Lawon Exum, Entertainment and News Media Director
Lawon Exum
Lawon Exum is the Entertainment and News Media Director at RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Exum has worked in the entertainment industry for 30 years. He started out as an intern at XM Radio (now Sirius XM) as a Producer for the XM Jazz station. This experience propelled him to work at Arista Records as an A&R representative for musical artists such as Usher, The Neptunes and OutKast.
Exum then worked at Sony Pictures Television. He began contributing to projects such as “Breaking Bad,” which took his career to another level. He helped manage social media and build a following of fans for the series. Throughout his time at Sony, he worked in marketing, legal, and content creation.
Through all his responsibilities, Exum was able to be involved in unscripted television. He was a houseguest on CBS’ “Big Brother” in Season 13, where he was known for his fashion and personality.
As Exum’s career flourished, he worked for 20th Century Fox studios, working on projects including “Empire” and “This Is Us.” He also went back to school and received a master’s degree in communication management from the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, with a minor in specialized journalism (The Arts).
Exum subsequently shifted careers again to work in news. He became an Associate Producer for “Wake Up CBUS,” which is the Columbus, Ohio local CBS affiliate station’s morning show. While producing the show, he realized the importance of mental health throughout his career, and he wanted to do something about that. A desire to bring change to the entertainment industry, especially around mental health, is what brought Exum to RespectAbility.
Exum brings his values of faith, love, hope, and happiness to his work at RespectAbility.
