The Marketing Communications Group oversees advertising and marketing to ensure the flawless development and execution of world-class communications.
The role of a Maps and Books Clearances & Licensing Manager is two-fold: To oversee clearances and licensing responsibilities for projects in collaboration with the Books/Audio Books team, Books/Audio Books Editorial Team, Books/Audio Books Partner Management team, Books/Audio Books Marketing team and other adjacent teams AND Maps/Guides/Business Connect editorial, business, marketing, social and partner management teams, at all stages of the creative and production process to identify rights issues, obtain proper permissions and releases, and propose alternative solutions for Books and Maps initiatives.
Key Qualifications
- 10+ years of relevant content experience at a book publishing company, film/production company, advertising agency, or design agency
- Deep subject matter expertise garnered through years of demonstrable, practical experience addressing real-world rights licensing issues in the book publishing world and how that co-mingles with marketing of those titles. Also, a flare for cultural awareness and connections to shopping, dining, travel and hospitality sectors (among other business types)
- Ability to draw conclusions from working knowledge of issues and risks that impact the area of rights licensing, including copyright and trademark law, union/guild issues, public domain, fair use, defamation, and rights of publicity, in addition to copyrighted branding/logos, PR photos,
- Ability to identify, with accuracy, the spectrum of rights-managed IP frequently found on Book covers and interior page environments, which could also include audio clips of recorded books.
- Ability to rights-managed IP frequently found in Book jacket design
- Proficiency in analyzing and interpreting complex license agreements, and book publishing “deals” internationally along with both small business owners and multinational conglomerates and everyone in between.
- Proficiency in all current document and database systems
- Experience in presenting rights and licensing-related topics to client groups and employees
- Extensive, up-to-date industry knowledge on licensing issues
- Exceptional organizational, prioritization, and time management skills
- Proactive contributor who can work independently and collaboratively
- Demonstrated ability to lead multiple complex projects simultaneously
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, along with strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively interact with a diverse range of personalities and styles to establish effective relationships across the organization
- Self-motivated, flexible, and comfortable navigating rapid change with poise and decorum in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment
- Excellent negotiation skills
- Ability to handle high-level responsibilities, and comfort in being accountable for decisions
- Dynamic and inquisitive problem solver who consistently seeks solutions through thoughtful questioning and in-depth analysis.
Description
- Collaborate closely with the Maps/Guides/Business Connect and Books/Audio Books Business and Editorial Team, Partner Management team, Social team, and The Marketing Communications team to understand creative and marketing deliverables, draft production or licensing agreements, and negotiate usage rights for cover art, illustrations, V/O, photography belonging to the business owner, and more
- Conduct copyright and trademark research and facilitate clearance requests.
- Coordinate and execute licensing agreements with external parties within the United States and globally
- Negotiate licenses and permissions with copyright owners of various media
- Provide teams with general Business Affairs support pertaining to their projects.
- Assist in initiating and managing risk-related conversations with cross-functional stakeholders
- Maintain regular communication with team leads to ensure proper information flow, clear action items, and timely issue resolution.
- Utilize existing rights management systems to track and report the availability of programming for distribution to various departments.
- Work alongside Legal to review and draft license agreements.
- Manage a heavy workload of third-party clearances
- Attend kickoff meetings with creative and production teams
*Hours may fluctuate based on project needs.
