Lionsgate Taps Sony Pictures Veteran Corii Berg as General Counsel

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Lionsgate has tapped veteran media industry executive Corii Berg to be general counsel of the studio.

Berg will be the company’s senior legal and business affairs executive, and serve on its executive management committee and senior decision-making team. He will report to chief executive officer Jon Feltheimer, working closely with vice chairman Michael Burns, Lionsgate COO Brian Goldsmith, and Lionsgate CFO Jimmy Barge.

Berg fills the slot that was vacated last year by Wayne Levin. Berg, who has been at Sony Pictures for two decades, assumes his new post on June 11. Berg will be involved in all M&A activities, strategic investments and partnerships, initiatives related to the capital structure and corporate financing, and the continued growth of Lionsgate’s content platform.

Lionsgate announced the appointment on Monday, a week after it acquired a majority stake in management-production powerhouse 3 Arts Entertainment for an undisclosed price. Lionsgate bought premium cable network Starz in late 2016 for $4.1 billion.

During his tenure at Sony Pictures, Berg served most recently, from 2009 to 2018, as senior executive VP and head of worldwide business affairs for Sony Pictures Television. Prior to that, he was Sony Pictures exec VP and deputy general counsel for corporate and distribution, from 2004 to 2009 — with legal oversight of all corporate operations, M&A initiatives, strategic investments, television distribution, global television channel operations, and film and other financing.

From 2000 to 2004, Berg headed legal operations for Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, with both legal and business affairs oversight of content creation and distribution initiatives.

“Corii is an experienced, forward-looking strategist who brings to Lionsgate a wealth of major studio legal experience, deep knowledge of the television space, and a strong track record helping launch new content platforms worldwide,” Feltheimer and Burns said. “He’s a great fit for our entrepreneurial culture and has the multidisciplinary expertise to help us continue moving our company forward.”

Berg said in a statement, “I’m thrilled to join one of the most innovative and visionary companies in the business and to become part of their exceptional executive and legal team. I look forward to working closely with the rest of Lionsgate management to continue the company’s growth trajectory and accelerate its initiatives in today’s fast-changing digital environment.”