Longtime Warner Bros. executive Lisa Rawlins to retire

Lisa Rawlins, a veteran Warner Bros. executive and former California film commissioner, is retiring after nearly 25 years at the studio.

The senior vice president of public affairs, who is well known in Hollywood production circles, will step down at the end of 2015, the studio said.

In an interview, Rawlins said she was retiring to spend more time on a project to assist retirees.

SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter >>

She and her husband Richard recently completed construction on a 42-bed memory care center that will provide assistance for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The center is set to open in October in Newport Beach. They also plan to develop additional senior support facilities on the property to complement the new memory care center, Rawlins said.

“It just seemed like the right time for me to do this,” she said. “It’s something powerful for me and important to me ... we both lost our mothers to Alzheimer’s.”

Rawlins built close relationships with film officials in Vancouver, New York and other production hubs as more production migrated outside of California. She and colleague Michael Walbrecht also helped to craft legislation that increased funding for California’s film and television tax-credit program.

Rawlins joined Warner Bros. in 1990 as vice president of studio and production affairs, overseeing feature film and television production-related issues. In addition to her production affairs responsibilities, she created the sustainability and corporate responsibility departments.

She was the driving force behind and first director of the California Film Commission, which was launched in 1985. Prior to that, she worked in the governor’s office, where she handled press and film production issues.

Rawlins, who holds a degree in cinema from USC, began her career in story development for Ransohoff Productions and NBC.

MORE:

Warner Bros. inks joint-venture deal for Chinese-language films

VR Watch: Hollywood players Disney and CAA to invest in Virtual Reality powerhouse Jaunt

DC Entertainment Chief Diane Nelson expands role at Warner Bros.