Presenting

44 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com Agnes Lee Managing Director, Media & Entertainment at CEA Group From the boardroom to the red carpet, Agnes Lee, 36, is a force to be reckoned with in the fast-paced world of film finance. Never content to settle for anything less-than, this trailblazer has forged herself a new path and is offering her clients a unique perspective when it comes to making their cinematic dreams come to fruition. ough her firm, Community Equity Associates (CEA) Group, is based out of Tampa, Lee lives a good bit of her life on the road between New York, Los A ngeles, Hong Kong and London. Prior to joining CEA Group as a Senior Advisor in Media, Entertainment, & Television, this globetroer explored an assortment of careers before unearthing her passion for project finance—a focus perfectly suited for her unique capabilities. As a single, career-driven woman, Lee admits she has faced some challenges along the way. rough this adversity, Lee has grown stronger by maintaining an upbeat aitude and charming sense of humor despite any setback. In this GV ITAS inter view, Lee talks about her soul-searching years of college, adventures abroad, and how she broke her way into the competitive field of media finance. When did your interest in finance first come about? Well, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do while I was in undergrad and I didn't really have a mentor to guide me. I pursued finance because that just seemed to be what ever yone around me was doing at the time. My teachers kept telling me, "Agnes, you're not stupid, but I don't think you should go into medicine." en you spent some time in Washington, D.C.? Yes, I went to Washington, D.C. by myself. My parents were shocked and concerned. Despite their hesitation, I transferred from USF to George Washington University and began studying politics. While at George Washington, I had pre y much ever y internship under the sun. I worked at the Department of Justice during the big Microso antitrust case. I was essentially work ing for Janet Reno at that time. In fact, my mother still has the picture of me with Janet Reno…even though we're all registered Republicans in my family. I also worked with Mazda, the car company. I worked with lobbyists as well. Truly, I had ever y office job you could possibly imagine, and I was still stuck tr ying to figure out what I wanted in my career. Continued page 46 Visit GravitasMag.com to hear the full interview embedded into the digital edition.

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