Job Description

Reporting to: VP, Legal & Business Affairs




Purpose: Why you're here at 9 Story




- To oversee contract needs for Toronto-based animation production, interactive projects and franchise, and assist with contract needs for the global development team and general commercial agreements for the company.


- To provide business and legal advice to the creative affairs and production teams in Toronto and New York.


- To assist with management of legal risks and compliance concerns arising in the Toronto business.

Key Responsibilities

- Drafting and negotiating agreements for Toronto and New York-based productions, such as commissioning platform licenses, co-production agreements, production services agreements, and above-the-line writer and talent agreements and providing guidance and assistance to contract manager on director, composer and other contributor services agreements.


- Managing interim financing legals for Toronto-based productions.


- Provision of day-to-day advice to business units (including creative affairs, production, management, finance, and marketing) on legal and business affairs issues relating to productions, including: (i) interpreting and advising on guild and Cancon requirements (CAVCO, CMF, etc.), (ii) reviewing and opining on script and title clearance reports, and (iii) reviewing credits and press releases.


- Working closely with the legal and creative affairs teams, drafting and negotiating agreements for development projects, including option agreements, shopping and attachment agreements, writer and other service agreements.


- Maintaining relationships with guilds, insurers, interim financiers, government departments and industry associations.


- Drafting and negotiating interactive service agreements (e.g. vendor, services and talent agreements), franchise agreements (e.g. influencer, vendor, promotion and services agreements) and general commercial agreements such as NDAs, leases, consulting and services agreements.


- Assisting franchise and consumer products team with assessing style guides and product and packaging credits.


- Assisting with new registrations and maintenance of trademark and IP portfolio.


- Overseeing marketing legal queries (e.g., websites and social media compliance and terms of use, corporate PR).


- Overseeing Canadian corporate secretarial requirements (e.g. minute books, amalgamations, corporate insurance).


- Providing legal input on company policies.


- Collaborating with and providing guidance to company paralegals and contract administrators.


- Engaging with the global legal team to develop and implement evolving legal policies, procedures, templates and best practices including the tracking of prior deal terms and precedents.

Key Requirements

Knowledge:




- Comprehensive knowledge of entertainment law; in particular, in the areas of television development and production.


- Significant knowledge of Canadian television financing and guilds, music, and general commercial agreements.


- Knowledge of distribution, consumer products and franchise agreements, corporate secretarial, general commercial law, employment law, trademarks and IP protection an asset.




Experience:




- Extensive experience with legal work in development and production of television and digital originals, at least some gained in an in-house environment.


- Experience managing paralegals and/or administrative staff.


- Extensive experience providing business affairs advice to development and production personnel as well as various in-house departments such as finance and management.


- Experience with distribution, consumer products, franchise and/or marketing agreements an asset.


- Experience working in the animation sector an asset; experience working in live action or unscripted also valued.


- Familiarity with international guilds an asset (e.g., SAG_AFTRA, WGA, IATSE, WGGB).




Technical skills:




- Legally qualified and a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario.


- Proficiency with Microsoft Office




Behaviours:




- Able to multi-task under pressure, handle a varied, high-volume workload efficiently and smoothly and operate autonomously within corporate parameters


- Able to build strong internal client relationships, effectively advise senior-level executives under conditions of uncertainty, high-pressure and/or high-risk and generate strong client satisfaction through quick turnaround and firm decision-making


- Collaborative, positive and team-centric


- Excellent drafting, negotiation, communication (written and verbal), interpersonal, organizational and computer skills


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Why work with us?




Perks! Perks! Perks! Not only is 9 Story Media Group / Brown Bag Films an amazing place full of artists, animators and creators from all corners of the industry, but we focus on helping staff grow and develop in their careers and make them long time team members. Along with a great work environment we offer first-rate health + dental benefits, summer hours, paid Health and Wellness Days, vacation periods that multiply with tenure, and more! We may love animation, but we love our employees even more!




Our Toronto office can be found in the cool and trendy Liberty Village with over 200 artists working on award winning animated children's content. You will benefit from a competitive compensation package, interesting work and a fun/supportive work environment.




Applicants need to be legally eligible to work in Canada.




We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.




9 Story Media takes diversity and inclusion seriously and we are committed to ensuring equity in the recruitment process. Candidates from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, Racialized and LGBT2SQ+ communities, candidates from a range of ages and religious beliefs and people with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. Should you require accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please let us know your requirements when contacted.




As a company, we deliver high-quality kids' content, and we seek to have diverse characters so that all our audience feels represented. We also want the same for our own workforce, and 9 Story Media is committed to looking for all kinds of talent to build a diverse workforce in which all identities are represented and respected.