Marcus Lee
Director of legal and commercial affairs
Channel 5
Marcus Lee says that the pull of working in the broadcast industry is ‘that it is always evolving – no two days are the same’. However, he adds that its constantly fluctuating nature means it is also an incredibly competitive industry, in terms of acquiring the best content, keeping up with a large variety of platforms and looking at innovative revenue streams while keeping traditional advertisers happy.
Channel 5 prefers to handle most of its legal matters in-house, although the broadcaster does have a ‘reasonable’ budget if external advice is needed, according to Lee. He says he prefers his external advisers to be commercial, practical and able to give a clear recommended course of action.
He also sometimes needs specialist employment law advice on the channel’s on-screen talent agreements and occasionally advice on a very niche or technical point of intellectual property law. His legal team comprises 13 staff with four other lawyers on hand following a major reshuffle in 2010.
Law firms used: DLA Piper, Olswang, Rosenblatt Solicitors
2010-present: Director of legal and commercial affairs, Channel 5
2007-10: Legal director and company secretary, Portland Media Group
2005-07: Group legal director, Northern & Shell
2003-05: Counsel, Paramount Home Entertainment
2002-03: Legal assistant, Showtime