Job Description
Music is Universal
It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.
Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.
We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.
Job Summary
The VP of Legal and Business Affairs plays an important part in the delivery the overall aims of Mercury Studios. Reporting to the EVP L&BA, you are a highly experienced legal practitioner who can simultaneously manage multiple and complex projects based in the UK and across the globe, particularly the US.
Key Responsibilities:
Commercial and Legal:
Draft and / or review, negotiate and execute deals across all areas of Mercury’s diverse and growing business.
Working across all areas of unscripted content including but not limited to live productions, feature films, TV series, content for digital channels and all other forms of programming. Devise and execute a broad range of agreements, including but not limited to development, talent ‘shopping’, co-production, financing, first look, commissioning, sales, rights and other production related agreements;
Devise and execute the legal and business affairs aspects of US-based productions;
Negotiate multi territory/platform co-production agreements with US and internationally and advising on international clearances or rights issues;
Support linear, digital and physical film sales of Mercury content across all linear and non-linear rights;
Work on acquisitions of both external and UMG Group content;
Expertly resolve commercial and legal disputes as and when they periodically arise;
Have up to date knowledge of and advise on industry agreements e.g. PACT, terms of trade, US guild agreements (e.g. DGA) and production/E&O insurance;
Provide commercial, legal and operational support to the EVP L&BA as required, including providing ad hoc support to the EVP L&BA at corporate level in relation to dealing with corporate acquisitions, litigation, employment, acting with external counsel where required;
Deputise for EVP L&BA as required;
Develop and manage junior members of the BA team to support the overall objectives and workload of the L&BA Team, ensuring they develop in the process.
Dimensions
Internal - Report to EVP L&BA, liaising with heads of department, regional offices, lawyers across labels, UMG Group and any other business stakeholders identified from time to time;
External: External producers, sales licensees, international broadcasters, Pact, Co-Producers and funding partners E&O insurance brokers dealing with external producers and music managers and talent.
Precedents:
Involvement in establishing and improving existing precedents including agreement templates having regard to market changes in the TV and film business.
Person Specification
Essential
Proven Track Record: working in the TV and Film business;
Qualified Lawyer: The candidate will be a UK qualified lawyer with significant post-qualification TV and Film Industry experience 7+ years PQE;
Be Strategic: Advise on deal strategies and a broad range of complex legal issues, including underlying rights, copyright and other IP issues, as well as compliance, clearances and regulatory matters;
Be Knowledgeable of the Business: Continuing to develop an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the industry and consider the implications of its evolution on our business;
Be Proactive: Have the passion and energy to work a busy legal slate, and the self-reliance to manage your workload and that of others to meet timely deadlines;
Be Collaborative: Be at the forefront of fostering positive long-term relationships with a wide network of partners we work with both in the UK and internationally, internally and externally. To be collaborative and supportive working vertically up and down the L&BA Team;
Be a Great Manager: Have a passion for developing others, particularly your own team, but also those across the wider business;
Forensic Attention to Detail: in relation to advising, drafting and negotiation of agreements .
Desirable
Experience of the music and audio industry:
Catalogue and Catalogue Acquisitions Experience:
Previous Management Experience: ability to multitask and possessing sound organisational skill to enable effective management and prioritisation of BA Team workflow
Just So You Know…
The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.
Job Category:
Business & Legal Affairs
We are UMG, the Universal Music Group.
We are the world’s leading music company.
In everything we do, we are committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship.
We own and operate a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries.
We identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and we produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to delight and entertain fans around the world.
Our vast catalog of recordings and songs stretches back over a century and comprises the largest, most diverse and culturally rich collection of music ever assembled.
As digital technology refashions the world, our unmatched commitment to lead in developing new services, platforms and business models for the delivery of music and related content empowers innovators and allows new commercial and artistic opportunities to flourish.
Knowing that music, a powerful force for good in the world, is unique in its ability to inspire people and bring them together, we work with our artists and employees to serve our communities.
We are the home for music’s greatest artists, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Together, we are UMG, the Universal Music Group.