American Public Media Group Names Michael Lewis as General Counsel

Mar 7, 2018

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 7, 2018After an extensive national search, American Public Media Group (APMG) today announced it has hired Michael Lewis as the company’s new senior vice president & general counsel.

Lewis was most recently general manager and regional leader for Axiom, a global leader in innovative legal services with 17 offices in North America, Europe and Asia. He led Axiom’s Los Angeles office and was responsible for the region’s legal services across all industry sectors including entertainment, media and technology. Prior to his leadership at Axiom, Lewis rose from deputy general counsel at Warner Bros. Online to senior vice president for business strategy and operations at Warner Bros. Animation. Before his tenure at Warner, he was the executive director of business and legal affairs at New Line Cinema, after beginning his legal career with the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins LLP.

“Michael emerged quickly as the most qualified among a large field of candidates with a wide range of legal and business leadership experience,” said Jon McTaggart, President and CEO of APMG. “In addition to his exceptionally strong legal background, his personal experiences deeply inform his commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and help make him the right fit for APMG.”

A native of Louisville, Ky., Lewis received his undergraduate degree from Graceland University, where he studied Speech Communication and Theatre. After earning his juris doctor at the University of California at Berkeley and studying at Harvard Law School, he was admitted to the California bar in 1995. In 2000, he received the Andrew Heiskell Community Service Award, given by Time Warner to employees who demonstrate exceptional commitment to equal opportunity and human rights.

“As a public radio listener for my entire adult life, I am excited to be joining such an important voice as American Public Media Group and such an important effort as public broadcasting,” Lewis said. “APM’s and MPR’s mission of assisting our audiences to enhance their lives, expand perspectives and strengthen their communities thrills me, and I cannot wait to get to work.”

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About American Public Media Group
American Public Media Group is the largest station-based public radio organization in the U.S., combining multi-regional station operations, national programming creation and distribution and innovative digital, social and mobile services in one organization. Supported financially by contributions from individual donors, sponsors, philanthropic foundations as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, APMG’s operations include Minnesota Public Radio®, a 46-station network serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states, and Southern California Public Radio, a four-station network serving Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura County and the Inland Empire. Programs produced by MPR’s national programming division, American Public Media®, reach more than 20 million listeners via 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. APM is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace®, Live from Here, and the leading classical music programming in the nation. APM also offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism. For more information on American Public Media Group, visit americanpublicmediagroup.org.

Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio. Data are estimates only.