Courtney Cannon serves as Counsel, Legal Affairs in the Entertainment and Lifestyle Group at NBCUniversal (“NBCU”). NBCU, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies for a global audience. The NBCU umbrella includes a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world- renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses.
In her role, Courtney structures, negotiates, and drafts development and series deals for USA, Bravo, Syfy and Syfy Wire for linear and digital exhibition in connection with docu/occu-series, reality, and host/panel programming. These deals include talent, production services agreements, rights acquisitions, and license agreements. Additionally, she negotiates and drafts movie acquisition and licensing deals for the cable division of NBCU. She advises, interfaces, and coordinates with all internal divisions (creative, business affairs, labor, finance, ad sales, marketing, publicity, and network operations) to provide sound business judgment and solution-oriented guidance. Keen examples of Courtney’s work include Temptation Island and The Great Debate franchises.
Prior to working at NBCU, Courtney worked in Business & Legal Affairs at FilmNation Entertainment (“FilmNation”). FilmNation is a leading distributor, financier and producer of independent films and is a destination for many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers. In this role she negotiated, drafted, and reviewed documentation for feature films including below the line talent agreements, vendor agreements, music licenses, and international distribution agreements. Examples of Courtney’s work at FilmNation include The Big Sick, Late Night, The Personal History of David Copperfield and Greyhound. She also served as one of the founding members of the Diversity Committee.
Courtney graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (“UPenn”) with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English with a concentration in African-American Literature. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and served as the Civic Chairman and Ivy Leaf Reporter. She was the Vice President and a recruiter for the West Philadelphia’s Alliance for Children. She also served as a tour guide for Kite & Key Society, UPenn’s oldest service organization. While at UPenn, Courtney worked in UPenn’s Pre-Freshman Program’s management office, the African Studies Center, and the offices of UPenn’s Upward Bound Program. She was a Robert Aresty Scholar and Paul Robeson Leadership Fellow. Courtney went on to receive her Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law (“NYU”) where she was a Dean’s Scholar and recipient of the Pro Bono Service Award. While at NYU, she was a Senior Editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law, a MDRC pro bono intern, a member of the Black Allied Law Students Association, and worked as a law clerk in the Capital Markets group at Morrison & Foerster LLP. During her final semester of law school, Courtney studied abroad at the NYU Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she participated in a clinic on policy advocacy in Latin America.
Courtney is a member of the New York State Bar. She is a native of New Jersey and lives in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to Courtney’s work in the legal field, she is Co-Chair of the UPenn Black Alumni Society of NYC, an Alumni Interviewer for UPenn’s Admissions office, and a mentor for the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.’s Brooklyn Youth Section.