Job Description

Westbrook was formed to execute the Smith Family’s vision to improve as many lives as possible through storytelling.  Our parent company, Westbrook Inc, furthers that mission by providing strategic, financial, legal, and operational support to our studio and media companies and developing new business opportunities for revenue growth and diversification. Our subsidiary companies make best in class content across formats (e.g., short form, unscripted and scripted television, film, and audio) and produce unique consumer goods and experiences that scale our original IP. As the world’s premium content creator — bringing artists, brands, and global audiences together around universal stories — we spread art and ideas that entertain, inspire, and empower.

Westbrook Inc is searching for a VP, Unscripted Legal to lead business affairs and legal across Westbrook Media, Westbrook Studios, and Red Table Talk Productions unscripted development and production projects.  This role will operate in a fast-paced environment, collaborating with multiple business, creative, development, and production executives who are selling and delivering content to a diverse buyer set, including new platforms, premium streamers and cable / linear networks, and international distributors.

Responsibilities 

• Structure, draft, and negotiate complex contracts, including option and other rights and development-related agreements; production services and licensing agreements; producer, writer, and talent agreements; format licenses.
• Perform and/or supervise day-to-day legal production work for pilots, specials and series, and advise and consult with internal clients on all legal matters covering pre- through post production, including guild, union and other employment law issues; venue and location releases, casting, clearance procedures, insurance and complex risk assessment.
• Review and approve legal contracts for execution by management.
• Counsel clients on a wide variety of other deal strategies and complex legal matters, including exploitation of Westbrook’s original programming, guild/union and labor issues, IP rights, off-channel marketing and promotions, insurance, product integrations, music issues.
• Develop solutions that allow development executives to execute their creative vision in compliance with corporate policies and guidelines while minimizing overall legal and business risk.
• Supervise outside counsel in connection with production entity formation and operation in dispute resolution, regulatory matters, and employment law issues related to productions.
• Maintain positive relationships with buyers, agencies, managers, and attorneys in the entertainment community.

Qualifications

• At  least 10 years of business/legal affairs experience (minimum of 4 years in the unscripted television space) in a network, studio, entertainment law firm, or production company environment.
• Deep knowledge of television industry agreements, guild and union regulations (WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA), contract law and intellectual property rights (as applicable to the entertainment industry).
• Self-motivated and capable of handling multiple deals simultaneously in a fast paced environment, with meticulous attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Excellent research, analysis, drafting, negotiation, communication (written and verbal), interpersonal, organizational and computer skills.
• Proficiency in entertainment industry customs and practices (from deal making to essential production operations) and proven ability to successfully negotiate and interact with agents, managers, and outside attorneys.
• Ability to effectively advise senior-level executives under conditions of uncertainty, high pressure and/or high-risk, and generate strong client satisfaction through critical thinking, firm decision-making, and good judgment.

Westbrook is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Westbrook believes that diversity and inclusion among our colleagues is critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.  

We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. 

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: Not Disclosed.

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