30 min
The Entertainment Industry Inside In-House Podcast
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- Management
Following on from our podcast launch interview, where Tyrilly Csillag, Head of In-House and Commercial at Practical Law interviewed Michelle Dillon, General Counsel at Verifone, our latest Inside In-House episode is a pivot from the FinTech space to the entertainment sector.
Tyrilly spoke with two experienced corporate counsel on the program. They are Ivana Kovacevic, Assistant General Counsel at Aristocrat and Cameron Stewart, Senior Legal Counsel at Foxtel.
The in-house X factor This particular episode sparked a ‘full circle’ moment for Tyrilly. She met and worked with Cameron while back in private practice. Whilst there, Tyrilly found herself on the opposite side of litigation with Ivana, when Ivana was practising at a law firm! The legal profession is indeed a small world.
This leads us into our first section of the podcast, in which Cameron and Ivana discuss the pathways and reasons for moving in-house.
For Ivana, while the opportunity came up for her in an unplanned way, the decision to remain there remains clear.
“I work with a great team and the company is full of such talent - both legal and non-legal. We have artists, mathematicians and everything in between! It's really inspiring to go to work and be surrounded by people like that,” she said
Work-wise, like most in-house professionals will tell you, no two days are the same for Ivana. But another plus factor is the commercial focus. At Aristocrat, Ivana is pleased with how close she is to her client and its business. As Ivana explained:
“Immersion into the business comes with a unique ability to support the business, to really understand what it wants and also to have a seat at the table when strategic decisions are being made so you can influence and support it from the start”
Ivana Kovacevic, Assistant General Counsel at Aristocrat
Over at Foxtel, what attracted Cameron to join its legal department was his love for entertainment content and commercial law.
“You don't really get that in-depth experience from private practice, where you're working on the periphery and you're working for multiple clients. When working in-house, you kind of gain plenty of knowledge around what drives different facets of the business,” said Cameron.
A typical day for Cameron and his legal team is very diverse, depending on the projects they have operating at the time.
“If I'm working on a production, particularly a scripted production, that will take up an inordinate amount of time during the day, and everything else can get pushed back because there are certain timeframes”
Cameron Stewart, Senior Legal Counsel at Foxtel
Furthermore, Cameron added that while the variability of each day may be challenging, it is also the feature that makes working in-house fun.
Related article: Legal Operations Manager at AustPost Shares her Career Story
Entertainment industry challenges Providing legal guidance to businesses operating in the entertainment sector is challenging, as it is very highly regulated. This can make for an adrenaline-filled legal environment at times. Tyrilly invited the guests to share some stories about any crisis or unique challenges they have faced. Cameron responded:
“Often you'll be in a...
Following on from our podcast launch interview, where Tyrilly Csillag, Head of In-House and Commercial at Practical Law interviewed Michelle Dillon, General Counsel at Verifone, our latest Inside In-House episode is a pivot from the FinTech space to the entertainment sector.
Tyrilly spoke with two experienced corporate counsel on the program. They are Ivana Kovacevic, Assistant General Counsel at Aristocrat and Cameron Stewart, Senior Legal Counsel at Foxtel.
The in-house X factor This particular episode sparked a ‘full circle’ moment for Tyrilly. She met and worked with Cameron while back in private practice. Whilst there, Tyrilly found herself on the opposite side of litigation with Ivana, when Ivana was practising at a law firm! The legal profession is indeed a small world.
This leads us into our first section of the podcast, in which Cameron and Ivana discuss the pathways and reasons for moving in-house.
For Ivana, while the opportunity came up for her in an unplanned way, the decision to remain there remains clear.
“I work with a great team and the company is full of such talent - both legal and non-legal. We have artists, mathematicians and everything in between! It's really inspiring to go to work and be surrounded by people like that,” she said
Work-wise, like most in-house professionals will tell you, no two days are the same for Ivana. But another plus factor is the commercial focus. At Aristocrat, Ivana is pleased with how close she is to her client and its business. As Ivana explained:
“Immersion into the business comes with a unique ability to support the business, to really understand what it wants and also to have a seat at the table when strategic decisions are being made so you can influence and support it from the start”
Ivana Kovacevic, Assistant General Counsel at Aristocrat
Over at Foxtel, what attracted Cameron to join its legal department was his love for entertainment content and commercial law.
“You don't really get that in-depth experience from private practice, where you're working on the periphery and you're working for multiple clients. When working in-house, you kind of gain plenty of knowledge around what drives different facets of the business,” said Cameron.
A typical day for Cameron and his legal team is very diverse, depending on the projects they have operating at the time.
“If I'm working on a production, particularly a scripted production, that will take up an inordinate amount of time during the day, and everything else can get pushed back because there are certain timeframes”
Cameron Stewart, Senior Legal Counsel at Foxtel
Furthermore, Cameron added that while the variability of each day may be challenging, it is also the feature that makes working in-house fun.
Related article: Legal Operations Manager at AustPost Shares her Career Story
Entertainment industry challenges Providing legal guidance to businesses operating in the entertainment sector is challenging, as it is very highly regulated. This can make for an adrenaline-filled legal environment at times. Tyrilly invited the guests to share some stories about any crisis or unique challenges they have faced. Cameron responded:
“Often you'll be in a...
30 min