Job Title: Legal Manager - Film Production

Location: Mumbai

Experience: 5-7 years

Reporting To: Business Lead (Business) and AVP - Group Legal & Compliance (Functional)

Role Overview

- Drive end-to-end contract lifecycle for film and content projects, from structuring and negotiation through execution and compliance. Manage domestic and cross-border partner paperwork and coordinate with external counsel as needed. This role is ideal for someone with strong commercial instincts in media production who enjoys hands-on drafting and deal-making-making more than pure advisory work.

- The candidate will work closely with internal production, finance, creative, and business teams as well as external partners (domestic and international), to ensure legally sound and commercially aligned agreements.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of production, talent, crew, vendor, location, services, co-production, financing, distribution, and OTT licensing agreements.

- Structure deal terms and risk positions; prepare term sheets, NDAs, MOUs, service orders, and amendments.

- Create, maintain, and improve contract templates, playbooks, fallback positions, and clause libraries.

- Coordinate with external legal firms for specialised areas (e.g., complex financing, IP clearance, disputes); set scopes, budgets, and timelines.

- Work with internal teams to track contractual obligations, renewal timelines, deliverables, and risk points and advise on proposing pragmatic solutions.

- Support due diligence on partners, productions, and project entities.

- Maintain organised contract archives and documentation processes.

- Monitor regulatory and industry-compliance requirements relevant to film production (censorship, labour, taxation touchpoints, etc.).

Required Experience & Skills:

- 5-7 years of post-qualification experience in commercial contracts, with at least 3 years in media/entertainment or content production.

- LL.B. from a recognised university; LL.M. or company secretary exposure is a plus.

- Demonstrated track record of leading negotiations and drafting complex production or distribution agreements.

- Comfortable coordinating with external law firms and handling counterpart negotiations directly.

- Familiarity with deal-making norms in film/OTT production and content collaborations.

- Strong written and verbal communication; ability to interpret commercial strategy into enforceable contract language.

- Comfortable handling cross-border agreements and coordinating with finance on taxes, remittances, and withholdings.

Typical Agreements You'll Handle:

- Talent, director, writer, composer, and crew agreements

- Production services and line production agreements

- Co-production, financing, interparty, escrow, and security agreements

- Location permits and vendor/service contracts

- Distribution, theatrical, satellite, digital/OTT, and ancillary rights licenses

- NDAs, MOUs, amendments, side letters, and settlement agreements

Success Metrics (First 12 Months):

- Cycle time reduction from intake to signature by at least 20-30%.

- Adoption of standardised templates/playbooks for 80%+ recurring agreements.

- Clean obligation tracking with 100% on-time alerts for renewals, payments, credits, and deliverables.

- External counsel spend within approved budgets with clear matter scoping and post- matter debriefs.

- Zero material compliance breaches on productions supported.