In sports and entertainment, global success often arrives faster than expected, and that speed is where many brands falter. What looks like a triumph can quickly become a liability if the foundation was not built to scale. Peter Steckelman has seen this firsthand. With more than two decades as a Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs and Chief Legal Officer across television, film, sports, gaming, and digital media, he has helped turn creative vision into durable global brands while navigating the legal complexity that accompanies that growth. “Every global brand begins with great IP,” Steckelman explains, “but scalability depends on how you protect and position that IP from day one.” This is where many organizations underestimate the role of legal strategy, not as a defensive function, but as a catalyst for growth.
Scalable IP Is a Business Decision, Not a Filing Exercise
Too often, intellectual property protection is treated as a checklist item: clear the name, file the trademark, and move on. Steckelman argues that this mindset is costly, especially for brands with global ambition. “It’s about aligning legal strategy with business goals,” he says. “You need to ensure your IP is cleared and registered in all intended markets, not just where you are launching today.”
In global expansions he has advised on, brands that failed to think internationally from the outset faced stalled licensing deals, forced rebrands, or expensive litigation that sometimes ran into the millions. Cultural misalignment alone can derail growth before it begins. If success is even a possibility, the legal foundation must assume it will happen. “Think like a global brand from the very beginning,” Steckelman warns, “because if you’re successful, you will be.”
Deals Should Enable the Brand You Haven’t Built Yet
In today’s entertainment and sports landscape, rights evolve rapidly, particularly across digital platforms, gaming, streaming, and emerging media. Steckelman sees a recurring mistake at the board and executive level: structuring deals that address immediate needs while quietly limiting future upside. “One of the most common mistakes I see is structuring deals that work now but restrict future growth,” he says. Smart leaders, he notes, pressure-test deal terms against future scenarios. Flexibility around exclusivity, reversion clauses, revenue sharing, and future media rights is not legal over engineering; it is strategic foresight. “The right legal structure can open the door to innovation,” Steckelman explains. “Or you can close it before you even begin.” The most important question executives can ask during any negotiation is not “Is this good enough today?” but “What does this deal look like five years from now?”
Legal as a Strategic Partner, Not a Late-Stage Gatekeeper
Another pattern Steckelman sees repeatedly is legal teams being brought in after creative and commercial decisions are already set. “Too often, legal is involved late, after a deal is negotiated or a production is green lit,” he says. “The best outcomes happen when legal is integrated early and viewed as a strategic partner.” In practice, this integration has allowed Steckelman to help teams streamline ideation, licensing, and cross-platform IP development while preventing disputes before they escalate. Planning together early creates speed later.
The same philosophy applies to compliance. Whether dealing with data privacy, employment law, union obligations, or international regulations, Steckelman believes compliance can either hinder growth or support it. “Think of legal compliance as part of your brand’s reputation and trust infrastructure,” he says. “In the global market, your reputation is your currency.”
Organizations that embed compliance into operations early move faster, scale with confidence, and reduce risk without sacrificing creativity.
The Real Competitive Advantage
To build a global sports or entertainment brand today, creative excellence is table stakes. What separates enduring brands from fragile ones is legal foresight, deal architecture designed for the future, and genuine collaboration across functions. Steckelman distills it simply: start with scalable IP, structure for the long term, integrate legal early, and treat compliance as a strategic asset rather than an afterthought. Because in global markets, growth does not just reward creativity. It rewards preparation.
Connect with Peter Steckelman on LinkedIn for more insights.
