Jennifer Baltimore is Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs at Universal Music Group (UMG), where she focuses on the company’s film and television initiatives, live events and direct-to-consumer offerings. She additionally supports UMG’s Executive Management Board on global projects that leverage the company’s diverse artist roster and catalogs. Baltimore joined UMG in 2016 after a decade of working in the digital arena with AOL/Verizon, Hearst and Fox Interactive Media. She is a member of Corporate Counsel Women of Color. Baltimore received her B.A. in Economics from University of Pennsylvania, and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law. She is a keynote speaker for Duke’s 2018 DEMAN Arts & Media Weekend (Nov 2-3).
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We asked students to submit questions to our DEMAN keynote speakers. Here are Baltimore’s responses.
Q: Can you point out a pivotal moment in your career where you knew you were doing what you wanted to do?
Jennifer Baltimore: I was negotiating an artist deal with a lawyer who was reputed for being extremely difficult to work with. He started raising his voice to argue his point and I diffused his intensity with a calm and gentle explanation of why I could not budge. After that negotiation, I started being assigned to deals with lawyers who were perceived as more difficult. I realized one of my greatest strengths is my gentleness and emotional intelligence, which is as critical as having legal acumen in a business based on creativity and emotions.
Q: How do you think your industry has changed?
JB: The internet and digital age of music has completely transformed the business. Music discovery, delivery and consumption are transformed. Brick and mortar record stores like Virgin have been replaced with an intangible experience of music collection, which is now a virtual experience. Barriers to entry have been removed and now there’s a plethora of content providers and distributors. Artists are also more business savvy—they are more aware of brand building and what it means to own intellectual property.
I realized one of my greatest strengths is my gentleness and emotional intelligence, which is as critical as having legal acumen in a business based on creativity and emotions.
Q: For students interested in working in creative industries, what would you tell them makes the best employee or intern? What do you look for when hiring?
JB: There are several qualities I look for in new hires. The first is passion for the industry, which includes an understanding of the issues my industry is tackling. They should also offer a point of view with suggestions on how the industry can better connect with the intern’s demographic. New hires should have a record of participating in activities targeted to their personal career interests, and they should be able to transfer the skills from those activities into the workplace. Finally, I look for people who are self-directed, resourceful, connected, tenacious and appear to have a desire to serve.
