Director, Production Legal Affairs

Job Description

Director, Production Legal Affairs

The Director, Production Legal Affairs handles day-to-day production legal matters including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating below-the-line production agreements for Disney Entertainment – Studios film banners 20th Century Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, and Searchlight Pictures; and managing other special projects.

Responsible for managing, evaluating, prioritizing, and directing the work of Managers, providing guidance, resolving highly complex issues, minimizing risks, and ensuring that productions are supported on a timely and accurate manner.

Responsibilities:
• Accomplish department objectives by collaboratively managing, planning, and evaluating department activities.
• Achieve results by communicating job expectations, planning, monitoring, and appraising performance results.
• Provide technical and managerial supervision in connection with day-to-day production legal matters for one or more Studio divisions, focused on both theatrical and streaming content.
• Act as a focal point for managing and resolving issues.
• Draft, review, and negotiate (including editing and redlining documents) visual effects agreements, below-the-line production, and third-party agreements, including a wide variety of contracts including location agreements, office space rentals, leases, equipment rentals, manufacture agreements, vendor agreements, aviation and drone rentals, watercraft agreements, prop rentals, among other services.
• Oversee the drafting, review, and negotiation of third-party liability issues that arise during production.
• Draft third-party production services and review of international production service company template forms and agreements.
• Comfortable counseling business partners and making decisions that have legal and business impacts.
• Routinely exercise discretion and independent judgment.
• Provide guidance to producers and production personnel for high-risk issues as needed.
• Partner with Attorneys, Finance, Labor Relations, Physical Production, and Risk Management among other teams to ensure alignment.
• Set up and maintain processes, guidelines, and forms to ensure that productions are serviced in a timely and accurate manner. Continuously identify ways to streamline processes and roll out best practices.
• Assess status of productions, on a continuous basis, making adjustments to an approach or resources as needed.
• Perform special projects (e.g., master sourcing agreements) and other related duties as needed.

Basic Qualifications:
• Minimum 3 years relevant experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts at an entertainment company, law firm, or related industry.
• Self-motivated and disciplined, with ability to multi-task under pressure, prioritize, and manage a heavy workload in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent critical thinking and analytical skills with the ability to analyze complex issues and devise solutions independently.
• Team player with a positive attitude.
• Highly organized, efficient, adaptable, accurate, and detail oriented.
• Strong communications skills
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, as well as proficiency with editing documents and redlining applications.

Preferred Qualifications
• Previous supervisory experience.

Education
• Bachelor's degree.

#CORP_Media; #LegalAffairs; #twdcmedia

The hiring range for this position in California is $123,000 to $165,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

About The Walt Disney Studios:

For over 95 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today it brings quality movies, episodic storytelling, music, and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. The Walt Disney Studios encompasses a collection of respected film studios, including Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures. It is also home to Disney Theatrical Productions, producer of world-class stage shows.

This position is with Walt Disney Pictures, which is part of a business we call The Walt Disney Studios.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rv2ee7-35-172-165-64-42 in your application.