A Filcro Media Staffing TV Technology Executive Search Review

Senior Vice President
Network Sales Technology & Operations
TV Network Multichannel Multicast Multiplex Multiplatform Environment
 

Mobile	Cable TV   MSO   Satellite	Broadcast TV	Radio	Online	OTT & OEM	DOOH

Based   New York, NY - USA
Executive Search Firm   Filcro Media Staffing
Officer in Charge of Search  Tony Filson
Search Groups Technology | Sales | Traffic
Reporting to  Network COO and Network President
Search  Senior Vice President Network Sales Operations and Technology

Client

A global media and entertainment conglomerate seeking an upgrade to their sales operational and sales IT infrastructure to optimize workflow and advertising revenue across their ad driven media platforms.

This network with over 130,000,000 subs is advertising driven and is still growing based on branding and new programming initiatives across a multiplex of multicannel offerings.

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, DC offices are AOR’s relevant to this search for the Senior Vice President.

Client Situation

The Network President and Chief Operating Officer felt it was essential to upgrade the capacity of the Networks’ sales operational functions across TV, On Line, Mobile, Radio, Out of Home, OEM and On Demand offerings.

Traffic, Inventory and planning functions needed to be centralized to optimize efficacy and lower sales operational costs through retooling of hardware, software, process and human resources to facilitate multicast dissemination and monetization.

Current IT systems and software required upgrading to integrate a (6) six platform plan that was seamless internal and external to the Network.

Continuity and stability from an HR perspective were also needed as turnover was exceeding the industry mean. We wanted an individual who could bring hard and soft assets together while assuring that IT and Sales were provided with proper guidance to accomplish the Network's business goals. This new Senior Vice President would be tasked with improving the culture and work environment to bring about stability and internal growth opportunities for employees.

Industry and Sector inclusion

• Broadcasting - Cable Television
• Broadcasting - Network Television
• Broadcasting - Station Groups
• IT Broadcast - Systems Providers
• IT Broadcast - Software Providers
• IT Broadcast - Systems Integrators

The COO identified Filcro Media Staffing (FMS) and Tony Filson (TF) functioning as Officer in Charge of Search subsequent to internal identification efforts.

Filcro Media Staffing is Retained

Tony Filson of FMS and the COO established the required experience for the search in  less than an hour with exceptional guidance from Human Resources. Based on Filcro Media Staffing’s intimate knowledge of the space, combined with extensive recruitment experience in broadcast sales operations the firm was able to proceed with the search the following business day

The FMS OIC and client COO looked at ideals from a revenue, performance and IT perspective and AOR’s that required immediate optimization servicing the Network Advertising Sales organization front and back offices as well as the client and advertising agency relationships.

Some vendor (IT) relationships, succession planning issues and office space relocation time lines for Washington, DC were set at a realistic cadence so day-to-day planning, traffic and inventory would not become secondary.  The entire back office was being relocated from the DC/VA/MD area to NYC.

Filcro Media Staffing reviewed all (IT) hardware and software relevant to sales and sales operations along with the client supplied O&D charting to establish which hard and soft resources could be utilized as part of the consolidation in DC while upgrading traffic, inventory and planning across all the new multicast media platforms in NYC.  This proactive review identified the essentials that needed to be concentrated on during the initial phases of the transition. The immediate business goals and time-lines set by the COO had to be met based cross-over dates set by IT vendors.

Understanding the changes to workflow and employee training that had to be accomplished in Sales, Traffic, Inventory and Planning we needed an executive with a record of success as mentor and the attraction of vital personnel. The VP IT was verbose as to what stage(s) vendors would setup redundant systems, close down legacy resources and initiate through the NOC a seamless transition to multicast dissemination and new monetization modalities that had to be supported by the new sales infrastructure.

Challenges facing the new Senior Vice President

• Network Advertising Sales Information Technology Adaptation - Hardware and Software
• Change Management
• Training & Development of TV Network Sales Front & Back Office
• Consolidation of National Sales IT, Inventory, Traffic and Planning Resources to Network Sales in New York City While Continuing Service for the East Coast, West Coast and Midwest Regions.
• New Financial Reporting Guidelines
• Adaptation of New and Old Technology to Client and Ad Agency Needs
• Continuity - Lowering Employee Turnover
• New Agency Partnerships - Relationships Across Four Media Platforms for Monetization
• Adapting to a Newly Defined Multiplex of Multichannel Programming
• Technology to Address ADU Issues and Optimize Revenue

The Filcro Media Staffing Recruitment Solution

Filcro Media Staffing proceeded to Identify the executives from targeted TV networks who presently exceeded or matched the SUB #’s, budgets and ad revenue of the client company.

A skilled broadcast technologist with exceptional soft skills was required with below and above line efficacy from a national broadcaster that disseminated across multiple platforms as a multiplex.  

Our firm’s ideal was an executive who had built a new Network and or also guided a large Network through the upgrade and consolidation process from an IT and sales operational perspective while lowering OPEX through automation and increasing productivity.

An executive capable of maintaining day-to-day operations while transitioning the Network was essential.

Team development and remote management of multiple offices located throughout the United States would also be a must.  This executive would have to guide IT, Traffic, Inventory, Sales, Sales Services and Human Resources in five different offices.

One part of our solution was to identify an executive who had facilitated a decentralized to centralized sales operational function in the past, similar to other searches we had conducted in the past for Networks and Station Groups.  The difficulty was that few networks had integrated the full sales cycle from RFP to the completion of the sale process and consolidated Inventory, Traffic, Planning and shared Ideation for TV, Mobile, OD, Online, OTT, DOOH and a separate CMS revenue stream with multiplatform programming partners to the extent planned for the Networks’ model.  We needed a TV Executive with exceptional IT and advertising sales operational management experience so current operations would not stumble during the transition.  

Successful Senior Vice President Recruited

A Senior Vice President of Network Broadcast Operations based in New York City with everything required to meet the client's business objectives and move them forward and bring the Network’s business goals to fruition

This executive was responsible for all functions in one the worlds largest media and entertainment conglomerates across multiple networks and fit in well with the new company's multiplex ambitions.

The entity was a direct competitor of the client company down to the specific genres offered across their multiplex or multiple Networks.

The new SVP facilitated similar technology, consolidation and optimization across four media platforms successfully . He was an exceptional technologist with strong management and soft skills where he built core and cross-functional teams.

As a mentor and builder of strong teams his identification caused highly skilled people to come forward with newly needed skill sets to join him at the Network.  This lowered hiring costs and allowed for an immediate adaptation to direct IT and the vendors required to implement advanced broadcast sales technology for our client.

The new SVP has made a smooth transition, is functioning with exceptional efficacy and exceeding the client's operational and technology expectations mandated at the onset of the search.  The media conglomerate transitioning its board and operating companies embraced this new technology leader as adding value across multiple media properties in domestic and international markets.