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Media Industry Real Estate and Facilities
Specialized Media Executive Search
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Broadcast, entertainment, telecommunications and media facilities require specialized experience and acumen to mange the diversity of most media industry real estate portfolios.
Media facilities like Network Operations Centers, Production Studios, specialized HVAC, 24/7 Power, Transmission Facilities for Satellites, Towers and Fiber are just the beginning. Add to that, a vast global portfolios of real estate holdings comprised of raw land, office space and studios and it is clear why these holdings require exceptionally talented real estate executives with media acumen to manage, operate, lease, optimize, acquire and divest, all of the above.
Filcro Media Staffing has recruited for the real estate interests of the largest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world as well as leading global telecommunications concerns. We have identified executives who now manage tens-of-millions of square feet of diverse global real estate from traditional office buildings, raw land, entertainment venues, antenna portfolios, amusement parks, broadcast, sports, DOOH, fiber plants, satellite and telecommunications facilities.
From presidents of global real estate to facilities directors and lease negotiators; our firm has a solid record of identifying those who can meet the special needs of our industry. Filcro Media Staffing offers a unique and valuable perspective that allows the firm to identify exceptionally capable media real estate and facilities executives anywhere in the world.
Our firm provides an extensive understanding of broadcast operations, television operations centers (TOC) (NOC), headends, uplink facilities, production studio operations and antenna issues. This combined with our ability to recruit and attract quality real estate and facilities candidates from ideal environments, is documented.
The experience, relationships and skills required to recruit these executives, comes from over 35 years of dedicated recruitment services to the media industry.
Filcro Media Staffing
Media & Broadcasting Executive Search - Est, 1985
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A Filcro Media Staffing Executive Search Case History
President
Global Real Estate Holdings
U.S. Media & Entertainment Conglomerate
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Location
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New York, NY - USA
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Search Firm
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Filcro Media Staffing
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Group
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Media Facilities & Real Estate
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OIC
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Tony Filson Reporting to Current President
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Client
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Media & Entertainment Conglomerate
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Objective
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Succession Plan for Presidency
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Filcro Media Staffing is honored to have conducted this search and facilitated the succession plan conceived by the incumbent President of Real Estate prior to retiring.
Board approval and accolades by the Chairman were a milestone for a relationship that spans almost forty years from the formation of Gulf & Western to the current VIACOM / CBS group of companies.
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Search Committee Member Industry and Sector Inclusion
- Television Networks - Cable & Broadcast
- Radio Broadcasting Networks
- Motion Picture Studios
- Advertising
- Publishing
- Entertainment Venues
- Network & Syndicated Programming Producers
- Fortune 50 & 100 Financial, Industrial & Telecom Conglomerates
- Multinational Law Firm
The executive search committee (ESC) with the President acting as the point of contact. The EVP of Human Resources identifying Filcro Media Staffing (FMS) and Tony Filson (TF) as Officer in Charge of Search to conduct the national search to identify the proper President of Global Real Estate for the succession plan.
Filcro Media Staffing’s specialization in the media and communications industries was beneficial at every phase of the search process. Recruitment and attraction benefited from a search firm capable of conveying the unique composition of a complex global media and entertainment real estate portfolio with vast technical facilities and holding inherent to media, entertainment and communications.
The diversity of the global real estate portfolio
- Raw land, commercial, industrial, agriculture, entertainment.
- Offices for broadcast operations, production, engineering, network operations centers, executive offices
- Satellite earth stations, NOC's, Headends, Antenna for cross-utilization by multiple media holding (TV Networks).
- Entertainment venues including amusement parks, movie theaters, and sports facilities.
These are just a few examples, of the complexity, of the global real estate portfolio this executive would be managing.
Challenges facing the new President
- Change Management
- Real Estate Portfolio Management
- Divestiture of Idle Assets
- Centralize Control of International Real Estate Assets
- Land and Building Acquisitions
- Lease Portfolio Optimization and Leasing
- Security
- Hiring (2) two Sr. Executives and Implementing Best Practices
Filcro Media Staffing’s Solution
Filcro Media Staffing proceeded to identify senior most real estate executives with current global management responsibilities of real estate portfolios, equal to or greater in scope than the firm’s current holdings and management requirements.
A prerequisite was not only the experience managing the size and diversity of the real estate portfolio it was also the substantial worth of the firm’s global holdings.
The capacity to identify an executive who could maintain greater controls and optimize return by bringing in-house what was currently out-sourced would be essential.
Establishing cross-functional real estate and facility teams in such a diverse media and entertainment conglomerate where motion picture studio, TV Network, publishing, venue entertainment, office space, industrial and raw land all came into play required a strong strategic leader with broad real estate acumen and experience through acquisition, management, leasing, construction, merging and divesting assets to optimize the portfolio at all times.
This President would have to report into one of the most dynamic and noted media chairman in the world. The succession plan required an executive capable of managing a substantial portfolio with the complete approval of a demanding board of directors in one of the world's most respected publicly held media and entertainment conglomerates.
The President Recruited for the Succession Plan
 Filcro Media Staffing initially scrutinized real estate executives from the media and entertainment sectors in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Pennsylvania, and Atlanta. Subsequently, Tony Filson as the Officer in Charge of the search sought diversity with the initial universe and conferred with the current President of global real estate, to gain consensus of the board, to identify a candidate who met all the prerequisites established by the board and recruit outside of the media and telecommunications industries.
Gaining consensus of the executive search committee, Filcro Media Staffing proceeded to aggressively look at other sectors with substantial global real estate holdings that exceeded that of the media conglomerate yet still had the diversity and technological complexity of their holdings. The advice of the OIC was well received and resulted in multiple candidates that were from within and without of the media and entertainment industries with the desired experience.
Tony Filson as Officer in Charge initiated greater scrutiny of multi-conglomerates in the financial and industrial sectors. This plan proved to exceed the executive search committee's expectations for portfolio size, diversity, worth, and technological complexity.
Ultimately the Managing Director of Real Estate of a diversified multinational financial institution was identified, recruited, attracted and unanimously approved by the board with the EVP of HR included, the incumbent, and the Chairman.
The succession plan desired by the Chairman, Board and President was brought to fruition at the cadence desired with an exceptional executive. The executive transitioned successfully and became acclimated in a brief period of time to assume the Presidency.
This President has proven to be an important asset to a publicly traded U.S. based multinational media and entertainment conglomerate with substantial global real estate holdings. His service and dedication are unprecedented
Tony Filson was the OIC of this search
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U.S. Media and Entertainment Conglomerate
Corporate and Media Real Estate Holdings and Management Executive Search
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 Senior Director
Global Real Estate Holdings
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Search
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Senior Director – Global Real Estate
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Based
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New York City, NY - USA
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Search Firm
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Filcro Media Staffing, New York, NY
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Officer in Charge
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Tony Filson, New York, NY
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Reporting to
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VP Corporate Real Estate, New York City
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Reference
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For (3) similar searches
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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.
Challenges Facing the Sr. Director of Real Estate
- 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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