Business Affairs Manager

Big Spaceship is an Agency of Progress, applying intelligence, creativity, and craft to help clients understand themselves, their customers, and the larger culture. Regardless of the size of the organization or where they are on their journey, they all must move forward. For some, this requires incremental change. For others, transformation. Big Spaceship is designed to build brands the way people experience them - where Stories, Systems, and Communities meet. Our client relationships span different industries and brand life stages: from start-ups like Lightricks to established Fortune 500 companies like JetBlue, JPMorgan Chase, PepsiCo, and Starbucks, among others.

We are looking for a Mid-level Business Affairs Manager to join our Production discipline at Big Spaceship. 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.

Roles + Responsibilities:

• Partner with Producers to prepare and align on estimates, purchase orders, insurance coverage, production wrap-up, editorial, music contracts, and tracking vendor payments.
• Access risks, provide solutions, and advise on rights and clearances as it relates to the Agency's productions
• Participate in the review of creative concepts for business and legal considerations
• Conduct knock-out trademark searches for proposed branding, taglines, signage, design, etc.
• Work with client-assigned cost consultants when necessary
• Research, clear rights, negotiate costs, and issue contracts, releases, or licenses as needed for footage, music, third-party vendors, or other copyrighted material
• Knowledge of talent usage rights management across a wide variety of products, including but not limited to digital, print, broadcast, and live events around union and/or non-union talent
• Provide advice and counsel on best hiring practices with non-union and union talent from both production and buyout/residual standpoint
• Issue session reports and final casts lists
• Track 3rd party rights usage across all projects and advice on expiration dates
• Authorize buyouts and residual payments through our 3rd party payroll company or contracted production partner
• Update server with legal agreements, music licenses, talent contracts, etc
• Initiate contact and engage with content creator candidates for potential social media engagements

The salary band for this role is $80,000 - $110,000. Where a prospective new hire's base salary will fall within this band depends on several factors including their qualifications and experience, the skill level required in the role, market rates, and the salaries of existing crew members at Big Spaceship within the same role to maintain equity.

Requirements

• 3-5+ years of business affairs management within a creative agency
• Proven experience with SAG-AFTRA and AFM union regulations is a big plus
• Knowledge of film, video, digital, print production
• Strong Written/verbal communication and negotiation skills and an eye for detail

• Interest in staying up-to-date on industry guidelines and standards

• Understanding of copyright, trademark, and network clearance procedures
• Experience with payroll platforms and accounts payable