Director of Licensing

About the Role DramaWave is building the next generation of mobile-first storytelling. We’re looking for a Director of Licensing to lead our U.S. book-to-vertical-drama acquisitions. This role drives our strategy for identifying, evaluating, and securing high-impact literary IP — across romance, NA, thrillers, fantasy, and BookTok-driven titles — and shaping the pipeline of stories that become our next global hits.You will own the full lifecycle of IP acquisition: scouting the market, building author/agent relationships, driving deal negotiations, and partnering with development teams to ensure each title is adaptation-ready for the vertical drama format.This role is ideal for someone who lives at the intersection of publishing + entertainment, understands story potential at a glance, and can build a scalable system for high-volume rights acquisition.What You’ll DoIP Discovery & ScoutingIdentify high-potential books, authors, and series across KU, indie publishing, BookTok, genre imprints, and agency catalogs.Build and manage a robust scouting pipeline.Track U.S. and global publishing trends, genre performance, and emerging authors.Rights Acquisition & NegotiationLead all negotiations for vertical drama adaptation rights (option + purchase).Partner with authors, agents, and rights holders to secure clear, fast, scalable deals.Create bundled deals, series deals, and strategic multi-title packages.Maintain transparent rights tracking, contract timelines, and cost forecasting.Partnerships & Market RelationsBuild long-term relationships with literary agencies, scouts, rights managers, and author communities.Represent DramaWave in U.S. publishing circles, industry events, and author meetings.Serve as the key liaison for U.S. rights partners, scouts, and book-to-screen agencies.Creative & Development CollaborationWork closely with DramaWave’s development team to evaluate story fit for vertical drama frameworks.Provide clear creative briefs and title recommendations that align with market-tested vertical storytelling.Help shape the adaptation strategy for high-priority IP.Strategy & LeadershipDesign and scale DramaWave’s U.S. IP acquisition machine.Build acquisition models, pricing tiers, and quarterly target pipelines .Implement data-driven evaluation systems for story potential and adaptation ROI.Mentor and manage scouts, coordinators, and freelance readers.What We’re Looking For10+ years in publishing, book-to-film/TV, literary scouting, entertainment rights, or agency work.Deep familiarity with romance, NA, YA, fantasy, and commercial fiction markets.Strong negotiation experience in IP, rights, or talent deals.Excellent relationships in U.S. publishing, BookTok/romance communities, or literary agency circles.Ability to evaluate story potential quickly and communicate it clearly.Comfort working in a fast-moving, high-growth content environment.Entrepreneurial mindset. Able to build systems from scratch.Ability of full circle business development skillsWhy Join DramaWaveBe part of a global platform defining the future of mobile storytelling.Build the pioneer U.S. literary acquisition engine for vertical drama.Collaborate directly with creative leadership and influence high-impact decisions.Work across both publishing and entertainment industries in a new and rapidly growing medium.Competitive compensation, growth potential, and an opportunity to shape an entirely new content pipeline.