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Role: Director, Business & Legal Affairs – Rights & Clearances

About the Company

Words and Pictures is a production studio built to create premium, culturally relevant nonfiction films and series. The studio is home to a portfolio of director-led production companies, including 11-time Emmy winner Jonathan Hock's Hock Films and 7-time Emmy winner Jason Hehir's Little Room Films, with in-house production capability through Full Day Productions. Recent and ongoing work spans Netflix, ESPN, HBO, Hulu, Apple TV+, Amazon, Max, and NBC, including titles such as Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, Celtics City, Court of Gold, NWSL: The Final Third, Full Court Press, NASCAR Full Speed, and 30 for 30.

About the Role

We’re seeking a Director, Business & Legal Affairs to join our Rights & Clearances team and provide day-to-day support for production legal, risk management, and rights clearance across unscripted programs, original content, and live events. In this role, you will partner closely with creative and production leaders, helping drive the studio’s slate while quickly identifying and resolving legal issues in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

The right candidate will bring hands-on production legal experience in the unscripted space, including advising production teams on legal issues from pre-production through delivery and structuring and negotiating related agreements across all stages of production.

This role reports to the VP, Business & Legal Affairs and is based in our SoHo, NY office, with a minimum in-office requirement of three (3) days per week.

Responsibilities

• Provide production legal support for projects in development and active production, from pre-production through delivery.
• Structure, negotiate, and draft day-to-day production legal agreements, including production service agreements, appearance and participant releases, life rights and consent agreements, location agreements, materials releases, music agreements, and NDAs, and provide ongoing legal support throughout production.
• Provide analysis and advice on rights-related issues, including copyright and fair use, trademark, defamation, and rights of publicity and privacy; advise on the clearance and licensing of archival and stock footage.
• Act as a liaison between production / post-production / development teams and distributors regarding releases and various production agreements.
• Support legal needs for live events, including venue and talent agreements, sponsor and partner contracts, and on-site risk management.
• Evaluate content to assess legal risks from development through pre-broadcast review, including preparing and reviewing clearance reports and responding to E&O insurance requirements to ensure projects are cleared for delivery.
• Assist with special projects and other tasks as required or directed by your supervisor.

Experience & Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience as a practicing entertainment or production attorney, OR 5–7 years of experience in rights and clearances for television, film, or digital media, with strong copyright knowledge and demonstrated experience clearing rights for productions.
• Direct, hands-on experience with unscripted/nonfiction programming is required; documentary and sports content experience is strongly preferred.
• JD from an accredited law school and membership in good standing with the New York State Bar, or eligibility to register as in-house counsel in New York.
• Familiarity with guild agreements, including DGA, WGA, and SAG-AFTRA, as they apply to nonfiction production.
• Working knowledge of music licensing, including master use and synchronization rights.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, analytical, and organizational skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment, set priorities, and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective relationships with internal teams, external partners, and production stakeholders.
• A practical, solutions-oriented problem-solver who can advise production teams quickly and decisively without sacrificing legal rigor.
• Collaborative and service-oriented, with the judgment and credibility to serve as a trusted partner to creative and production teams.
• Genuine interest in premium nonfiction storytelling across documentary, sports, and culture-driven content.

Please include a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and why you're interested in this opportunity.

At Words and Pictures, we consider a range of factors to develop fair and equitable compensation packages. In accordance with state and local pay transparency requirements, the base salary range for this role is $150,000 to $170,000 per year, with eligibility for an annual bonus. Final compensation will be based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience and qualifications relevant to the role.