Director, Rights & Clearances

ABOUT SONY PICTURES NONFICTION 

Sony Pictures Television’s Nonfiction group is the feature documentary, premium content, and reality unit within Sony Pictures Television (SPT). Through ownership interests in or partnerships with production companies Sharp Entertainment, The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), B17 Entertainment, 19 Entertainment, This Machine Filmworks, Maxine and more. The group creates and produces content in every form of nonfiction programming for audiences worldwide, currently totaling more than 100 series across 35 networks 

Key programs include the global hits American Idol co-produced by 19 Entertainment and So You Think You Can Dance co-produced by 19 Entertainment; Sharp Entertainment’s 90 Day Fiancé franchise for TLC, Love After Lockup franchise for WeTV and Man v. Food for Cooking Channel; IPC’s documentary series We’re Here for HBO, The D’Amelio Show for Hulu, and Selena+Chef for Food Network; and B17 Entertainment’s Thanks a Million for Roku, The Final Straw for ABC, Dark Marvels for History Channel and the Emmy®-nominated The Book of Queer on MAX.  Additionally, 19 Recordings has launched the music careers of Platinum artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Phillip Phillips, Lauren Alaina, and more recently, country music rising star, Gabby Barrett, American Idol winners Iam Tongi, as well as finalists Megan Danielle and Colin Stough. 

DIRECTOR OF RIGHTS & CLEARANCES

The Director of Rights & Clearances is responsible for overseeing content clearance through all stages of production, from development through post-production, on behalf of Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction and its related companies. The primary focus is on reviewing episodic cuts and related materials across a variety of unscripted programming, including documentary series/features, reality, and competition shows, to confirm appropriate clearance standards are met, while identifying, addressing, and resolving legal, business, and reputational risks. This is a hands-on role working directly with showrunners, production, archival, legal, insurance and other internal and external partners to maintain clearance standards throughout project lifecycle.

Core Responsibilities:

• Serve as the rights and clearances lead for episode cuts and related materials to screen for logos, music, archival material, talent appearances, privacy issues, defamation and other clearance concerns.
• Coordinate with internal and external counsel on intellectual property, fair use, defamation, privacy, publicity and other legal risks.
• Flag issues, communicate clearance notes, propose practical fixes and confirm compliance with network and platform guidelines.
• Oversee the securing of licenses for third-party materials by production teams.
• Train producers and editors on best practices early in the creative process.
• Attend creative meetings to anticipate clearance challenges before filming or post.
• Provide rapid turnaround guidance to production and post teams throughout production and editorial processes.
• Maintain organized files for locations agreements, appearance releases, materials licenses, stock footage and vendor files.
• Supervise the preparation of clearance logs and related network legal deliverables.
• Update internal guidelines and templates for ongoing production and studio compliance.

Requirements:

• 6+ years of clearance experience in unscripted and documentary television production.
• Strong experience reviewing episode cuts and other project-related materials for legal, clearance, and reputational risks.
• Deep knowledge of copyright, trademark, privacy, defamation, publicity, defamation and fair use principals.
• Fluency with production paperwork such as appearance releases, location agreements, music licenses and guild or union deliverables.
• Proven ability to identify PR and reputational risks in sensitive subject matter (true crime, controversial topics, celebrity content, etc.).
• Skilled in negotiating licenses for third-party materials.
• Highly organized, with excellent recordkeeping and clearance tracking skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear production notes.
• Bachelor’s degree required; paralegal certificate or JD a plus but not required.
• Eligible to work in the US and available to travel and work on-site as production requires.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with studio network delivery requirements (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox, etc.).
• Experience on large-format competition or live event series.
• Prior negotiation of third-party license fees (e.g., professional sports) or stock agency deals.
• Knowledge of international clearance standards for global distribution.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

SPE will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable law.

To request an accommodation for purposes of participating in the hiring process, you may contact us at [email protected].