Interactive Division of Major Cable Television Network

    Vice President National Online Advertising Sales

New York, NY - USA based
FMS OIC in New York reporting to COO, Washington, DC

Client:  The Interactive Division of a cable television network with over 100,000,000 subs.  The Network is a division of a major media and entertainment conglomerate.  The client enjoys niche dominance and branding on many platforms serving a wide demographic.

Search: Vice President National Advertising Sales

Client Situation: The COO of the Interactive Group wanted to expand the sales force by identifying a key sales executive to manage and build a national sales force and the required back-office sales operational and client services infrastructure.  The COO was introduced to FMS by the President of network advertising sales who had conducted other senior level national sales searches utilizing Filcro Media Staffing in the past.

Industry and Sector inclusion:

• Television Broadcasting
• Motion Picture
• Music Entertainment
• Book and Magazine Publishing
• Interactive Media and Search

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

Filcro Media Staffing was retained.

Filcro Media Staffing Officer in Charge of Search (TF) had conducted many searches for the client company in the past and the COO was able to covey tactical and strategic goals without having to convey cultural nuance.  Filcro Media Staffing’s successful experience with similar searches to monazite digital content across multiple media platforms and achieve  business goals permitted a detailed understanding of what the COO was seeking in the new Vice President of Sales.

The COO of the Interactive Group was an exceptionally articulate and gifted executive who able to covey his strategic goals clearly.  His primary focus was to establish a national sales organization that would be led by an executive who could lead and mentor others to gain internal and external consensus for convergent programs across multiple platforms.  At the same time this Vice President would be expected to function tactically across multiple verticals with clients and agencies and enjoy the duel player coach roles.

The COO wanted to remove himself from the sales function to concentrate on the strategic business goals of the firm.  The new executive we identified had to be able to capitalize on convergent programs with the TV and Motion Picture Divisions but build the Interactive Group to be a strong entity unto itself.  Someone who clearly functioned with autonomy in the past on a national sales level while building infrastructure in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles would be required.

The character, morality and work ethic of this new Vice President were as important as their business acumen.  Anyone speaking with the COO would immediately recognize he is a fine gentleman who wanted the new Vice President to be a reflection of what he had built over the years.

Some of the challenges facing the new Vice President

• Change Management
• Building A National Sales Infrastructure
• Mentoring Current Sales Staff
• Adaptation of Creative Product to the Client
• Formulation of Product for Future Platforms
• Financial Management and Budget Controls
• Client, Agency and Digital Network Relationship Building
• Human Resource Concerns
• Building Internal Consensus for Convergent Programs
• Building Client and Creative Services, Inventory and Traffic
• Building a Planning Process That Benefited TV and Interactive to Optimize Dollars

Solution: FMS proceeded to identify over 100 executives in our initial universe of senior directors and vice presidents.  Those with related convergent experience in broadcasting environments were top tiered and we ultimately recruited eight executives to participate in the search out of 23 ideals.  It took three and a half weeks to identify and qualify our top five candidates from the eight 1st tied and the COO moved quickly to take advantage of our timing. Those with proven records of success verified on four levels from TV Network and Interactive Entertainment environments were ultimately our top three candidates.

The three final executives were all capable of building nationally and focusing on team development that could be responsive to clients and agencies tactically and strategically.  Budgets were also similar and in line with the type of growth the COO expected over the next few years.  The COO ultimately spent considerable time making his final decision as he truly felt that two of the executives reflected “exactly” what he wanted in his new Vice President.

Successful candidate identified: The new Vice President hired had built a world-class national sales organization as well as building and managing a self-sufficient New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit office that facilitated sales, sales engineering, customer / client services and media operations.  He had increased operational efficiency and customer retention by restructuring the sales organization into three groups: sales, customer service and sales engineering.  He was ideal to implement the type of “Change Management” that the COO wanted to differentiate Interactive from the TV and Motion Picture Groups.

His prior experience renegotiating contracts with existing clients would also enable him to set new pricing points once he instituted the changes desired to creative content to meet the needs of new clients in desired verticals.  He had lead account management teams in successfully implementing, tracking, reporting and optimizing interactive marketing campaigns to exceed specific ROI, CPA, CPL and CPS metrics.  He was projected to increase sales by over 250% in his prior environment.

A prior track record of being transparent and accessible to management and board members was another key factor.  The COO felt comfortable knowing that this new Vice President was capable of reporting and being accountable for his actions.

Working with and enhancing relationships with clients and representing his prior employers at industry trade shows, conferences and network events, including iMedia, IAB, Shop.Org, i-adworld, MediaPost and Ad:Tech also made him a very visible person in the interactive community and   speaking engagements included BtoB’s Meet the Experts and IAB’s Search Road Show .

With clear strengths in new business development, team building, financial management and a creative capacity with interactive product development this executive was a true match on every level. His education being focused on finance, the COO knew that the new Vice President would express fiscal responsibility in all the areas that reported into him.

On a cultural level the new Vice President was very much like the COO and a good fit for the organization.  The new Vice President is known as a caring, honest, smart and diligent executive by those who know him personal and professionally.  Our firm was very fortunate to bring such a talented executive forward to be hired who could facilitate every aspect of the COO’s immediate and long-term business objectives.

This executive has accomplished everything the COO mandated and Filcro Media Staffing was fortunate to be chosen as the executive search firm that built the national infrastructure desired  around the Vice President in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Chicago. Monetizing media assets.

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