Sports, Media & Entertainment Convergence Puts Premium on Talent Acquisition
November 5, 2019 – Hunt Scanlon Media is convening 500+ business leaders and HR professionals from across the sports, media, entertainment & digital sectors to discuss a wide range of issues impacting hiring, recruiting, developing and retaining talent. CEOs, chief talent officers, HR execs, heads of brand & digital, sponsorship directors, chief revenue & marketing officers, chief business & advancement officers, global business operations leaders and executive recruiters are attending.
‘BETTING ON TALENT: Recruiting the Best Players for the Sports, Media & Entertainment Sectors’ will be held on April 29, 2020 at TheTimesCenter – a state-of-the-art venue situated in the heart of New York City.
Turnkey Search, a division of Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, a leader in recruiting top level talent to the sector, is co-hosting the event and has been a key partner in formulating this new conference.
“The convergence of sports, media, and entertainment – all driven by advances in technology – has put a premium on talent acquisition,” said Christopher W. Hunt, president of Hunt Scanlon. “This event will explore how best-in-class organizations are meeting the latest talent challenges facing them.”
“Talent in all its forms – whether on or off the field, in front of the camera or behind it, in the C-suite or anywhere else on the business side – is now the single biggest differentiator of content-based businesses,” said Len Perna, chairman and CEO of Turnkey Search. “Hiring, recruiting, developing and retaining game-changing talent has never been more crucial.”
More Than 25 Leaders
Hunt Scanlon is drawing on the expertise of more than 25 leaders from across the sector. These include: Sam Kennedy, president & CEO of the Boston Red Sox; John Skipper, executive chairman of DAZN; Mark Shapiro, president & CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays; Brian Lafemina, chief operating partner, and Kathy Carter, chief revenue officer of LA 2028; Oris Stuart, chief diversity & inclusion officer, Eric Hutcherson, CHRO, Julie Derene, chief talent officer, and Gracie Mercado, head of team HR at the NBA; Pete Bevacqua, president, and Jennifer Storms, chief marketing officer for NBCU Sports Group; Len Perna, chairman, and Rick Alessandri, managing director at Turnkey Search; Nada Usina, managing director at Russell Reynolds Associates; Jason Hanold, CEO of Hanold Associates; Greg Santore, head of U.S. sports leadership recruiting at Odgers Berndtson; Liz Moulton, co-leader of sports business recruiting at Spencer Stuart; Tracy O’Such, managing partner at Diversified Search; Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of TUDN (formerly Univision Deportes); Margaret Lazo, CHRO at Univision; Mark Silverman, president, and Kim Beauvais, SVP HR & business operations at Fox Sports; Tom Garfinkel, CEO, and Dan Caspersen, SVP of business administration at the Miami Dolphins; and a host of others.
Sports and Entertainment Expansion Elevating Search Business
Over the last quarter century, the sports sector has grown into a formidable global industry. Historically, professional sports teams operated on a relatively modest level, with league officials, team owners, managers, and coaches surrounding themselves with people they knew and trusted from their own small worlds. College sports teams relied on in-house search committees and word-of-mouth recommendations. Much of that has forever changed.
Teams with tremendous followings like the Dallas Cowboys, Real Madrid and Manchester United have seen their valuations soar into the billions of dollars. That’s attracted search firms – big time. Seasoned recruiters now provide strategic planning advice, in addition to talent identification services, with the capability of applying their findings to speed along the process in the hunt for talent. Here’s some further reading from Hunt Scanlon Media.
Topics include: How DAZN Built Its Disruption Team; Attracting & Retaining Top Talent; LA 2028 – Building a Winning Team; Developing Talent to Drive a High Performance Culture; The Search for Top Talent; Hispanic America’s Growing Influence in Sports, Media & Entertainment; Transitioning to a Sports Powerhouse with Key Talent; and People Matter: Miami Dolphins Case Study.
“The convergence of sports, media and entertainment, and the explosion of mobile platforms and OTT content, is increasing the competition for market share which is more fierce than ever,” said Ms. O’Such, from Diversified Search. “One of the main differentiators is a brand’s ability to attract leaders with the experience and perspective that will enable them to predict and adapt to consumers’ rapidly changing needs and identify new revenue sources.”
“The talent out there is looking for brands who get it, and brands that understand the importance of the consumer experience across all platforms,” she said. “They (the talent) also have many choices and those that are identified as true innovators and disrupters are highly sought after. The war on talent continues.”
“The sports, media and entertainment industries have long focused on outstanding talent, but that talent was either on stage, on the air, or on the court or playing field,” said Mr. Hanold. “Today, the best and most contemporary organizations within these industries are the ones looking within; building their sophistication, capability and learning how to best compete for talent. They are now about talent internally within their organizations, not just externally reflected in their public product”.
“We cover it all in one day,” said event organizer and head of marketing Michael Hawkins, “with plenty of networking opportunities in between sessions to meet and greet the experts.”
VIP Early Bird Passes Are Now Available On A Limited Basis! To purchase your ticket click here. To Sponsor BETTING ON TALENT, please contact michael@huntscanlon.com
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
