Business Affairs Director
Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) is seeking a Business Affairs Director to join our team. This position focuses on compliance with FCC-mandated rules for Educational/Informational (E/I) television production and distribution, oversight of rights, clearances, and general production documentation, as well as business issues surrounding HMPG’s general market entertainment.
About the role
The Business Affairs Director will work with leadership to maintain HMPG brand integrity of all current series and manage day-to-day business affairs for development and production. The role involves drafting, reviewing, and closing various short-form business and production documents. A legal background and/or related experience in the media and/or entertainment industry is required. The position reports to the Vice President, Business Affairs and is on-site for four (4) days at our Hearst offices in either Glendale, CA or Charlotte, NC.
Responsibilities
- Review, negotiate, and draft short-form business, production, and vendor documents including location, third-party acquired materials, and appearance releases, production services agreements, permits, letters of intent, NDAs, etc., in coordination with the production management team, Rights & Clearances team, and in-house and external counsel.
- Partner with management, sales, production, post-production, regulatory counsel, and network partners to ensure content compliance with applicable FCC, FTC, COPPA, and other regulations, while maintaining HMPG brand integrity and industry standards.
- Assist Vice President, Business Affairs in overseeing Rights & Clearances and Standards & Practices.
- Support Standards & Practices team responsible for content review, with an emphasis on compliance with E/I regulations, legal clearance, and appropriate execution of branded content.
- Assist on rights management efforts via the RightsLine database.
- Engage in logistics and issues surrounding program sponsorships, schedules, content, and contractual obligations.
- Collaborate with internal and external counsel when necessary.
Requirements
- Minimum of 5 years of experience working in a television business affairs department, legal affairs department, and/or entertainment law firm.
- Precision in reviewing, annotating, and drafting agreements.
- Familiarity with FCC, FTC, and COPPA (and related online privacy) regulations.
- Familiarity with copyright and trademark laws and regulations.
- Previous experience in performing legal and/or clearance review of episodic or long-form audio/visual content.
- Experience with market-leading enterprise rights management systems.
- Skilled at maintaining positive relationships with showrunners and sales executives while enforcing standards and decisions and protecting HMPG’s interests.
- Ability to make judgment calls on sensitive topics, removing personal opinions from the decision-making process.
- Proven ability to manage a high volume of projects with competing deadlines.
- Excellent organization and time management skills.
- Superior written and oral communication skills, with proven ability to communicate effectively and collegially with C-Suite and all colleagues, as well as with outside parties in negotiations.
- Detail-oriented with strong analytical capabilities and judgment.
- Familiarity with music rights and cue sheets, production insurance, and union issues a plus.
- Working knowledge of project management software, preferably Monday.com.
Qualifications
- Law degree (J.D. or LLM) a plus.
- HMPG is a proud supporter of military veterans. Related military training and experience will be considered.
Pay
The estimated base salary range for this role is between $125,000 and $175,000. The actual base pay offered is dependent upon many factors, such as transferable skills, work experience, business needs, market demands and conditions, including geographic location where the work will be performed, and other factors permitted by law.
Benefits
- Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage.
- 401(k) matching.
- Emotional Wellness Support.
- Paid Time Off.
- Paid Parental Leave.
- LGBTQ+ Health Services.
- Additional benefits to meet your and your family's needs.
About Hearst Media Production Group
Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), a business unit of Hearst Television, is an independent producer and distributor of original programming for TV stations, broadcast and cable networks, and streaming services. HMPG produces hundreds of hours of programming annually across linear, streaming, digital, and social media platforms for domestic and international distribution in nearly 100 countries. Its popular shows include the Emmy® Award-winning educational/informational (E/I) programming blocks airing weekends nationwide, including “Weekend Adventure” on ABC stations, “CBS WKND” on the CBS Network, “The More You Know” on the NBC Network, “One Magnificent Morning” on the CW Network, “Mi Telemundo” on the Telemundo Network, and “Go Time” on independent stations. HMPG also produces and/or distributes a diverse slate of other programming and content, including Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, America’s #1 nationally syndicated public affairs news magazine; Consumer Reports TV, and the company’s dedicated FAST channels Xplore, The Jack Hanna Channel, and Rovr Pets, available on some of the most popular smart TVs and streaming platforms. HMPG has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Charlotte. HMPG is represented by United Talent Agency.