MGM President Champions Diverse Storytelling

Jonathan Glickman, the president of the Motion Picture Group for MGM Studios and a member of Posse’s national board, has produced more than 60 films that have collectively grossed billions of dollars worldwide. He’s built his more than 20-year career in the entertainment industry guided by a passion for storytelling and creative collaboration.

“We need people of all different backgrounds telling stories—writers, directors, producers, crew, actors,” Jon says. “It’s critical that we don’t have one group in charge of deciding what stories are being told.”

His producing career began with a literal elevator pitch for a summer internship at Caravan Pictures in 1993 and his tenacity soon earned him a full-time position. While with Caravan, he produced hits such as Rush Hour, While You Were Sleeping and Grosse Pointe Blank. He’s since served as president of Spyglass Entertainment, where he produced The Vow, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and 27 Dresses, among others. Now, as president of MGM since 2011, the studio has produced such films as Skyfall, The Hobbit and 21 Jump Street.

Jon credits his undergraduate years at the University of Michigan for expanding his worldview. The importance of that to his professional and personal life is what drew him to the Posse mission.

“College is where you can meet people with completely diverse experiences and that’s what makes for great ideas, for a great personal life, for a great professional life,” says Jon. “Learning how to work with people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse opinions—that’s what makes the world turn around. That’s why what Posse does is so valuable.”

In addition to his commitment to Posse, Jon nurtures the next generation of storytellers as a board member of Story Pirates, an organization that helps young people develop their creative ideas in writing and performance.