Senior Manager/VP, Business & Legal Affairs

Senior Manager/VP, Business & Legal Affairs

Department: Business & Legal Affairs

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: London, Islington

Reporting To: Donall Crehan

Role Description

Fulwell Entertainment is seeking a Senior Manager or VP, Business & Legal Affairs (depending on experience) to join its London-based team, reporting to the General Counsel. This role sits within a transatlantic Legal & Business Affairs function spanning London, New York, and Los Angeles. The position works across Fulwell’s full range of activities, including its Studio division (scripted and unscripted content for global buyers), owned and operated YouTube channels, brand partnerships, and collaborations with high-profile talent, while also partnering closely with internal teams such as Production, Strategy & Operations, Talent Relations, Post-Production, IT, Finance, and People Operations.

The Senior Manager/VP will lead the structuring, drafting, and negotiation of a wide range of commercial and rights agreements, including commissioning, licensing, distribution, talent, co-production, and rights acquisition deals, working closely with the US based BLA team. In addition, the role oversees Fulwell’s global corporate legal function, including entity management, intragroup transactions, M&A activity, dispute resolution, IP protection, and real estate matters. As part of an AI-forward legal team, the Senior Manager/VP will also drive adoption of AI tools (including Harvey), developing workflows, improving efficiency, and ensuring the business remains at the forefront of legal innovation in the media and entertainment sector.

Key Responsibilities

• With a primary focus on the UK market (and with the support of the US BLA team on US transactions), structuring, drafting and negotiating a broad range of deals efficiently and collaboratively to a high standard across the full breadth of Fulwell’s business, including: commissioning agreements with broadcasters and streamers, distribution agreements with third party financiers, other financier agreements, production agreements and deals with third party rights holders, talent and contributor agreements (including on- and off-screen talent across scripted and unscripted productions), access agreements, development agreements, co-production deals, first-look deals, location agreements, writer agreements, director agreements, producer agreements, option and book licence agreements, format and other underlying rights agreements, brand partnership and sponsorship agreements, and digital platform/YouTube channel agreements.
• Ownership of all business and legal affairs aspects of production across both traditional studio commissions, owned and operated channels and brand programming, including keeping abreast of and advising on relevant guild and union agreements, and platform-specific terms of service and policies (including YouTube/Google partner policies).
• Responsibility for ensuring relevant legislative and policy information is passed to appropriate internal contacts and translated into practical changes of process and contracts, anticipating any legal and rights concerns and offering solutions to resolve these challenges.
• Advising on and supporting the Company’s brand sales and brand partnership function, including structuring and negotiating sponsorship, branded content, and commercial partnership agreements.
• Supporting Fulwell’s strategic partnerships function, including advising on joint venture, co-investment, and other strategic collaboration arrangements.
• Supporting and advising on talent relations matters, including structuring talent deals, managing ongoing talent relationships from a legal perspective, and advising on talent-related IP and rights issues.
• Providing "legalling" services (supported by outside clearance specialist in the UK and US) in relation to programming, advising in particular on fair dealing/fair use, Ofcom Broadcasting Code, defamation, contempt of court and other possible third party claims/compliance issues.
• Providing general commercial and legal advice in a cogent and well-structured manner, particularly in relation to copyright, trademarks, clearance issues associated with production and distribution, and rights exploitation across all platforms including digital and social media.
• Managing a central bank of template agreements (including production, talent, brand partnership and distribution templates), keeping them up to date as necessary, and maintaining a central contract database, including uploading signed contracts.
• Instructing outside counsel as necessary.
• Maintaining Fulwell’s global corporate legal function, including responsibility for the legal entity structure, managing intragroup transactions, advising on and drafting transaction documents for periodic M&A and investment activity, and advising on and managing global dispute resolution, IP protection and enforcement, real estate legal issues, and rights analysis and management.
• Championing AI adoption across the legal team and wider business, including leading team discussions on AI use cases, managing the creation of tools, workflows and prompt libraries within Harvey, and identifying opportunities to increase efficiency through technology.
• Providing ad hoc business and legal affairs support and advice.
• Representing Fulwell in a professional manner to external parties.
• Building strong and effective working relationships with creative and commercial partners, both internal and external.
• Keeping abreast of industry trends, rights issues, new forms of exploitation, relevant legislation, and developments in AI and technology (including generative AI tools), and communicating information as relevant amongst colleagues.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• A qualified solicitor, with at least 5-7 years PQE (ideally in a scripted or unscripted television or entertainment business, or another business where creation and exploitation of IP, development of talent relationships, and management of brand and digital partnerships are key drivers of revenue).
• An excellent grounding in contract, copyright, and intellectual property law; experience of negotiating commercial deals with broadcasters, streamers, distributors, brand partners, and digital platforms in respect of scripted and unscripted content in the UK and US would be an advantage, but is not a requirement.
• Familiarity with corporate and M&A transactions is desirable.
• Curious, enthusiastic and passionate about the TV, film, digital media and wider entertainment industry, including the creation and exploitation of intellectual property across all platforms. Interested in new business models for content creation, IP exploitation, audience development, talent relationships, and brand and strategic partnerships.
• A strong critical thinker with creative problem-solving skills, with an ability to make well-informed decisions with imperfect information. Adaptable and open to embracing new tools, strategies and practices to stay ahead in a constantly changing landscape.
• A collaborative team member who builds effective working relationships, working closely with all levels of the organisation, and across multiple disciplines and business divisions, to ensure legal and commercial considerations are integrated into all aspects of the business.
• Adopting a growth mindset, with a curiosity and a willingness to be thrown into new worlds, industries, and ideas.
• An excellent communicator, with both written and oral presentation skills, with the ability to engage, build credibility, and engender trust across all levels of an organisation (both internal and external). Must be detail-oriented, efficient, and be able to communicate sometimes complex legal information effectively to non-legal audiences.
• Highly organised, with keen attention to detail and excellent drafting and strong negotiation skills.
• Demonstrable interest in and aptitude for AI tools and legal technology, including experience with or willingness to develop proficiency in AI-assisted legal tools such as Harvey. Comfortable leading AI adoption initiatives and training colleagues in new technologies.

Job Benefits

We offer an extensive benefits package that prioritises your wellbeing and professional development. Highlights include 25 days holiday, Bupa health coverage, flexible work arrangements, training opportunities, and more. Additionally, benefit from a wellbeing programme, a generous pension plan, and exclusive office discounts.

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