Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

       SUMMARY OF POSITION:

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Harmony SPV Financing, L.P (CEG) recently formed a Music Rights Joint Venture (JV).  WBD holds music rights across a vast library of films and television for which the rights from compositions from the Warner Bros, HBO and Turner Networks catalogs are administered by Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and the Discovery/Scripps Networks catalog are administered by Sony Music Publishing. Music royalties from these works include performance royalties (public performance of songs on radio, TV, film, or in live venues), mechanical royalties (song is reproduced or distributed in physical and digital formats), synchronization royalties (a song is synchronized with visual media), and print royalties (sale of sheet music).

For the music created for movies and TV shows, WBD owns the copyright and the music publishing rights. The music rights included in the JV are the publishing performance and synchronization rights. Music publishing royalties are triggered when there is public performance of the music whether live, broadcast, or streamed which most often occurs through the exhibition of the film or TV show. The administrators, Universal Music and Sony Music, manage the administration of the music catalog including proper registration with Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, licensing the musical compositions, royalty collection from the various sources, and distributing royalties to the copyright owners.

The Studio Controllership Group is a global accounting team supporting the Warner Bros. Studio businesses and we are looking for a Manager, Accounting for this new Music Joint Venture. Duties include general ledger stewardship, account reconciliations, month end closing and reporting, consolidation of actual results and preparation and review of all financial statements, by title reporting, footnotes, and disclosures. Duties also include working with the Service Delivery Center (Capgemini), Music Operating Teams and Consolidated Financial Reporting group in support of the closing process.   

Job Responsibilities

• Record monthly revenue accruals for WB, Turner, Discovery and HBO music publishing activities.  Record entries against Deferred Revenue and A/R with transaction types as appropriate
• Record 29% participation expense and transfer recorded participation liability to WBEI to offset participation payments calculated and processed at the WBEI consolidated level.
• Amortize Music Assets monthly on the JV following a 50/30/20 curve over a 3-year period.  Coordinate with I/C partners to confirm same amortization process for transferred assets.
• Monitor cash activity and record appropriate cash clearing entries on Music JV books and coordinate with I/C partners to ensure I/C entries are booked correctly.
• Calculate and record Collection Agent Fee based on monthly Cash collections less Licensor royalty.
• Calculate and record I/C Loan based on specified calculation and record appropriate interest income/expense.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and yearly deliverables: Balance Sheet, P&L, supplemental schedules & footnotes, government surveys and disclosures.
• Manage and review Service Delivery Center provided deliverables as needed; troubleshoot and provide guidance as needed.
• Manage preparation and review of Account Reconciliations.
• Assist with Financial and Participant audit requests.
• Support day-to-day general accounting and reporting activities.
•  Oversee the Minor Trust Process
• Oversee Monthly Billing of WWTVM to International Conventions & Domestic’s First Run JEs, Co-Op accrual /Station Summit Billing
• Manage preparation and review of Account Reconciliations.
• Manage and review Service Delivery Center provided deliverables as needed; troubleshoot and provide guidance as needed.
• Manage the Intercompany IC Noncash settlement process and Intercompany reconciliation.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and yearly deliverables: Balance Sheet, P&L, supplemental schedules & footnotes, government surveys and disclosures.
• Process monthly Episodic data and Release and Settle based on CNR report
• Prepare and review the tax incentive cash applications and quarterly reporting
• Monitor the cash clearing process with the SDC Team and Liarson with the TVP Production Finance.
• Prepare quarterly AR Reserves schedule
• Sparc vendor setup and support
• Manage and monitor allocation of Music Publishing royalties to Specific Titles per the UMPG and Sony statements received for WB, Turner, Discovery and HBO. 
• Liaise with Music Operations teams to ensure Pre JV Music Titles and Post JV Music Titles are accurately tracked and revenue recorded accurately.
• Monitor for Music Assets related to Sequel and Prequel Content Assets that are part of the Music JV and ensure these are valued and transferred to the Music JV accordingly. 
• Pay royalties collected from Universal and Sony to songwriters and composers as needed on a timely basis.
• Coordinate with Business Development and Technical Accounting as needed.
• Coordinate with the Finance and Accounting teams at Turner, Discovery, and HBO to track administrator and PRO transactions that should be recorded in the JV entities.
• Participate in monthly meetings with the Music Operations teams and the Universal Music Publishing Group.
• Coordinate requests for the setup of new company codes, profit centers, and cost centers as needed.
• Coordinate with WBD Financial Reporting to ensure Music JV Standalone Financial statements (Balance Sheet, P&L, Cash Flow) are prepared and delivered to the JV partners in accordance with the Partnership Agreement (45 days after quarter end and 90 days after fiscal year end).  Calculate Net Publisher’s Share in accordance with the Partnership Agreement to include with the Financial Statements.
• Respond to all accounting related inquiries from JV partners timely and accurately and other special projects as required.

JOB QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

Work Experience

• 6+ years previous work experience in an accounting or finance field.
• 2-3 years prior management experience required.
• Entertainment and/or music industry experience a plus.
• Highly motivated, analytical, proactive, and self-sufficient
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have the ability to communicate effectively and tactfully with people on all levels, in person, via email or other digital format and on the telephone.
• Must have the ability to pay close attention to detail and understand written and oral instructions.
• Must have the ability to organize and schedule work effectively.
• Must have the ability to multi-task projects simultaneously and be able to prioritize.
• Must be able to adapt in a changing environment and quickly learn new concepts, solve problems, and implement solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office/Excel.
• Must be able to work reasonable overtime, if necessary.

Education, Professional Training, Technical Training or Certification

• BA/BS degree in Finance or Accounting required.
• CPA or MBA preferred.

Knowledge/Skills

• Must be fluent or near fluent in English.
• Experience working with large amounts of data preferred.
• Experience with SAP is a plus.
• Working in shared service and/or outsourcing environment a plus.

Other Requirements

• Previous “Big 4” accounting experience preferred.
• Must be willing and able to travel.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, union status, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.