Senior Manager – Rights & Clearances (ABC News)

Job Summary:

ABC News is seeking a Rights & Clearances Senior Manager. The Senior Manager leads the team that is responsible for acquiring third party clearances and implementing rights and clearances policies for ABC News and its production arm ABC News Studios; drafts, negotiates, reviews, revises and analyzes contracts relating to news editorial, and non-fiction programming and documentaries’ production and distribution; analyzes clearance issues; tracks rights issues and manages tracking system; researches and responds to rights and clearance inquiries relating to copyright; advises production and management on various rights and clearance risks; interfaces with executives and lawyers throughout the company; and manages and supervises rights and clearances personnel in the performance of their tasks.

Responsibilities

• The candidate must have an exceptional understanding of intellectual property contracts and key provisions. As a Rights and Clearances Senior Manager, you will control the process of acquiring, negotiating, costing, and clearing rights on behalf of ABC News and its production company, and other third-party distributors.
• You will develop the plans and set priorities for the Rights & Clearances department. This includes providing leadership, goals, the day-to-day management and development of the Rights & Clearances staff, the monitoring of their performance levels, quality control, customer care, and building and maintaining relationships with internal and external parties.
• You will ensure that shows and platforms understand and adhere to the Rights & Clearances policies and procedures. You will evaluate and settle third party claims. The position requires the ability and willingness to work in a fast-paced, 24/7 breaking news environment, as well as to manage and prioritize workflow according to our programming needs.
• This position requires a collaborative leader who will interact with and provide guidance for the production staff, the legal department, editorial practices, the NewsOne affiliate service, the internet group and other departments, and including senior leaders. This position reports to the SVP of Business Affairs.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in legal training and experience with intellectual property and copyrights
• 5+ years of professional experience at Television, Film, Licensing, or Digital Media companies
• 5+ years of negotiating and drafting contracts – able to negotiate with diplomacy
• 3+ years of experience managing teams
• Familiarity working with guilds and collective bargaining agreements
• Knowledgeable in current and emerging IP matters including artificial intelligence and social media platforms
• Must be available and willing to work extended hours including weekends/holidays
• A strong leader with excellent organizational, communication, and written skills
• Well-versed in news and current events
• Works well under pressure
• Works well in a team-setting
• Adapts well to different environments
• Must be able to prioritize and coordinate multiple tasks under deadlines
• Problem Solver
• Relentless work-ethic
• Train shows and platforms on rights & clearances policies and procedures

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with entertainment and sports clearances
• Outstanding communication, organization and time-management skills
• Strong negotiation skills
• Strong personnel and management skills
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Galaxy archival database, i-News, and SAP
• Tech savvy
• Experience establishing and managing a rights database
• Able to professionally deal with challenging personalities, situations, and circumstances
• To undertake such other tasks including general administrative duties
• To be an ambassador for the business at all times

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited college
• Juris Doctor

The hiring range for this position in New York, NY is $145,000 to $160,000 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.