Sr. Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs

WELCOME TO HARTBEAT. WE ARE COMEDY. WE ARE CULTURE.

HARTBEAT is the global, multi-platform media company founded by Kevin Hart with a mission to keep the world laughing together. Operating at the intersection of comedy and culture, we are dedicated to creating, producing distributing, and marketing compelling content and experiences that make your heart beat a little faster.

Led by an award-winning team, Hartbeat is a trusted creative partner for the world’s top entertainment companies, platforms, and brands. We drive cultural impact and generate sales, subscriptions, buzz, and conversation with some of the most coveted audiences.

We are committed to nurturing the next generation of diverse comedians while collaborating with established comedy legends. Our ecosystem supports talent, content and brands across various formats, platforms, and opportunities in TV, film, digital, audio, and experiential.

Our flagship consumer brand, LOL! Network, engages audiences through its owned-and-operated social media channels, audio content, and partnerships with OTT platforms.

THE ROLE:

We are looking for an experienced attorney to serve as the Sr. Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs. This role is for someone who is excited to take on big challenges and find creative solutions. This position will report directly to the General Counsel.

Note: Our office is located in West Hollywood, and we require our employees to be able to work out of our HQ 4 days a week.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as primary legal partner for the digital/platform division and the brand partnerships/marketing division, providing day-to-day counsel and support on all deal flow, in close collaboration with the General Counsel

• Structure, negotiate and draft deal memos and longform agreements for the following:

• channel placement agreements for FAST channels and other company-owned channels on third-party platforms

• content licensing for acquisitions (“in”) and distributions (“out”) across film, television, and digital, aligning with windowing strategies, exclusivity, and cross-platform monetization

• technology and SaaS agreements supporting digital and platform operations, including media buying, analytics, ad-tech, and content management systems

• digital original productions, including podcasts, covering development, production, distribution, and monetization terms, as well as associated talent, music, and rights clearances

• brand partnerships, sponsorships, influencer agreements, insertion orders, and branded content deals

• live event production, venue, sponsorship, and talent agreements

• Work closely with the General Counsel and business executives to implement best practices, formulate new processes, and create and revise agreement templates

• Oversee, streamline and liaise on production legal matters being handled by outside counsel

• Provide timely, solutions-oriented advice on a wide range of issues, including material deal terms, intellectual property rights, availability/restrictions of use of certain materials, privacy, music, clearances, guild/union and labor issues, insurance, credits and delivery

• Assist with managing various corporate matters, including M&A transactions, investor relations matters, operations, real estate, etc.

• Handle various other commercial deals from time to time

• Handling certain employment-related agreements and advising on employment matters from time to time

• Oversee and work with the Contract Manager in the maintenance of:

o corporate books and records for multiple entities (e.g., formation documents as well as board and shareholder resolutions and other corporate maintenance items)

o cap table management

o entity formation/dissolutions

o record keeping and tracking

o creation of deal summaries and rights reports

• Handling other matters as needed at the direction of the General Counsel

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

Qualifications:

• Must have a JD from an accredited law school and be a member in good standing with the California State Bar (or eligible for in-house counsel registration in California).

• 5-8 years of substantial, relevant transactional experience

• Ideally should have 3-4 years at a top-tier law firm with corporate law experience; and

• 3-4 years of in-house experience in media, entertainment, digital platforms, live events, or brand/marketing transactions

• Excellent negotiating and drafting skills across a wide range of commercial agreements

• Knowledge of entertainment labor/guild framework

• Knowledge of a variety of IP matters, including trademarks, copyrights, defam