Director, Global Rights, Rights Licensing

Job Description

Employees

The majority of our employees will have flexibility that allows them to choose a predominantly remote, predominantly in-office, or hybrid setup. Our official in-office locations in the United States includes LA, NYC, Stamford, and Chicago, and we have several other states in which employees may work remotely if their role isn't one that requires them to be in or near the office. We value the health and safety of our people above all else, and our onsite attendance policies reflect that. If there is an on-site requirement for a role, it will be listed in the job description.

For those employees who would like to utilize our offices, full vaccination for COVID-19 is required for physical presence in A+E Networks workplaces. While A+E Networks will consider reasonable

accommodation requests regarding this policy in accordance with applicable law, such requests will not be considered until a conditional offer of employment is extended to a candidate. Applicants should not submit any medical or health information in connection with their application for employment.

THE DIVISION'S STORY
Our 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.
The Director, Global Rights, Rights Licensing will oversee the Rights Licensing vertical for the Global Rights team – a subdivision of Legal and Business Affairs. This position will manage and oversee the Program Renewals business, which requires the extension of third party owned materials contained in commissioned works including materials such as music, footage, film, talent, photos, etc. As the volume of Program Renewals continues to increase at an exponential rate, the successful candidate will have top notch Project Management skills and a deep expertise in managing a multi-million-dollar budget annually.

The Director will also provide licensing guidance to an array of internal and external content creators – they will feel equally comfortable operating in an advisory role as they do personally handling any required clearances in a timely and efficient manner. An entrepreneurial spirit and innate resourcefulness are required. This role will also work closely with Brand Creative/Marketing, Global Content Sales, International, Digital, Legal, Finance and Distribution.

The Director will formulate a licensing strategy to benefit the brands by securing clearances across a variety of multi-media platforms and implement the strategy by leading a team of clearance professionals. Ultimately, the Director plays a pivotal role in ensuring that content is available for new business opportunities and programming initiatives for many platforms including the on-air linear feed, multiplatform, digital SVOD platforms including History Vault and Crime 360, and for off-net distribution with both Domestic and International sales partners.

The Director will also oversee the clip licensing business, font use/licensing, stock footage/photo vendor deals and other revenue generating initiatives related to the use of A+E's owned content.

MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU'LL DO:
• Negotiate favorable rates/terms and acquire rights from the copyright owners of film, photographs, music, record labels, music publishers, books, magazines, and more.
• Works closely with Brand Creative/Marketing to launch high visibility promotional campaigns – providing clearance for all commercial music needs (master + sync), analyzing a variety of licenses for promo rights, and visually reviewing promos, trailers and key art for IP flags and sensitivities.
• Draft and review agreements to conform with Network's required terms and standards.
• Identify and analyze risks associated with rights and licensed materials and re-use parameters.
• Analyze expired/rights deficient licenses across all brands and calculate renewal estimates based on initial rights granted and future exploitation potential and manage budget accordingly.
• Track Rights Renewals and Rights Upgrades on an individual program basis and advise various business units (Programming, Scheduling, International, Content Sales and Digital) regarding content clearance status, costs, and risk assessment.
• Maintain program inventory with a focus geared towards new media platforms (AVOD, FVOD, SVOD).
• Support Vice President in inventory reporting and running expire reports as they pertain to ad-hoc rights availability queries as well as quarterly estimates process. Provides regular reporting to the Executive level on the Renewals business progress.
• Present to and meet with various business units and senior executives as new business opportunities arise, and when Rights and Renewals education is required.
• Utilize Rights Management systems to ensure Rights information is entered in a timely fashion and populating correctly into various Rights Availability Reports and Sales databases.
• Work closely with an array of content creators and provide Rights and Clearances best practices for External and Internal Productions (longform, short form, podcasts, digital pieces, etc.) ensuring programs are cleared at a level that ensures the broadest exploitation.
• Confirms that content re-purposed from the A+E Owned Content Library is clear and viable for re-use in new productions and revenue generating initiatives by reviewing releases and training content creators on R&C Best Practices
• Manages the team tied to A+E's new Footage Partnership initiative which requires close collaboration with the Media Asset Services team as well as external partners and resources.

YOUR STORY: [+BEHAVIORS] (what you need to have)
• 12+ years' required experience actively negotiating and acquiring rights of third party owned material for a television, media, or music company; heavy negotiation experience required.
• Extensive experience with Intellectual Property.
• Proven track record of managing people and developing strong teams. Team player and leader who can build an environment of collaboration with colleagues and clients.
• Solid public speaking skills and the ability to create and give presentations to senior level Executives across the company.
• There is a high level of decision-making in this position and a high level of productivity and accuracy expected, as is an ability and willingness to work within a team environment.
• Existing strong relationships and connections in the third-party content business is a must – film companies, music publishers, record labels, stock houses, footage agencies, news agencies, studios, etc. – with a firm grasp of licensing standards and associated fees.
• Detail oriented and the ability to handle a large volume of work and to perform daily duties autonomously and efficiently.
• Strong-multitasking skills and have extensive experience with various

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Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gwykzy-18-218-61-16-42 in your application.