasses nearly 90 series on 40 different networks, including the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite Nashville, the acclaimed drama The Royals, the award-winning dramedy Casual and the breakout success Greenleaf.

In addition to his leadership of Lionsgate’s corporate management team, Mr. Burns has played a key role in the acquisition, production, and distribution of some of Lionsgate’s most successful films, including the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture Crash, the Academy Award®-winning Monster’s Ball and the Oscar-nominated Precious.

Mr. Burns served for nine years as managing director and head of Prudential Securities’ Los Angeles investment banking office and nine years at Shearson/American Express (now Morgan Stanley) in New York and Los Angeles.

He has been featured in major media outlets from CNBC to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and he is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post and Newsmax. Mr. Burns graduated with a B.S. from Arizona State University and received his M.B.A. from the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA where he serves on the distinguished Board of Visitors. He joined the Hasbro Board of Directors in December 2014.