Ashley Smith is a Senior Counsel for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc, helping to support Turner’s live action entertainment networks. In this position, she serves as production counsel for truTV and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), providing support to her clients on a variety of production-related matters in connection with original programming, including talent and rights clearance coordination. Since its inception in 2010, Ashley has coordinated legal support for all talent and production issues in connection with the annual TCM Classic Film Festival, managing a team tasked with negotiating talent agreements for talent attending the Festival. She also co-chairs a legal department task force dedicated to enabling the advancement of all department members’ legal and professional skills while also expanding the members’ company and industry knowledge.
Prior to joining Turner in 2007, Ashley worked as an associate in the intellectual property practice group of Morgan Lewis in Washington, D.C. for 6 years, counseling clients on domestic and international trademark issues, development of overall brand strategy and other intellectual property matters, as well as working with a global consumer products company on the creation of sponsored content for film and television.
While at Morgan Lewis, Ashley organized and served as Chairwoman for the firm’s successful Benefit for Victims of Hurricane Katrina, raising funds for the American Red Cross.
Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Millsaps College where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She also graduated with honors from Emory Law School in Atlanta, GA. Currently, Ashley lives in Atlanta with her husband and 2 young children.
