General Counsel - Glitch Productions

About us:

Glitch Productions is an independent animation studio based in Australia making original, long form animated shows distributed on Youtube. Our channel has over 22 million subscribers, tens of millions of views per episode and is still growing strong. Our studio is filled with incredibly talented and passionate artists that are determined to change the way animation is produced and treated in the industry. Our biggest IP; Digital Circus, has amassed over 350 million views on the pilot alone and we have a lot more still to come.

Role Information:

As General Counsel, you'll be Glitch's first in-house legal hire and the company's primary legal advisor across every function: production, distribution, platform partnerships, people, and corporate structure. You'll work directly with the COO, CCO, Head of Finance, Head of People and CEO, and with production and business leads across every studio and territory we operate in.

This is a builder's role. You'll set up the legal infrastructure for a company that's establishing entities in new markets, negotiating with some of the largest platforms in the world, and managing a genuinely global, blended workforce, while staying close enough to the day-to-day to review a deal memo, a YouTube dispute, or an offer letter without waiting on outside counsel for everything.

What You'll Do

Contracts & Commercial Negotiation

• Shape Glitch's negotiating position on content, distribution and co-production agreements with major platforms and studios (including Netflix, Amazon and other streaming, licensing and merchandising partners), working alongside external counsel who lead the negotiations themselves.
• Own YouTube and platform-specific agreements, partner and monetization terms, and the legal side of channel, brand and IP monetization strategy.
• Draft, review and negotiate production, talent, vendor, freelancer, licensing, co-production and distribution agreements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Advise internally on whether proposed decisions, processes and activities are permitted under existing contracts and agreements, giving teams fast, confident answers without needing to escalate every question to outside counsel.
• Monitor and enforce contract terms with external partners, identifying and addressing breaches or non-compliance.
• Build contract templates, playbooks and approval workflows that let non-legal teams move fast on lower-risk deals, while flagging what genuinely needs your review.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and legal spend across jurisdictions, using external firms strategically rather than as a default.

Global Employment & Workforce

• Advise on employment law across the jurisdictions Glitch operates in, including Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, keeping policies, contracts and practices compliant as laws and headcount both keep changing.
• Own worker classification globally (employee vs. contractor vs. freelancer), including the specific risks that come with a screen-based, project-driven creative workforce.
• Partner with People/HR on hiring, terminations, restructures, leave, and workplace policy as the company grows from ~250 to ~400 people.
• Advise on cross-border hiring mechanics, including direct entity employment, EOR arrangements, contractor agreements and immigration or visa considerations, and union or guild requirements (e.g. SAF-AFTRA and The Animation Guild TAG) and recommend when each is appropriate.

Corporate Structure & Global Entities

• Lead the legal work of establishing, restructuring and maintaining Glitch's growing network of international entities, including incorporation, governance, intercompany agreements and local compliance.
• Work with the Head of Finance and external advisors on tax-aware, operationally sensible entity structuring as new markets and productions come online.
• Maintain corporate records, board and governance processes, and ensure each entity meets its local filing, licensing and regulatory obligations.

Intellectual Property & Content

• Manage Glitch's IP portfolio globally, including copyright and trademark protections across word marks, designs, and logos, spanning original series, characters, and franchises.
• File and advance copyright and trademark applications, and lead IP protection strategy on territorial and trademark class coverage gaps as Glitch expands into new markets.
• Defend Glitch’s trademark usage and pursue infringement, counterfeiting and bootleg activity that targets Glitch IP.
• Create and maintain internal policies and processes for proper trademark usage across teams.
• Manage licensing-in and licensing-out arrangements, and platform takedown or infringement issues.
• Advise and assist creative and production teams on chain of title and usage rights questions early, so IP and rights questions are resolved before they become blockers.

Risk, Compliance & Disputes

• Own enterprise risk management, including data privacy and security compliance (e.g. GDPR and equivalent regimes) relevant to a global digital-first company.
• Manage disputes, claims and regulatory inquiries, forming Glitch's response, engaging litigation counsel where needed, and keeping leadership informed of exposure.
• Maintain appropriate insurance coverage (E&O, D&O, production, cyber) in step with the company's growth and risk profile.
• Advise the executive team on legal risk in new market entry, new partnerships and new product/content formats.

A successful candidate will have:

• Law degree and current admission to practice (bar/equivalent) in at least one relevant jurisdiction; additional qualifications or multi-jurisdictional experience are a strong plus.
• 8-15+ years of legal experience, including significant in-house experience at a media, entertainment, animation/production, technology or digital platform company.
• Hands-on experience negotiating content, distribution, licensing or platform agreements, ideally with major streamers, studios or platforms (Netflix, Amazon, YouTube/Google, or comparable).
• Real depth in employment law across Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia, with comfort advising on worker classification, EOR and contractor structures, and cross-border hiring.
• Experience setting up or managing corporate entities in multiple jurisdictions, ideally alongside finance/tax stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of IP, copyright and media law as it applies to animation, digital content and franchise IP.
• A track record of being a generalist, hands-on legal lead at a growing company, comfortable at times being the only lawyer in the room. At other times you may have external legal support.
• Excellent judgment and communication: able to translate legal risk into clear, commercially minded guidance for creative and executive teams.
• Comfortable working remotely across time zones with a global, culturally diverse team.

Bonus Skills:

• Direct experience with YouTube's partner, content ID, and monetization policies.
• Prior experience at a company scaling through a similar headcount range (roughly 200-500 people).
• Experience with data privacy regimes across Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia (e.g. GDPR, US state privacy laws, PIPEDA and the Australian Privacy Act).
• Language skills or lived experience relevant to Glitch's key markets.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and time management skills.
• Be extremely organized and have a strong work ethic.
• Engaging personality and willingness to learn.
• Positive, go-getter attitude with a passion for making things.

What we offer:

• A competitive starting salary with reviews every 6 months.
• A flexible work arrangement and schedule, with options for work from home and flexi-hours.
• A casual and fun office environment where individual input is valued.
• Regular work functions and free entry to conventions and events.
• Close to public transport in the heart of Parramatta CBD.
• Paid for gym memberships.
• Regular company breakfasts/lunches.
• A diverse team that values independent input and career development.

Our values

Glitch Productions has an art-first mindset. Regardless of which team we’re in, every single team member’s core mission is to create the best art possible, and delight our audience that has given us so much. We achieve this mission through our values:

Passion:First and foremost, every team member has a passion for the work we do and why we do it. It’s what allows us to contribute our creative energy, pitch new concepts, and give everything we make a personal touch that resonates with our fans.

Innovation: From cobbling together sets in a living room, to inventing new pipelines using breakthrough technology, we have always had a focus on innovation and new ideas. We always try to push the boundaries of our industry and keep things fresh and exciting for both the team and our audience.

Teamwork: Animation takes a big team of incredibly talented people and everyone is always ready to pitch in and lend a hand. We believe that our diversity and range of skills are what allows us to create works none of us could do on our own.

Integrity: Our integrity is the heart of our core mission. It’s what allows us to do right for our projects and for each other.

At Glitch Productions, we’re passionate about fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects our values as a creative studio.

We hire based on skills, passion and potential, and celebrate the diverse perspectives that make our team stronger. We welcome people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, educational backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.

Simply put, if you’re a good person and share our passion for animation, we want to hear from you!

Note to recruiters: At this time, we kindly request that agencies do not reach out regarding this position.