VP, Talent Partnerships - EM&A

WME | William Morris Endeavor•Beverly Hills, CA

6d•$168,750 - $225,000•Onsite

About The Position

WME Group is seeking a Vice President, Talent Partnerships to join its Entertainment Marketing & Advisory (EM&A) team. This senior leader will oversee the development of talent partnership strategies and solutions for global consumer brands, serve as a trusted senior advisor to clients, and lead complex, high-profile partnerships with entertainers, athletes, creators, and other cultural voices. The role calls for a seasoned entertainment marketer and dealmaker with expertise in talent strategy, the creator landscape, negotiation, and partnership development. The Vice President will help shape EM&A’s talent partnership offering, drive client growth and new business, and develop future talent partnership leaders. The position works from the office four days per week. The role includes leading the full talent partnership lifecycle, advising senior clients, overseeing account engagements and financials, developing new business, and managing and mentoring teams. Compensation is listed at $168,750–$225,000 annually, with locally competitive rewards packages that may include short- and long-term incentives, growth and development opportunities, health care, retirement, vacation, other paid time off, and additional offerings.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, Media Studies, Entertainment, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in entertainment marketing, talent partnerships, influencer/creator marketing, or related fields, including significant experience advising leading consumer brands.
Deep expertise developing and leading celebrity, creator, athlete, and entertainment partnership strategies for major brands.
Proven track record leading complex, high-profile, high-value talent negotiations and managing sophisticated partnership agreements from strategy through execution.
Strong understanding of SAG agreements and their implications.
Deep understanding of the entertainment and cultural landscape, with an established senior network across talent, representatives, production companies, studios, networks, platforms, and other industry stakeholders.
Experience serving as a trusted advisor to senior and executive-level clients, navigating complex organizations, and influencing decisions.
Strong commercial acumen and a record of growing client relationships, identifying revenue opportunities, and contributing to new business.
Exceptional strategic and creative judgment, connecting cultural insights, talent opportunities, and brand objectives to develop differentiated solutions.
Excellent executive communication, presentation, storytelling, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
Ability to oversee multiple high-priority client engagements while maintaining high standards of strategic thinking, client service, and execution.
Significant experience managing and developing teams, including senior and junior talent, and fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
Experience overseeing account financials, budgets, forecasting, and revenue planning.
Highly organized and decisive, with the ability to prioritize, delegate, and lead in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Entrepreneurial, collaborative, and solutions-oriented, with the ability to identify opportunities and turn ideas into action.
Ability to maintain professionalism, sound judgment, and strict confidentiality.

Responsibilities

Set the strategic vision and develop talent partnership strategies aligned with client business objectives, cultural trends, and marketing initiatives.
Advise clients on talent strategy, cultural relevance, partner selection, risk assessment, usage rights, investment, and partnership optimization.
Identify, evaluate, secure, and oversee celebrity, creator, athlete, musician, and entertainment partnerships across paid, earned, owned, and experiential channels.
Lead partnerships from strategy and opportunity identification through sourcing, negotiation, activation, and post-campaign measurement.
Lead complex, high-value talent negotiations with Business Affairs and legal teams, balancing client objectives, talent considerations, budgets, production requirements, and usage rights.
Build and leverage senior relationships across talent representatives, agencies, managers, publicists, production companies, studios, networks, streamers, and other industry partners.
Own and grow senior client relationships, build credibility with executive stakeholders, and identify opportunities to expand WME’s role and impact.
Provide senior oversight across client engagements, ensuring strategic excellence, strong account leadership, financial discipline, and seamless execution.
Partner with internal and external teams across strategy, creative, production, experiential, communications, media, legal, and client IATs to deliver integrated solutions.
Lead development of executive presentations, strategic points of view, talent recommendations, and proposals.
Drive organic account growth by identifying client needs, developing upstream opportunities, and expanding talent partnership work.
Contribute to new business by shaping talent and entertainment strategies, developing solutions, leading senior pitch conversations, and converting opportunities into revenue.
Oversee account financials, budgets, forecasting, and revenue planning, with accountability for the financial health and growth of assigned business.
Lead, mentor, and develop team members, strengthening strategic thinking, client service, dealmaking, execution, and overall team capabilities.
Evolve EM&A’s talent partnership offering by identifying new capabilities, platforms, cultural shifts, and partnership models.
Collaborate across WME and WME Group to use the organization’s relationships, expertise, and intellectual property to create differentiated solutions.