Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Working Title - Film & TV

NBCUniversal • Full-time • London, United Kingdom • 1d ago

Company Description

Working Title Films, co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, is one of the world’s leading British production companies, having created well-loved and critically acclaimed film and TV content for 40 years. The company is proud to have created over 130 films and TV programmes that have grossed over $8.5 billion worldwide and they continue to champion new talent through the London Screen Academy and NBC Universal Global Writers Programme.

Working Title projects have received a total of 10 Best Picture Nominations and have won 15 Academy Awards (including Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour, Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl, James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything, Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, Tim Robbins’ Dead Man Walking; Joel and Ethan Coen’s Fargo; Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age; and Joe Wright’s Atonement), 11 Golden Globes, over 40 BAFTA Awards and numerous prestigious prizes at the Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals.

The company’s commercial and critical hits include My Beautiful Laundrette, Sid & Nancy, The Interpreter, About a Boy, Ali G, Notting Hill, Elizabeth, Fargo, Dead Man Walking, Bean, High Fidelity, Johnny English, Billy Elliot, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, A Serious Man, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Love Actually, Shaun of the Dead, Pride & Prejudice, Nanny McPhee, United93, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Hot Fuzz, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Burn After Reading, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Contraband, Anna Karenina, Les Misérables, About Time, Rush, Trash, Everest, Legend, The Danish Girl, Hail Caesar!, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Victoria and Abdul, Baby Driver, Darkest Hour, Yesterday, Mary Queen of Scots, Rebecca, Emma, The High Note, Last Night in Soho and Cyrano, Ticket to Paradise, Matilda, The Swimmers, What’s Love got to do with it?, Polite Society, Blitz, as well as We Are Lady Parts and Everything I Know About Love for Working Title TV.

Recent releases include Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Universal Pictures), The Substance (Mubi),Coralie Fargeat’s explosive feminist take on body horror starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, Honey Don’t (Focus Features) starring Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans, and Lena Dunham's eagerly anticipated series, Too Much (Netflix), starring Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, written and directed by Lena Dunham with original music from Luis Felber.

Working Title’s upcoming slate includes Sense and Sensibility (Focus Features), directed by Georgia Oakley and starring Daisy Edgar Jones, Crime 101 (Amazon MGM), an adaptation of the Don Winslow novella, directed by Bart Layton and starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Halle Berry, historical drama Pressure (Studiocanal & Focus Features), directed by Anthony Maras, starring Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon and Brendan Fraser, Finding Emily (Focus Features), a romantic comedy set in Manchester, written by Rachel Hirons, directed by Alicia MacDonald and starring Angourie Rice and Spike Fearn, Three Bags Full (Amazon MGM), starring Hugh Jackman, Nicolas Braun, Nicolas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau and Emma Thompson, as well as Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole (Netflix) series adapted by leading crime-writer Jo Nesbø from his best-selling books, directed by Øystein Karlson, starring Tobias Santelmann and Joel Kinnaman.

This programming exemplifies Working Title's commitment to pushing boundaries and embracing diverse narratives that resonate with contemporary audiences.

Job Description

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Film and TV Development:

Negotiate and conclude high level commercial deal terms with (a) UK, US and other international agents and lawyers for talent and rights and (b) financiers and commissioners for film and TV development
Manage internal approvals prior to offers going out and during negotiations
Liaising with WT’s home studios (UP for film and UIS/USG for TV)
Draft, or delegate drafting to VP Legal/Manager BALA/Associate Legal Counsel or outside counsel (as and where appropriate), a wide range of agreements including commissioning/financing agreements, option/purchase agreements (and option/quitclaim agreements), writer agreements, director agreements, producer agreements, copyright assignment agreements, novation agreements, licence agreements, services agreements and acting agreements.
Manage co-development and co-production deals and drafting (or delegating the drafting of) corresponding agreements.

Film and TV pre-production/production/post-production:

Assist Head of CA/BALA with managing all Business Affairs and Legal responsibilities and tasks on productions and managing projects from conception (in development) continuing through to and until pre-production, production, post-production and delivery.
Negotiate lead and above the line talent deals, liaise with UK and US agents and lawyers.
Draft and/or delegate drafting of above the line agreements – manage the negotiations with talent representatives of such agreements.
Have ability to construct financial and formal offers/proposals with varying financial structures for different talent including, without limitation, fixed compensation, contingent compensation and deferments. Manage internal approvals and making of offers to talent representatives or other service providers.
In conjunction with VP Legal, liaise and manage external production counsel’s role on productions.
Liaise with different divisions of the Studio to obtain answers to BA/legal/production/finance queries e.g. Labor Relations, Risk Management, Tax, Data Privacy Departments.
Oversee and manage VP Legal and Manager BALA.
Approving and signing off on deal summaries, budget charges information and invoices.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Production Meetings: BA/Legal representative in regular production meetings where required.
Creative Meetings: BA/Legal representative in regular internal Creative meetings where required.
US Liaison: liaising with Universal Pictures and USG’s US BA/Legal team to support WT’s US deals.
Supervision of Junior Team Members: Provide ongoing training and guidance to junior team members.
Support other WT Departments: Senior BA/Legal contact for Production, Creative and Finance teams.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:

15+ years’ experience in film and television business and legal affairs.
Academic Legal Qualification i.e. LLB or equivalent. Consideration will be given to candidates with significant in-house legal/business affairs experience and/or equivalent qualifications from another common law jurisdiction.
Strong negotiating skills with emotional intelligence, professionalism and an approachable, understanding, communication style
Highly organised, fast and efficient - presents clearly and gets to the point; and enjoys solving commercial and corporate problems - learns quickly and has clarity of thought.
Experience in dealing with contracts and legal documents, and an understanding of contractual language/excellent drafting skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment with a diverse and heavy workload.
Ability to identify, prioritise and manage urgent work assignments, and manage expectations of both colleagues and third parties in respect of other tasks.
Computer expertise with proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with an ability to interact with a range of personalities.
Superb attention to detail.
Has a passion for all aspects of the entertainment industry.
Ability to foster and create strong relationships internally and externally with colleagues at Working Title, Universal, other studios/production companies/law firms/agencies that we work with.

Please note - The role requires a minimum of 4 days a week in Working Title’s London office and a workday that spans the LA time-zone in order to complete deals efficiently.

The candidate must be able to demonstrate as much of the above through her/his CV (both in respect of professional path and extra-curricular achievements) and in interview.

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [email protected].