James Watson, Head of Legal at DNEG
James Watson is Head of Legal at DNEG. He studied Law at Undergraduate and Masters level at the Faculty after which he went on to do a traineeship and to qualify as a solicitor at Withersworldwide.
He now works in the fast-paced, creative world of DNEG, one of the world's leading visual effects, animation and stereo conversion companies for feature film and television.
Tell us about your route to Oxford and how you found your experience of the University?
I loved my time at Oxford. I didn't go to a school where there was a well trodden path to Oxbridge, nor did I know any lawyers, so I did my own research and pestered teachers to help me prepare for the entrance exam which they kindly did. It was the most exciting leap into the unknown.
What attracted you to Law and what was the most important lesson you learnt during your time at Oxford?
I did work experience at a high street firm in Dover when I was at school and loved it even though it bore no resemblance to what I would end up doing. They gave me £20 as a token of thanks for my two weeks there and were amazed when I asked if I could do another two weeks! I remember the Principal telling us on our first night at St Anne's to look around us as we would make many lifelong friends with the people in the room and that proved to be the case.
Tell us about your journey to become Head of Legal at the visual effects and animation company, DNEG. Had you always planned to end up in this kind of job?
I always loved film and animation and naturally gravitated to the creative clients when I did my training contract. At one point I worked on a rebrand for the Ascot Authority and had an original drawing by the Queen on file which for me certainly beat a file of dry corporate resolutions. I also had a famous photographer client and was always finding reasons to spend time at her studio in Primrose Hill so that I could meet the models and musicians that were always there. Later, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do a secondment at O2 when they had a very small legal team and worked on the first series of 'I'm a Celebrity' as well as sponsorships with Arsenal and the England rugby team. I loved being part of the business and made the jump in house shortly after to Liberty Media where they had just acquired a number of film and television companies dotted around Soho, covering film printing, sound editing, television playout, subtitling, you name it. It was such a change going from being in an office full of lawyers to being the company's only lawyer in Europe.
What is a typical day working at DNEG?
As an international business of 11500 employees I often find myself starting the day working on Bollywood contracts with our Indian teams first thing and finishing working on Hollywood projects with North American colleagues. Inbetween it can be anything from working with artists and composers to a new lease in Budapest or Barcelona
Tell us about some of the films you have been involved with and how your work intersects with film production.
Since I joined DNEG in 2018 I have worked on countless television and film projects. The most high profile are probably the three Academy Award wins, for 'First Man', 'Tenet' and 'Dune'. The legal work involved will vary depending on our involvement but it is always great to work with the creative teams and to see the end product.
What was it like moving from the academic side of law to working in the creative industries?
The inhouse roles I have had have been incredibly diverse. You go from being an expert in a relatively niche area to being asked to look at things you have no knowledge of at all - at the same time as losing the fantastic support network you have in private practice. For me it was another exciting leap into the unknown.
What is the strangest issue you have ever had to deal with whilst at DNEG?
Not an issue as such but the strangest thing was probably the first Halloween party I went to at DNEG. Film and television creatives are a *lot* more imaginative than private practice lawyers when it comes to fancy dress. When you come from a background where people were sent home for wearing brown shoes in the office, it is something else to see people looking like they have walked off the set of the latest horror film.