Balancing Deals and Diversity: Lily Lu on Leading Legal Affairs at NBCUniversal

Lily Lu is the Vice President of Legal Affairs @ NBCUniversal, where she drafts and negotiates deals (involving writers, directors, producers, and actors) and VFX contracts for the entire film studio.

What were you like in college? Did you know you wanted to pursue law?

I didn’t know I wanted to be a lawyer!

I was actually an Econ major, planning to go into the consulting industry.

This will give away how old I am, but my junior year, 9/11 happened and that put a halt on recruiting. I was an intern for Accenture and was expecting a full-time offer from them, but they went on a hiring freeze.

I ended up working as a financial analyst for a defense contractor for a year and I hated it!

My significant other was going to law school and it was a little bit of a Legally Blonde moment for me… I thought, “Well let me do that! How hard can that be?”

So that’s how I found myself going into law. I wasn’t expecting to do that.

What is a piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Network. That’s something I tell all of my mentees whether they’re in high school, college, law school, or young attorneys starting out.

I did not do that. I had a small circle of friends and I’m very introverted.

But I noticed that the entertainment industry, especially, prioritizes relationships, so it’s helpful to be aware of that early on and to form genuine relationships with people.

As a young woman, what challenges did you encounter in your leadership journey?

I would say that it was more of an issue for me when I was working at a defense contractor.

I remember that the company made an attempt to pair myself and my peers with mentors.

While my peers were paired with C-suite executives, I was paired with a woman who was not even in mid-level management. My guess is that they were trying to find an Asian woman to mentor me and she was the highest-level person they could find.

That was really disappointing and it spoke volumes about any future at that company.

As for private practice and law firms, it seems more and more women are entering the industry. I would say that while the number of female partners may be rising, there is still much work to be done in terms of female partners of color.

The corporate world seems to do a better job of promoting both women and individuals of color and I think the entertainment industry is particularly good at that.

It might be that creative-types are more forward thinking and open to different perspectives.

That's all to say that over the course of my career in different places, I believe things are moving in a more positive direction.

What qualities do you think are most important for effective leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

Effective communication! But that isn’t just about conveying your thoughts to the other person. It’s really more about listening.

I think I'm your typical millennial manager. I want to make sure that my people are happy and that they feel heard and supported.

It’s funny. I follow multiple people on Instagram and the generational divide is very real. I think understanding that people come from different cultural and generational experiences really helps dictate my management style.

What is the most challenging part of your job, and what is the most exciting part of your job?

Let’s start with the exciting bit. I’ve been at Universal for only 3 years, so things are still exciting for me. When I see a movie that I’ve worked on, I think, “Hey, I had a part in that!”

The challenging part is dealing with different personalities, and learning how to compromise and close the deal.

As a previous litigator, I understand that talent representatives – agents, managers, and attorneys – are very adamant in fighting for their clients, as am I in representing the studio.

There are times when there’s some butting of heads, but I have to maintain a balance between representing the studio and knowing I need to get the deal done.

Some give and take needs to happen on both sides.

How did you pivot from litigation to a career in Legal Affairs in entertainment?

A lot of litigator skills are transferable – spotting and dissecting issues, thinking ahead, advising on strategy, precise writing, etc.

Also, my practice tended to involve tech and IP and that has come in handy when dealing with studio matters like AI and chain of title issues.

As a litigator, you often have to become an expert on an industry you might not be familiar with. And you're always dealing with a new set of facts for each case.

At a movie studio, different movies have specialized concerns, and my past as a litigator helps me to quickly pick up on those concerns and propose solutions.

How do you balance work and personal well-being?

That’s actually a big reason why I left the law firm life.

After doing that for 15 years, I was ready for a new experience and a better work-life balance. Turning 40 was a big milestone and during the pandemic, a lot of individuals – not just myself – re-evaluated what’s important in our lives and careers.

It's taken years of therapy but I'm trying to put things into perspective, and that has come with age and experience. I don't want my job to monopolize my life.

It's important to me to make time for my family, my dog, and my friends. I also try to prioritize self-care.

You represent NBCUniversal on the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity! What changes do you hope to see in the industry to better support women and people of color in leadership?

I think the biggest way to effect change is to practice what you preach.

I'm proud to work for a company led by Donna Langley as chairperson and Kimberley Harris as general counsel.

And I love that nearly half of NBCUniversal's executive leadership team is made up of women and/or people of color.

It's inspiring and encouraging when you're able to look at the top and see folks like yourself. I would like to see that kind of diversity more often. One day I hope it will be commonplace.

In the meantime, I think trainings and workshops that spotlight DEI initiatives help us all learn from one another.

Companies should invest more time and energy in supporting their employees through affinity groups/employee resource groups.