Senior Vice President, Business Affairs

Edelman•Los Angeles, CA

21h•$150,000 - $225,000

About The Position

Edelman is seeking a Senior Vice President, Business Affairs to join its global Business Affairs team. The role shapes complex, high-profile partnerships at the intersection of entertainment, sports, advertising and culture. Reporting to the Global Head of Business Affairs, the position structures and negotiates deals involving celebrities, athletes, musicians, influencers, creators and leading brands, including talent partnerships, sponsorships, content production, licensing and intellectual property matters. The Senior Vice President also helps shape Business Affairs operations across the organization, partnering with senior leaders to strengthen processes, manage risk and develop practical solutions in an evolving media and entertainment landscape. The role calls for a strategic, commercially minded dealmaker with deep transactional expertise, sound judgment and the ability to balance creative ambitions with commercial realities while building trusted relationships across teams.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive experience in entertainment Business Affairs, entertainment law, advertising, media, sports, talent, production, licensing or a closely related field.
Significant experience independently structuring and negotiating complex entertainment, talent and rights-driven transactions.
Strong understanding of intellectual property, licensing, publicity rights and entertainment industry contracting.
Working knowledge of U.S. entertainment guilds and performer unions, particularly SAG-AFTRA, and their implications for advertising and content production.

Nice To Haves

Juris Doctor (JD) and experience practicing entertainment, media, advertising or intellectual property law; not required. Candidates with substantial Business Affairs experience and equivalent transactional expertise are encouraged to apply.
Experience advising on complex content and production matters across digital, social, broadcast, experiential and creator-led campaigns.
Strong commercial judgment and negotiation skills, including the ability to navigate competing priorities, complex contract redlines and sensitive business matters.
Ability to build credibility and trusted relationships with senior executives, clients, attorneys, talent representatives and cross-functional teams.
Strategic leadership and mentoring capabilities, with a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to managing multiple high-priority matters.

Responsibilities

Lead complex entertainment and talent transactions, including celebrity, athlete, musician, influencer and creator partnerships, sponsorships, licensing and content production agreements.
Structure and negotiate sophisticated agreements with talent representatives, agencies, managers, rights holders, production partners and other counterparties, driving negotiations through resolution.
Advise on critical deal terms and rights, including compensation, deliverables, usage, exclusivity, intellectual property, approvals, cancellation and termination provisions.
Provide strategic Business Affairs guidance across digital, social, broadcast, experiential and emerging content formats, identifying risks and developing commercially practical solutions.
Partner with Production, Legal and client teams on intellectual property, music, licensing, publicity rights, union considerations and third-party contracting requirements.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders on sensitive or novel business challenges, balancing creative objectives, commercial priorities and risk.
Collaborate with leadership to improve global Business Affairs practices, policies, contracting processes, risk management and production workflows.