Laurie May

Co-Founder and Co-President
Elevation Pictures Corp.

Laurie has been in the film business for over twenty-five years. She is Co-Founder and Co-President of Elevation Pictures, a Canadian distribution company launched at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Elevation is one of the largest independent film companies in Canada, with accolades including The Imitation Game winning the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, Room winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, and Moonlight winning 2017 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and most recently Everything Everywhere All At Once winning nine Academy Awards including Best Picture and The Whale winning two Academy Awards including Best Actor. Elevation is also active in production, including Infinity Pool directed by Brandon Cronenberg which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival.

Prior to Elevation, Laurie was Executive Vice President at Entertainment One, following the purchase of Alliance Films. She had joined Alliance as Executive Vice President when they purchased Maple Pictures in August 2011, and at Alliance worked on acquisitions including Zero Dark Thirty and American Hustle.  Laurie had been Co-President and Co-Founder of Maple Pictures from April 2005 until the sale to Alliance. At Maple she was involved in Academy Award winners Crash, The Hurt Locker and The Cove, and Emmy award winner Mad Men.

Before founding Maple, Laurie was Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for Lionsgate from 1997-2005, where she oversaw legal for production, distribution and corporate matters including the credit facility with JP Morgan and the acquisitions of Trimark Pictures and Artisan Entertainment.  She sat on the board of directors of Lionsgate from 2005-2010.

Laurie received her law degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, practiced corporate and entertainment law at Oslers, and was an adjunct professor of Entertainment and Sports Law at Western Law School. She was a mentor for Women in Film and Television and in 2010 was the recipient of the WIFT Outstanding Achievement Award. In June 2017 she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and in October 2021 she joined the TIFF board. In 2023 Laurie was named one of the Most Influential Women in International Film by The Hollywood Reporter.