TV and Digital Home Shopping and Merchandising
A Filcro Media Staffing Cable Television Network Executive Search

Search  Vice President On Air Training & Development
Based  St. Petersburg, FL - USA
Search Firm Filcro Media Staffing
Officer in Charge Tony Filson New York, NY
Reporting to TV Network President in St. Petersburg, FL
 

The Client HSN

HSN, Inc. is a multi-billion dollar interactive multi-channel retailer with strong direct-to-consumer expertise with multiple business segments, across TV, Mobile, Online, Print and white labeling.  HSN offers an innovative, differentiated retail experience on TV, online, via mobile, in catalogs, and in brick and mortar stores across broad geographics. HSN delivers a curated assortment of exclusive products and top brand names, and broadcasts live 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, reaching over 100 million homes.

HSN.com is a top 10 most trafficked e-commerce site that creates a unique experience by leveraging content, community and commerce. In addition, HSN is an industry leader in transactional innovation, offering services such as HSN Shop by Remote, the only service of its kind in the U.S.; mobile applications, including HSN apps for iPad, iPhone, iOS, Android; and HSN on Demand and extremely successful shopping experience for busy consumers who need shopping to fit into their lifestyle.

Client Situation

The Network President wanted to formalize and add continuity to the development and training of on-air staff to enhance the TV Network's important on-air relationships with their viewers.  The President know that Tony Filson had recruited executive producers and VP’s of programming and utilized the firm’s expertise to establish this important position at HSN.

HSN has enormous respect for their viewers and the Network President wanted to solidify his goal of always making HSN’s audience come first.  The close on-air relationship with each host and being a welcome guest in every HSN customer's home was something HSN has never taken for granted.

The Network President asked that Filcro Media Staffing identify, recruit, attract and relocate an executive capable of meeting HSN’s specialized on-air training and development needs. 

Filcro Media Staffing was innovative, creative and resourceful to recruit for a job that never formally existed before. Both HSN and Filcro Media Staffing were braking new ground in the broadcasting industry.  This was very exciting.

Industry and Sector Inclusions For The Search

• Cosmetics Companies
• CPG - Consumer Package Goods
• Fashion
• Television Networks
• Motion Picture Studios
• Producers of Creative Content
• Special Events, Public Relations & Entertainment Venues

Filcro Media Staffing is Retained

The Network President identified Filcro Media Staffing (FMS) and Tony Filson (TF) functioning as Officer in Charge of Search through prior searches conducted over a number of years in New York and St. Petersburg, FL.

Tony Filson had a 100% successful broadcast technology, marketing, BO&E and On-Air Promo executive search record with HSN and other broadcasters to develop on-air skills for News, Entertainment and Sports personalities through the executive producers he placed.  Tony Filson had reported into heads of TV programming, executive producers and station GM’s and New Directors with a clear history of success in recruiting and identifying On-Air Training and Development staff to enhance brands and build audiences.

The Network President was clear in his objectives and granted Filcro Media Staffing the autonomy to determine the ideal business sectors, industries and verticals to draw from to recruit the proper executives as candidates for this unique search.  This was going to be a fun search for everyone involved.

Challenges Facing the Vice President of On-Air Training

• Establishing Media Metrics and Analytics to Measure On-Air Success
• Sensitivity to the Executive Producers and On-Air Personalities Creative Feelings
• Creating Training Programs for Specific Demographics and Merchandise
• Working with EP’s, Talent and Talent Representation
• Formulation and Documentation of On-Air Training Programs
• Managing and Creating a 360 Program with Programming, Talent, Producers and Sales

Filcro Media Staffing’s Recruitment Solution

Filcro Media Staffing proceeded to identify Cosmetic, Consumer Package Goods, Fashion, Television Network and Motion Picture Studio executives in charge of training, coaching and developing on camera and consumer interaction skills.

An initial candidate universe of sixty-two (62) was identified.   The next tier was brough to twenty-seven (27) East and West Coast candidates and ultimately honed to eight (8) recruited for the President.  After the President’s review of resumes, references, compensation and Filcro Media Staffing’s “interview profiles”  of the (8) he opted to interview four (4) candidates all flown to St. Petersburg, FL to see one of the unique broadcast facilities in the industry.

Two (2) candidates were from the cosmetics industry, one (1) from Network TV and (1) one from a noted producer and developer of syndicated TV programming.

Successful Vice President of On-Air Training Recruited

The new Vice President recruited by Filcro Media Staffing and hired by the Network President, was a “Trainer’s Trainer”, in the cosmetics industry.

Her international experience teaching others to develop relationships in a brief period of time and optimize those relationships from a monetization perspective were ideal.

Few trainers who specialize in this area had her acumen or expertise in making permanent changes that reflected such clear efficacy. She had a rare talent in empowering individuals and their managers to develop the specific skills the President of the Network was seeking.

Having traveled extensively to train other trainers she also was aware of cultural, demographic and geographic nuance to enhance on-air staff when targeting specific merchandise verticals.

Her soft skills were exceptional and fit well with maintaining sensitivities to talent, talent reps and the needs of each executive producer and the Network as a whole.

With immediate success, this was a clear example of how a single executive could be an effective change agent in the respected and unique corporate culture of HSN.

Success with Filcro Media Staffing

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