Senior Director/ Vice President Entertainment and Talent Buyer

There’s a reason HUNTER is recognized as one of America’s Most Loved Workplaces and has been named PRovoke “Consumer Agency of the Year” not once, but twice: At HUNTER, we EARN IT — consumer attention, the trust and loyalty of clients, and the dedication of our staff, currently 260+ strong and counting.

HUNTER is seeking a highly skilled professional to join our dynamic team as the Senior Director/ Vice President, Entertainment and Talent Buyer. The Senior Director/ Vice President will play a pivotal role in driving effective talent strategy and procurement for Entertainment focused programs and campaigns for Agency clients across various industries, including but not limited to, Food & CPG, Wine & Spirits, Health & Wellness, Beauty, Personal Care & Fashion, Home & Lifestyle, Technology & E-Commerce, and more.

This multifaceted position involves collaborating with internal and client stakeholders, managing talent casting needs, overseeing talent outreach and negotiations, and serving as the point of contact for talent and talent representation throughout campaigns. Additionally, you will be responsible for managing and executing all aspects of talent services, including logistics, communication, and compliance with industry regulations.

This is a senior position within the agency’s Entertainment practice, which includes being responsible for supervising, managing, and motivating a direct report and helping drive continued departmental growth and development alongside senior colleagues.

The Senior Director, Entertainment and Talent Buyer will report into the Senior Vice President, Entertainment, and work in collaboration with VPs across our Earned Media team to successfully execute workflow across the joint Entertainment and Media department.

Qualifications Required:

• Eight (8) - Ten (10) years or more of experience in talent buying, entertainment partnerships and client servicing.
• Previous public relations, marketing or advertising agency, talent agency experience.
• Expert understanding of the entertainment landscape and pop-culture, including celebrities, athletes, musicians, personalities, experts, tentpole cultural moments and events, etc.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Located in New York City, NY or Los Angeles, CA.
• B.A. in Public Relations, Journalism, Communications, or the like.

Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities:

Talent Procurement:

• Drive effective talent strategy and procurement for Agency clients’ entertainment and/or sports-focused programs and campaigns.
• Participate in internal and client dialogue and ongoing meetings and brainstorms about client’s talent campaign needs and devise strategies to move projects forward, including ongoing collaboration with partner agencies and IAT planning.
• Assist in talent casting needs for the agency, including vetting, researching, and creating client-facing talent casting documents.
• Manage talent outreach and negotiations on behalf of Agency clients; assignments include drafting talent SOW, conducting outreach to talent representatives, drafting and sending talent Formal Offer and consulting on, managing revisions for, and negotiating Long Form Agreement in conjunction with legal counsel.
• Serve as point of contact for talent and talent representation, including but not limited to coordinating all communication and scheduling with appropriate parties throughout Campaign.
• Counseling on and routing all materials (creative, social media calendars, run of shows, messaging, etc.) and assets for talent review/input and approval.
• Serve as a representative of the client and Agency on-site at client events, media interviews, service days, etc.
• Oversee the management and execution (scheduling, approval process, briefing materials, etc.) of all talent services.

Oversee the management and coordination of logistics for talent services including, but not limited to:

• Talent travel and transportation.
• Talent glam squad’s travel and transportation.
• All logistics related to remote or on-site service days.
• Manage necessary communication with SAG-AFTRA signatory to fulfill Agency client’s obligation to SAG-AFTRA regulations.

Celebrity Seeding:

Oversee the management and workflow of celebrity seeding and gifting requests, including but not limited to:

• Advising internal account teams and clients on best practices and aiding in the ideation of successful gifting programs.
• Working with team members to create tracking documents, suggest best-fit talent options, and ensure successful completion of gifting opportunities.

Additional Department Services:

Potential to support on brand broadcast integration opportunities as well as event sponsorship and partnership requests.

Ability to:

• Understand relevant entertainment and sports industry trends and use the information to develop strategic recommendations, programs and/or campaigns for clients.
• Manage multiple client projects and campaigns; effectively delegate work among the department members and to account team members.
• Maintain strong relationships with talent agents, managers and publicists.
• Travel to client and event locations; meet with clients at their office locations/headquarters.
• Demonstrate strong writing, editing, presentation and interpersonal communications skills.

Show integrity and good judgment when working with colleagues and clients.

• Display and encourage creativity and innovation in self and others. Actively participate in brainstorms, connect with creative resources, inspire, and motivate team members.
• Develop and mentor junior and mid-level staff; identify and anticipate issues and assist in finding resolutions.
• Facilitate management of the performance review process, identifying growth opportunities for direct report and constructively providing feedback on areas for improvement.
• Demonstrate an interest in the long-range health of the Agency and collaborate with leadership to establish a growth plan.

In order to comply with equal pay and salary transparency laws in various locations, the Company believes the target range of base compensation for this role is $130K - 150K. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and location.

At HUNTER, we work hard and play hard, and while we have all the benefits you’d expect —competitive health and dental insurance plans, a 401K company match and generous PTO — we also provide:

• a hybrid work model;
• a “work from anywhere in the US” policy (up to four weeks a year);
• a year-round staff training and development curriculum; and
• a staff-led Action Group dedicated to DEI excellence in the agency and industry.

Perks? We have perks. When you work at HUNTER, you can expect Bring Your Parents (And Kids) to Work Days, regular volunteer Days of Service, mid-day Cupcakes and Cocktails mixers and epic Halloween and holiday parties.

Founded in 1989, HUNTER has grown into one of the most respected mid-size marketing communications firms in the country, creating work that matters in strategic planning, earned media relations, social and digital media, talent and influencer engagement, experiential marketing, multicultural outreach and content creation and distribution.