Talent Licensing Manager
New York - New York /
Fanatics Collectibles – Athlete Relations & Talent Licensing /
Salaried
/ Hybrid
Company Overview
Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. The company ignites the passions of global sports fans and maximizes the presence and reach for hundreds of sports partners globally by offering innovative products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans, a global partner network with over 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, teams, players associations, athletes, celebrities, colleges, and college conferences, and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail business stores.
As a market leader with more than 18,000 employees, and hundreds of partners, suppliers, and vendors worldwide, we take responsibility for driving toward more ethical and sustainable practices. We are committed to building an inclusive Fanatics community, reflecting and representing society at every level of the business, including our employees, vendors, partners and fans. Fanatics is also dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities where we all live, work, and play through strategic philanthropic initiatives.
The Talent Licensing Manager, North America Sports & Entertainment is responsible for the management of autograph and promotional licensing agreements between athletes, celebrities and Topps. The position acts as the center point for all information between athletes, celebrities, agencies and Topps in the procurement of rights, content and services for trading card products. The Talent Licensing Manager will work closely with internal resources including Product Development, Operations, Legal, e-Commerce, Digital, Marketing, Content, Customer Service, as well as manage relationships with external agencies. The Talent Licensing Manager will work closely with the brand team to ensure that autograph content is aligned with all product requirements.
Responsibilities
- Responsible for the generation, signing, accounting and managing of all talent and agent interactions.
- Manage the autograph and relic licensing program including negotiating deals with talent and agents across sports and entertainment properties.
- Generate KPI reports for senior leadership team, which analyze current autograph status across entire trading card product portfolio and identify support needed for specific talent relationships.
- Work directly with brand teams to create/review product subject lists, provide guidance on talent relations, give cost insights on a per-talent basis, analyze procurement needs and manage operational deadlines.
- Manage and communicate autograph procurement developments and ongoing issues to brand and operation teams on ongoing basis.
- Oversee lifecycle of contracts while monitoring dates of legal significance such as expirations and options.
- Ensure compliance to contractual obligations ensuring all services are executed.
- Foster and maintain relationships with league licensors, player associations, agents and industry contacts.
- Spearhead talent activations and marketing/licensing events.
Requirements
- 6+ years of experience in related field (sports agency, sports marketing, athlete management).
- 2+ years of management responsibility.
- Self-confident, energetic, pro-active, organized, highly detailed and goal oriented.
- Independent thinker, excellent judgement and professional demeanor.
- Proven track record of generating, negotiating and finalizing deals.
- Work well under pressure, able to meet tight deadlines and thrive in changing circumstances; enjoys a fast-paced environment.
- Team oriented with ability to interact with personnel across the organization.
- Strong passion and comprehensive knowledge of MLB and MiLB.
- Exceptional written and oral communication; proven ability to manage relationships
- Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
- Knowledge of Topps business and product lines.
- Schedule flexibility for travel.
- Bachelor's degree.
The salary range for this position is $100,000- $125,000 which represents base pay only and does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation. When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training.
Ensure your Fanatics job offer is legitimate and don’t fall victim to fraud. Fanatics never seeks payment from job applicants. Feel free to ask your recruiter for a phone call or other type of communication for interview, and ensure your communication is coming from a Fanatics or Fanatics Brand email address. For added security, where possible, apply through our company website at www.fanaticsinc.com/careers
Tryouts are open at Fanatics! Our team is passionate, talented, unified, and charged with creating the fan experience of tomorrow. The ball is in your court now.
Fanatics is committed to responsible planning and purchasing (RPP) practices, working with its business partners across its global and multi-layered supply chain, to ensure that planning, sourcing, and purchasing decisions, along with other supporting processes, do not impede or conflict with the fulfillment of Fanatics’ fair labor practices.
NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS/APPLICANTS: In connection with your application, we collect information that identifies, reasonably relates to or describes you (“Personal Information”). The categories of Personal Information that we collect include your name, government issued identification number(s), email address, mailing address, other contact information, emergency contact information, employment history, educational history, criminal record, and demographic information. We collect and use those categories of Personal Information about you for human resources and other business management purposes, including identifying and evaluating you as a candidate for potential or future employment or other types of positions, recordkeeping in relation to recruiting and hiring, conducting criminal background checks as permitted by law, conducting analytics, and ensuring compliance with applicable legal requirements and Company policies. For additional information on how we collect and use personal information in connection with your job application, review our Candidate Privacy Policy-CA
