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Associate Counsel, WNET

Reporting to the Production General Counsel, the Associate Counsel is responsible for transactional and contractual related activities (e.g., Production, Licensing, and Distribution) in support of assigned WNET Production Units. The position will be responsible for the negotiation and administration of deals involving co-production partners, licensors, licensees, rights and clearances and vendors, and for providing ongoing legal advice on a variety of topics related to such productions and departments.  In addition, the Associate Counsel will conduct pre-broadcast content review.

  • Structures, negotiates, and participates in complex business deals, including production, licensing and distribution deals, service contracts, document agreements, etc.
  • Advises various internal clients from various departments on relevant deal terms, interpretation and implementation.
  • Ensures that all deals are compliant with various regulations and guidelines.
  • Negotiates license agreements with third party licensors/vendors for inclusion of various elements (e.g., clips, photographs,) in support of programming.
  • Ensures “Fair Use” standards are appropriately managed and implemented.
  • Manages contracts with funding partners and other third parties with respect to production funding/grants, licensing and distribution rights.
  • Evaluates copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property issues to ensure legal compliance.
  • Handles production-related pre-litigation work, including drafting responses to demand letters.
  • Negotiates, drafts and administers various grant, gift and corporate underwriting agreements, and “partnering” agreements with other non-profits. 
  • Structures and negotiates agreements in support of the promotion and distribution of WNET content on-line and via other new and emerging digital platforms, including social media.

Qualified candidates will have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to successfully deal with third party representatives, production companies and attorneys.  The successful candidate will have excellent organizational and time management skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office.  Additional qualifications include:   

  • Bachelor’s degree; JD degree; License to practice law in New York required; New Jersey a plus.  
  • Minimum 4 years’ law firm and/or in-house legal experience or equivalent (experience at a recognized entertainment law firm or in-house position with a media company preferred).  
  • Ability to negotiate, analyze, and draft a wide variety of media-related agreements (i.e. Licensing, Co-production, Distribution, etc.). 
  • Knowledge and experience with Privacy Law and/or Labor Agreements/Arbitration a plus.
  • Solid substantive knowledge of contract and intellectual property law required; knowledge of entertainment, privacy, music, non-profit or telecommunications law a plus. 
  • Sharp business acumen, sound judgment, and strategic deal-making ability.

This is a hybrid position. The WNET Group reserves the right to change and/or modify the hybrid schedule at its discretion. Per WNET’s vaccine mandate policy, the successful candidate must show proof that they are fully vaccinated under applicable guidelines.

The WNET Group offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.  Salary ranges are based on benchmarked nonprofit and industry related data provided by an outside consulting firm and are commensurate with skills and experience. The hiring salary range for this position is $84,000.00 – $90,000.00.  Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.

For more information and to apply, click here.