Former UK TV execs, Sally Quick and Dee Smith, have launched new executive search and coaching company for the media and entertainment industries, Quicksmith.
Quicksmith says that “in contrast to traditional search companies”, Quicksmith will place emphasis on supporting the successful candidate right across the first three months in the job, “maximising team integration and limiting the potentially crippling cost of unsuccessful hires.”
Quicksmith will also focus on helping businesses to support leavers “to ensure that they and the remaining team are given the time and tools they need to thrive.”
Quick began her career in advertising sales followed by stints at Channel 4 and ITV, where she helped develop and deliver some of commercial TV’s first branded-content projects. She then moved to UKTV where, as director of commercial partnerships, she worked closely with producers, brands, agencies and commissioners on a string of award-winning projects before joining headhunting firm Mission Bay, where she worked in search across the TV distribution, production, broadcasting and advertising sectors.
Smith’s career trajectory has taken her from a news producer to a fully accredited ICF ACC coach, advising and mentoring broadcasters, streamers, brands, digital platforms, publishers and production houses on their corporate, creative and commercial strategies. In between, she has held senior roles in development, production, distribution, commissioning and finance for companies including Discovery, Futureproof and iMama.tv. She also co-founded Bullseye TV Production and Bullseye Distribution; and served as director of content at Factory Media, where she oversaw the sports-media company’s transition into a 24-brand digital operation.
Sally Quick said: “It’s fair to say that QuickSmith comes from a selfish rather than altruistic place. I’m obsessive about TV and am well aware that great television doesn’t just happen: the creative teams that conceive and produce it need to be happy, heard and supported by the right people in the right positions. We know that a purely transactional approach to talent attraction doesn’t achieve this. You need a recruiter who understands not only the particular challenges of the industry but is also well versed in the brilliant creative brains it needs to attract. Dee and I, with our many years of complementary experience, believe we fit that bill perfectly.”
Dee Smith added: “The growing trend for hybrid working combined with a media landscape in transition has underlined the importance of appointing the right person to the right position. People skills are key to building high-functioning integrated teams that are the cornerstones of success in today’s market. I’m all too frequently called upon to advise companies in the wrong markets and coach people in the wrong jobs. This not only represents a huge loss in time and money, but also in confidence. QuickSmith is offering a service that will maximise the chances of a positive, practical outcome for an industry that desperately needs to address what is actually broken while supporting and celebrating its people, creativity and sustainability.”
Article originated in: Televisual
