Joshua B. Grode

Joshua B. Grode is the Chief Executive Officer of Legendary Entertainment, a leading next generation studio with film (Legendary Pictures), television (Legendary Television), digital (Digital Media, Nerdist) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions with offices in Burbank, California and Beijing, China. Legendary’s properties are known around the world and range from blockbuster successes such as Dune, Godzilla vs.Kong, Enola Holmes and Detective Pikachu to recent break-out television/digital triumphs like Paper Girls, Carnival Row and Lost in Space. Legendary’s films have generated worldwide gross receipts in excess of $18 billion.

Grode previously held the title of Partner and member of the Executive Management Committee at the Los Angeles law office of Irell & Manella LLP and chair of the firm’s Transactions Practice. Irell & Manella is one of the top 10 highest profitable firms in the world and is recognized as the world leader in intellectual property matters. At Irell, Mr. Grode focused on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, and day-to-day corporate governance matters.

Grode was recognized as a leader in Entertainment, Media and Corporate finance transactions and was named a Super Lawyer each year from 2006-2016; a Variety Power Lawyer, and a Leading Attorney for Southern California by the L.A. Business Journal.

Grode was one of the founders of Summit Entertainment, the successful independent studio that developed and distributed the Twilight franchise series of films and was instrumental in the strategy of converting and building Marvel Comics into a movie studio – Marvel Studios culminating in its first release Iron Man which launched Marvel’s current super-hero hit making machine and its eventual sale to The Walt Disney Company.

Grode sits on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Foundation, the Board of Governors for Cedars-Sinai, the USC President’s Leadership Council, the Board of Councilors for the USC School of Dramatic Arts and is member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.