Contracts Executive

Company Description
Working Title is one of the world's leading producers of film and television.
Its Business & Legal Affairs Department manages the extensive legal, business and commercial aspects of developing, producing, distributing and marketing feature films and television series.
The "business affairs" role within the department involves the lawyers negotiating and concluding deal terms for talent (e.g. writers, actors, producers, directors) and thus requires effective commercial acumen. "Business affairs" also encompasses the negotiation of rights deals with parties who own underlying rights, whether it's the owner of rights in a book or another producer that owns rights in a project and wants to make it with Working Title.
Once a "deal" has been concluded with the relevant talent representative, the next step is to draw up a contract to reflect the agreed terms. This is where the departments legal function comes into play and the lawyers are responsible for drafting, negotiating and concluding the required legal paperwork on every deal..
There are legal implications and requirements that permeate throughout the life cycle of a production; ; whether it be securing the rights to source material such as a book or a play upon which the script is based, contracting "above-the-line" personnel (i.e. writer, director, producer, principal cast), licensing music, entering into location agreements and obtain legal clearances to feature prominent branding. The Business & Legal Affairs Department oversees all such aspects and works together with the Production, Development and Finance teams to facilitate a seamless and cohesive path towards production.
Job Description
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Drafting Non-Disclosure Agreements and Certificates of Engagement using WT precedents.
• Draft option extension letters/agreements, using WT precedents, for both the Film and Television departments.
• Updating WT precedent agreements in line with policy changes as and when required by the department.
• Carry out legal research using PLC and/or other legal databases, summarising and extrapolating the salient points.
• Prepare accurate and succinct deal summaries.
• Assist the department with delivery matters and procedures for film and television projects
e.g. preparing and applying for Certificates of Origin, uploading agreements to the studio's delivery databases.
• Manage and update the film and television options tracker table (and other internal trackers).
• Assist with rights related queries in relation to WT's film and television projects.
• Assist in the preparation and organisation of clearance documentation.
• Assist with preparing paid ads summaries, dubbing and subtitles and other credit related summary documents.
• Liaise with the Finance team to prepare contract bundles for audit requests.
• Assist the department with draft billing blocks, main titles, end rollers for each production.
• Manage the department's filing systems (both online and physical storage) in relation to contracts and other legal documents including indexing and retrieval.
• Efficiently manage the department's internal invoicing systems and liaise with the Finance team to ensure that invoices are processed accurately within a timely manner.
• Manage and coordinate contract approvals and execution including by way of DocuSign.
• Act as a first point of contact for general day-to-day enquiries, and as a filter to facilitate answers to queries across all internal departments as needed.
• Carry out general administrative duties, including: diary management and co-ordinating arrangements for meetings (in person and via Teams), taking calls, filing emails, managing team's expenses plus travel, managing the signing and invoicing process with respect to all contracts.
• Undertake all other tasks as allocated by the team.
Qualifications
REQUIREMENTS
• 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 educational background.
• Experience in dealing with contracts and legal documents, and an understanding of contractual language.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment with a diverse and often heavy workload.
• Ability to identify, prioritise and manage urgent work assignments, and manage expectations 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, and establish effective relationships internally and externally.
• Highly organised and efficient with excellent attention to detail.
COMPETENCIES
• Experience working within a media team of a law firm as a contracts executive or paralegal or in-house experience at a major studio, distributor, production company, broadcaster or equivalent.
• Creative approach to problem solving.
• An enthusiasm for the entertainment industry and film and television in particular.
• Friendly, approachable and confident manner with a flexible can do attitude.
• Proactive and responsible team player, taking pride in the role.
• Ability to know when to ask for assistance and guidance from more senior members of the team.
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].