VP, Legal @ Independent Media/Entertainment Studio

United States (NY or CA preferred) [Remote]

About our Client

We’ve partnered with an award-winning independent studio on a search for its next VP, Legal. An industry leader, this full-service media studio produces original storytelling across entertainment formats including sports (Marshawn Lynch, Ronda Rousey), entertainment (ShaggyMan Productions, Charlamagne the God), film (Roy Lee), broadway (Alchemation), and literature (Langston Hughes Estate). Be at the forefront directing the legal function and operations for a cutting-edge studio partnering with creators, athletes, and cultural icons to launch new stories, build immersive worlds, and create large-scale fandom across publishing, film, television, digital and live experiences.

Job Overview

The VP- Legal will report directly to the CEO and lead day-to-day legal operations, with support from outside counsel in specialized areas. You’ll be the go-to legal advisor across the company, partnering with creative, finance, operations, sales, and marketing teams on everything from publishing deals to film financing arrangements. You’ll have a big hand in shaping the legal function, and building the processes, templates, and frameworks to scale the company. This will be a senior individual contributor role with a high level of autonomy. It is a leadership role that comes with the expectation of both hands-on excellence and intellectual fire power as an advisor to the CEO and senior management team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead drafting, negotiation and execution of commercial agreements across the company, including agreements with writers, illustrators, and colorists for new publishing projects; media rights/option and producing agreements for film & TV projects, attachments for above-the-line talent (e.g., writers, directors, producers), WGA writing agreements, co-production agreements, and director agreements; and joint ventures, strategic alliances, and other partnerships with marquee talent and partners
• Provide strategic legal counsel to internal teams to support execution of publishing and film & TV projects, including through internal development and packaging, co-productions, and film financing
• Support execution of fundraising rounds and other strategic corporate opportunities, such as IP acquisitions, M&A, investments, and new business lines, through the full deal lifecycle
• Evaluate and advise on legal risks related to the company’s business, including interpreting and advising on contractual terms and obligations, and develop practical mitigation strategies
• Direct legal operations and overseeing implementation of legal technology (e.g., DocuSign IAM, Maestro workflows, Monday/AirTable automations)
• Oversee corporate compliance and maintenance workflows
• Manage copyright and trademark portfolios, and advise on other rights-related matters
• Co-lead employment and HR function with CFO
  
  About You
  
  
• JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (preferably NY or CA)
• 6-10+ years of legal experience practicing at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house, with deep experience in film & TV, publishing, or other entertainment transactions
• Broad experience across several areas of law, including commercial, corporate, IP, technology transactions, employment and compliance
• Comfort operating as a solo legal practitioner with outside counsel as a resource, not a crutch
• Demonstrated ability to exercise pragmatic judgment — you know when to push back and when to move fast
• Interest in stepping into a highly strategic, business-facing in-house role with real ownership
• Experience scaling the legal function at a similar stage company (Series B)
• Fluency with AI and emerging technology
• Good judgment in navigating and closing agreements with world-class creators, studios, streamers and public figures
  
  

About Whistler Partners

Matchmakers, Not Headhunters

Whistler Partners is a boutique matchmaking firm focused on counseling the best and the brightest attorneys over the course of their careers. We believe that the right move comes from working closely with talent to curate their long-term career paths. When it comes to career advice, what matters is not the size of the agency but the strength of your individual recruiter. We readily admit that we are elite and only work with the best – after all, a little elitism is okay when it comes to your career.

Employers love us because we are picky about whom we represent, and attorneys love us because we get them their dream jobs.

Interested?

This search is being led by David Helfrich at Whistler Partners. Please contact him for a confidential conversation: david.helfrich@whistlerpartners.com // (202) 271-1828 (cell).