Genius Effect is very proud to know and work with such an accomplished individual. Lisa Jones Johnson is probably one of the smartest, skilled and well rounded people I can think of. She’s an award-winning author, a Harvard Law Graduate, an executive producer, an active community member, a general manager, an international entrepreneur, a wife, a mother, and probably 20 other things I have yet to discover. It’s great to be around someone you can constantly be inspired by and learn from. So pay close attention!!!
Lisa Jones Johnson
Biography
Lisa Jones Johnson has extensive experience in the media and entertainment industries. She is currently a partner in The Global Broadcasting Company, a media company that is launching cable television channels across Europe. Immediately prior to joining GBC, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Comedy Express Television, a broadband company targeted to young adult males that was acquired by industry heavyweight National Lampoon Inc in early 2008.
Prior to being named Chief Executive Officer of Comedy Express, Ms. Jones Johnson served as Executive Vice President of Development and Operations for Western International Syndication where she Executive Produced over 100 hours of television programming. was part of the management team that took Western private in a management leveraged buy out in 2000. The company had formerly been a division of Western Media and The Interpublic Group of companies. During her five years at Western, Ms. Jones Johnson oversaw development, creative strategy and operations, including Executive Producing over 100 episodes of television programming, which included a movie for the Sci Fi Network and 130 episodes of a game show for the Pax Television Network. While at Western Ms. Jones Johnson also worked extensively in the international television arena including structuring a co-production for development of a one hour dramatic series to be distributed by Western and leading French company TF-1.
Prior to joining Western, Ms. Jones Johnson was the acting Chief Operating Officer of Al Anwa, a privately held company which at that time was the largest owner of Ritz Carlton Hotels. The company’s portfolio of real estate includied the Ritz Carlton Hotels in New York, Houston, Aspen and Washington D.C, ,two boutique hotels in Marina Del Rey, California and a Marriott in Chicago. Ms. Jones Johnson was responsible for overseeing all operations at the hotels, including being the primary interface with the senior management of the properties. In addition, while in that position, she negotiated and successfully closed a deal with the Donald Trump Organization for the re-negotiation of the ground lease on the New York Ritz Carlton.
Ms. Jones Johnson’s experience in the entertainment and media industries, also includes her work as Broadcast Counsel at CBS in New York where she negotiated CBS’s billion dollar deal with Major League Baseball, one of the largest television rights deals at that time. Following her work at CBS, Ms. Jones Johnson was a screenwriter and independent producer for four years with projects at Paramount, Fox and Hemdale Communications.
Finally, Ms. Jones Johnson’s worked in the music industry where she Executive Produced Lionel Hampton’s last album for Motown Records featuring performances from a star studded roster of artists including, Stevie Wonder, Tito Puente, Grover Washington, Jr., Chaka Khan and many others. Based on the success of that album she became President and General Manager of Alibi records, an independent R&B label.
Ms. Jones Johnson began her career as a corporate lawyer in New York for the firm of Debevoise & Plimpton where she specialized in leveraged buy outs. Ms. Jones Johnson was an Adjunct Professor of Law at USC Law School for four years, teaching a course on drafting and negotiating entertainment contracts.
Ms. Jones Johnson is an honors graduate of Harvard University and the Harvard Law School and is bi-lingual in French and proficient in Portuguese having lived in Paris France and studied in Brazil on a Harvard Fellowship.
