Erin Westerman ’04 of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group to Keynote Newhouse Convocation Ceremony

Erin Westerman ’04, president of production for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, will give the keynote address at the Newhouse School’s 2023 Convocation Ceremony, to be held Saturday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome. 

Overseeing the development and production of Lionsgate’s theatrical film slate, Westerman has grown the studio’s portfolio of well-known movie franchises during her tenure. They include her recently released fourth installment of “John Wick” and “Ballerina,” an upcoming spinoff film starring Ana de Armas. Later this year, Lionsgate also plans to release “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” the prequel to the studio’s nearly $3 billion blockbuster franchise.  

Other projects overseen by Westerman read like a go-to list for movie-lovers. They include the original “Knives Out;” a film adaptation of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret;” and the critically loved “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” starring Nicolas Cage.

Westerman has frequently been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list, where she is recognized for “her knack for courting A-list talent and winning bidding wars.” 

Before Lionsgate, Westerman was head of development at Good Universe, where she produced such hit films as “Always Be My Maybe,” “The Disaster Artist,” “Neighbors 2” and “Don’t Breathe.”

She began her career as a production executive at Walt Disney Studios where she oversaw production on films including “Cinderella,” directed by Kenneth Branagh, and “Into the Woods.”

Westerman earned a bachelor’s degree in television, radio and film from the Newhouse School in 2004 and graduated with a minor in psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences. 

All graduating students and their families are invited to attend the Newhouse Convocation Ceremony. Syracuse University Commencement will be held Sunday, May 14. For the most current information about Commencement Weekend, visit commencement.syr.edu.