About the Job

We are looking for a highly-motivated Senior Business Affairs Manager to support its account, creative, legal, production, and finance teams and provide general business affairs oversight and continuity across productions.

The Senior Business Affairs Manager should be thoroughly versed in all clearance issues associated with advertising, production, and branded content. You will report to the VP, Production in New York. This is a great opportunity for a smart, creative problem-solver with strong organizational skills and a demonstrated ability to juggle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. We are looking for someone who is ready to become a Spoon - to give a damn, try anything, and enjoy the people they are working with.

This role will be working out of our NY office on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Responsibilities

• Work with and assist producers with preparing, organizing and maintaining vendor agreements and production estimates (which include talent session fees, usage, and other related costs) 
• Work with producers, account and finance to reconcile and close jobs
• Learn and implement client-specific production requirements/guidelines
• Review concepts and deliverables for required permissions and clearances
• Oversee the review process from development through production to assess, manage and mitigate risks associated with content and experiential productions
• Flag creative/content legal risks and escalate to Legal team, as needed
• Research, clear, negotiate, and issue/prepare contracts/licenses as needed for all third party materials (e.g., music, location release, talent release, property release, etc.)
• Retain a database of usage terms on all jobs where agency has been required to handle clearances
• Provide producers and account teams with accurate estimates for talent session fees, usage, residuals, and all other talent- and music-related production costs 
• Assist with purchase orders, insurance and talent payments
• Identify and escalate to Legal team for preliminary trademark searches for proposed branding, taglines, signage, design, etc.
• Work with VP, Production to develop departmental procedures/best practices and keep up to date on changes to advertising industry standards and trends

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience working in the Business Affairs department of an advertising agency
• Working knowledge of SAG-AFTRA and AFM contracts
• Knowledge of/experience with AICP, AICE, animation and music bids
• Experience with US and foreign productions
• Understanding of legal issues relating to content production 
• Experiential production experience strongly preferred
• Strong knowledge of non-union talent standards
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong problem solving skills and solution-oriented
• Ability to multi-task within a fast-paced creative environment and manage competing priorities under time constraints 
• Ability to handle confidential information responsibly
• Extremely detailed oriented and organized
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Knowledge of SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract 
• Proficiency in MS Office suite and Google Suite

The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $100,000-$125,000. Salary is determined based on a wide range of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, job duties, and geographic location. For this role, we also offer programs such as medical/dental/vision insurance, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and various other benefits and perks.