Description:
An American Independent Entertainment Company is seeking a team member to join our Legal and Business Affairs team to lead film content-related legal and business affairs. This person should be a proactive, strategic business leader with a demonstrated experience in intellectual property, film development, production, film finance, and distribution. This role will be an integral member of a highly collaborative Legal and Business Affairs team, a member of the BALA senior leadership team, and a key contributor on our growing team.Initial Responsibilities:
- Build and lead a highly engaged team of talented film attorneys, with a focus on developing people into more senior partners within the business.
- Structure and negotiate a wide variety of domestic and international film-related agreements including development, production, financing and distribution deals, talent agreements, releases, licenses, partnership deals, services agreements, consulting agreements, and option agreements.
- Leverage established relationships at major talent agencies, networks, law firms, financiers, production companies and other relevant industry contacts.
- Act as an escalation point for other team members on film-related details, negotiations, and/or challenges.
- Structure, negotiate, document, and manage transactions to acquire and distribute content from 3rd parties and by way of co-productions worldwide.
- Provide strategic business and legal affairs advice to internal business teams on general legal matters affecting An American Independent Entertainment Company content, distribution, acquisitions and production.
- Expertly advise business partners with respect to legal rights and contractual responsibilities, guild agreements, intellectual property matters, claims and other matters arising out of the day-to-day production of film and television productions.
- Maintain familiarity with the requirements of, and relationships with, all the major entertainment guilds (WGA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, etc).
- Establish and maintain key stakeholder relationships with regular, effective and timely communications concerning deal negotiation and business strategy.
- Contribute to relevant internal and departmental process development and management, as well as deal-making resources.
Qualifications:
- J.D. with strong academic performance and membership in good standing in California bar.
- 12+ years of transactional experience working in a film business affairs department, legal affairs department and/or entertainment law firm.
- 5+ years in people management or a leadership role.
- Experience with distribution-related, financing and/or acquisition agreements, talent agreements and production issues. Expertise with respect to guild and union agreements, contracts, and intellectual property law.
- Strong attention to detail, project management, time management, long-term planning skills and creative problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent writing and organizational skills, including clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, negotiating skills, strong drafting abilities and a can-do, no job is too small, team attitude.
- Professional individual who can build strong relationships, both internally and externally, and is able to comfortably interact with all levels of employees.
- Ability to juggle multiple, competing priorities, pivot quickly, think practically and be solution-oriented.
- Humble, diligent and resourceful.
