Client
A diversified U.S. based global media and entertainment conglomerate with television network, sports, cable TV, motion picture studio, radio, print, publishing, outdoor advertising, amusement venues, entertainment, media and industrial holdings.
The firm operates businesses globally and this search was relevant to all domestic and international real estate holdings and asset lease negotiations.
Client Situation
Succession plan. The Vice President of Corporate Real Estate identified Filcro Media Staffing and Tony Filson as OIC in New York to conduct the search based on Filcro Media Staffing completing (3) three other successful searches, in the same environment on Director, Manager and Lease Negotiator levels.
Due to the media, communications and entertainment industry facilities and real estate holdings, Filcro Media Staffing was ideally suited to conduct the search from an industry and experience perspective. Facilitate the succession planning objectives of the search were paramount. The intimate knowledge of the organization and all businesses, technical and creative facilities all permitted a cadence and quality of candidate, the Vice President was expecting.
Industry and Sector Inclusion
- Television Broadcasting
- Telecommunications
- Cable TV
- Radio
- Print Publishing
- Entertainment and Sports Venues
- Industrial and Manufacturing
- Financial Services
- Motion Picture Studios
Filcro Media Staffing New York is Retained
The Filcro Media Staffing Officer in Charge of Search Tony Filson was asked to commence a U.S. North East search and establish guidelines to assure the new Senior Director could implement proper acquisition, management, lease negotiations and disposition of real estate holdings. It was the opinion of Filcro Media Staffing from the onset that a suitable universe of candidates could be identified in the New York City and surrounding markets.
Filcro Media Staffing was provided with confidential succession plans for the real estate division and played a vital role in identifying a distinct group of proper real estate executives. Clear definitions were established with the Vice President of Corporate Real Estate to assure that the new Senior Director would be capable of defined growth within a two to three year window. Filcro Media Staffing already had a cultural understanding of the firm through prior identification and understood the issues of identifying a new Senior Director that could be perceived as a “parity issue” with regard to other Directors in the same department.
Human resources gave exceptional guidance and ultimately advocated a “grade” change to justify compensation that was more market driven to facilitate attraction.
The diversity of this particular Media and Entertainment Conglomerate's lines of businesses and the diversity and vastness of the real estate holdings would pose a challenge for any competent corporate real estate executive. Motion Picture Studios, Office Buildings, Raw Land, Industrial and Sophisticated Communications Facilities would be prime examples of the types of transactions this person would be in charge of from a management perspective.
Establishing an initial universe of qualified real estate executives was done with little or no latitude expressed in the hard skill set and experience areas. The clearly defined skills allowed no room for recruitment latitude from a tactical or strategic perspective. The fact that Filcro Media Staffing reported directly to the hiring manager who was also the Vice President of Real Estate offered many advantages while identifying a possible heir apparent.
The Challenges Facing the Senior Director of Real Estate (SDRE)
- Locating appropriate real estate within the established corporate framework
In conjunction with the Legal Department, negotiating all provisions contained in a lease , acquisition or divestiture document
- Negotiating competitive business terms, landlord services, leasehold improvements, special requirements relevant to the media and entertainment industries
- Reviewing operating expense statements, ensuring compliance with lease obligations, analyzing costs and calculations, assisting global business managers with budgets and rent increases
- Maintaining the accuracy of the inventory databases, generating management reports, preparing lease abstracts
- Negotiating lease cancellations, subleases and sales contracts for idle assets and vacant properties
- Change Management
- Training
- Continuity Across Varied Lines of Business
- Budget Controls and Reporting
- Best Practices
Filcro Media Staffing’s Recruitment Solution
Filcro Media Staffing proceeded to Identify the "best in industry" real estate executives who had performed similar functions in and out of the media and entertainment industry. Due to the uniqueness of the size and diversity of the real estate holdings, an executive who was accustomed to a minimum of 50 to 100 transactions per year was essential. This posed serious constraints on the initial universe of qualified candidate and ultimately led to multiple identifications for recruitment form an “ideal experience environments” as opposed to “ideal industries”. Utilizing both modalities, resulted in success.
An executive capable of focusing on tactical and strategic issues based on market driven conditions dictated national and global acumen with vendors, contractors, architects, builders, brokers and developers. With such diverse contacts and experience in varied lines of business required, there needed to be clear success in the past dealing with and maintaining solid relationships, across all these areas of responsibility.
The Vice President of Real Estate was receptive to varied industries if the experience, soft and hard skills were appropriate, he granted Filcro Media Staffing the required autonomy during universe compilation to attract the proper executives to be tiered.
Successful Senior Director Recruited
A Senior Director of Corporate Real Estate Holdings of one of the largest global financial institutions in the United States.
The new Senior Director had been in charge of acquisitions and disposition of a substantial and diversified global real estate portfolio. She was also responsible for project coordination, site selection, lease negotiation of strategic corporate real estate projects above 25,000 square feet per transaction nationwide and managed coordination of individual projects under 25,000 square feet with corporate subsidiaries seeking guidance across all lines of business.
She also managed two call center projects and a project to consolidate 48 existing call centers into three national service centers for her firm's noted domestic health care group. Project size(s) 100,000 and 325,000 sq. ft respectively.
Experience included analyzing business case project approvals submitted by business units and submitting recommendations to senior most management on a divisional and corporate level. Her acumen maximized overall return to the enterprise by the relocation of business units from third party locations to owned properties and managing master planning of multiple business units in proximate geographic areas.
With her proven experience of also managing a separate international portfolio of 115 properties the firm’s domestic and international concerns would be addressed effectively while she managed all domestic concerns.
With a Masters of Science in Real Estate Development & Investment Analysis from an Ivy League University and appropriate licenses, our firm had identified an “ideal” executive who had the experience, education, stability and wisdom to facilitate all functional and succession planning considerations.
Tony Filson was the Officer in Charge of this search.
Since joining the firm this executive has been promoted
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