Global Rights Manager, Production

This is a Full Time Job

Work Locations: With the exception of some select roles that have in-office requirements, A+E Networks operates on a flexible model that allows for remote, hybrid or full time in office work (in certain locales).

Office locations include New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Stamford, CT.

Our list of eligible states in which employees may work remotely includes: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Division StoryOur global Legal and Business Affairs department believes in the promise and power of teamwork. When we work together as a cohesive unit – supporting, involving, appreciating and respecting each other – we can elevate our company, our clients, and ourselves. At A E Networks, we have built and developed a culture based on the principles of effective communication, collaboration, accountability and trust. These guiding principles serve as our north star as we partner and strategize with other departments across the Company to help A E Networks achieve its goals and stay at the forefront of a highly competitive, rapidly changing industry. If you share these values and want to learn more about who we are and what we do, consider joining our team.

Job Description

The Role: Manager, Global Rights, Rights Production

This is an exciting new role which will manage aspects of the Global Rights – Rights Production focusing on the expansion of A+E Network's Internal Productions. The position is responsible for providing legal and rights services, as directed by the Senior Manager, Global Rights, Rights Production, to internal production groups, including A+E's Content Production, Enhanced Production, and Digital Media Production teams on day-to-day production related matters. Assist the Senior Manager in overseeing complex matters in the areas of rights and clearances, legal analysis, rights compliance, risk, and issue spotting. This role will collaborate with the Manager, Global Rights, Production Compliance to develop processes to ensure the complete and accurate rights bible delivery. This position assists in the development of solutions and strategies for all rights-related matters including in-the-field questions/review, license negotiations, post-production, creative solutions, and risk assessment. The position requires strong legal acumen, advanced legal analysis skills, drafting experience, negotiating skills and experience with rights advisement coupled with decisive problem-solving skills in a fast-paced production environment. Our client groups expect and trust that our services respect and accord with applicable rights, and it is this role's responsibility to ensure that the production aspects and requests are handled seamlessly to ensure compliance with rights. Additionally, this role will assist the Senior Manager with providing occasional guidance for escalated issues from A+E Factual Studios rights team members.

MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU'LL DO: Manager, Global Rights, Rights Production
• Oversee a team of staff to support Rights Licensing, Rights Risk, and Legal Analysis for internal productions.
• Support the internal production teams at A+E by managing all rights related clearance, negotiation, drafting, risk analysis, legal analysis, for both new intellectual property as well as existing third-party content for re-use.
• Negotiate most advantageous terms and agreements with music publishing for synchronization rights and record labels for master recording rights. Additionally draft original composer deals deals. In all cases, ensuring all music rights are cleared, including any split ownership arrangements and underlying copyright owners. Negotiate options for renewal and/or tiered media rights as needed based on budget parameters of the production.
• Negotiate with rights holders including IP owners of television programming, major feature film footage, stock footage, photography, talent, and other elements, etc. Trouble shoot problematic licensors on clearing any hurdles to acquire rights.
• Review, draft, negotiate and execute a variety of agreements, with particular focus on media terms to ensure content can be exploited in multiple media platforms globally and on and off A+E branded networks/platforms.
• Ensure compliance of all legal documents, rights clearance status, and media rights at every stage from in-the-field through hand-off to the Global Rights -Production Compliance team for accurate rights bible submission.
• Oversee day-to-day 'in the field' production rights matters including providing legal and rights specific guidance to clearance team as well as producers, senior producers and executive producers.
• Assess risk by reviewing releases, license agreements and advising risk for use of materials as well as advising production on tricky rights and legal assessment of language from existing agreements.
• Manage, advise and direct rights & clearance team working within internal production units and manage clearance budgets for each production.
• Review content and be able to independently advise creative teams on risk, rights issues and other issues that could be problematic to exhibit such content; suggest alternatives.
• Assist in the development and strengthening cross-functional relationships with Internal Production, IT, and Legal teams (Content Risk Attorneys, Programming Attorneys and Insurance) to maximize distribution and minimize risk.
• Oversee and collaborate on decisions on risk analysis on the rights research and analysis as it relates to producing long form or cut-down content from archival programming, licensing new content and deliverables compliance.
• Perform legal analysis/review on a variety of production related agreements including music, footage, talent, appearance, location, and material releases.

YOUR STORY: Manager, Global Rights, Rights Production
• Minimum of 8+ years working experience with a proven track record of negotiation of media rights, performing legal analysis, assessing risk, drafting, working with production creatives, and working within systems.
• Management experience overseeing personnel in legal analysis, rights clearance and within a fast-paced production process.
• Must have direct experience working on the day-to-day process of content production in either a production company, other production/content creation company or within a Broadcast or Cable Network that produced content internally.
• Must have a strong production/legal background with experience in reviewing all forms of rights acquisition and production related agreements.
• Experience working with legal risk and collaborating with legal risk attorneys is strongly preferred.
• Must have prior experience in and be comfortable working in systems/using technology.
• Must have experience researching rights, generating reports, and interpreting legal rights data.
• Subject matter expert in complex media rights, production, and methods of distribution.
• Understanding and working knowledge of linear and multiplatform media rights; thorough understanding of copyright rules.
• Thorough understanding of video production and compliance needs for production.
• There is a high level of productivity and accuracy expected, as is an ability and willingness to manage wi

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