Harkness tapped veep at U Studios

Nancy Harkness has joined Universal Studios consumer products group as VP of business and legal affairs, reporting to the division's president James Klein. She joined the studio from Motown Record Co., where she served in a similar capacity. She will oversee all the legal work concerning the division's licensing, merchandising, publishing and retail activities. She started at U on Dec. 10.

During her two-year stint at Motown, Harkness negotiated various licensing agreements and rights packages. She also served as the liaison in business affairs for Motown Animation. Before that, she worked as a consultant with the Olympic Regional Development Authority in Lake Placid and served as general manager and director of business affairs with the Harlem Globetrotters and the Ice Capades through Intl. Broadcasting, a Los Angeles-based media company. Previously, Harkness was in private practice for seven years where she worked with such clients as Virgin Records and Acclaim Entertainment.