WWE recently established a Talent Brand Management department to help develop the individual brands of their Superstars. They are now hiring a Vice President to run the department and a Director to help. The Director would report to the Vice President, and the Vice President would report directly to WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.
Both jobs are based at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT. You can see WWE’s job listings for the new positions at this link and this link.
WWE described the new Talent Brand Management department like this:
“Talent Brand Management is a division of WWE that has 360-degree oversight of Superstars’ individual talent brands and is focused on positioning and growing these individual brands inside and outside WWE platforms.”
It sounds like the employees for these new roles will work with talents at WWE events as the job involves traveling 25% of the time.
You can get a good idea of what the new department will be doing by this list of Key Responsibilities and Requirements listed on the Vice President job listing:
Key Responsibilities:
* Work across the organization, including the Executive team and WWE Superstars to establish a clear brand identity for each individual talent brand
* Set strategies to grow individual talent brands inside and outside of WWE’s ecosystem
* Identify and evaluate opportunities for Superstars to help grow talent and reach new audiences based on individual talent brand strategies
* Manage external agencies/parties representing WWE talent
* Ensuring key messaging for both WWE as well as Superstars is well represented in the marketplace
* Establish KPIs to track the growth of individual talent brands
* Establish rate card and standardize practices around external opportunities for talent
* Oversee tracking and communication of individual talent activities
* Clearly communicate messaging and brand positioning across the internal organization
* Leverage your network to bring in new opportunities for talent and WWE
* Partner with key internal departments including, but not limited to: Brand, Communications, Marketing, Sponsorship, Consumer Products and Talent Relations
* Work closely with Executive Directors for RAW, SmackDown and NXT to ensure alignment with short- and long-term storylines and character bibles
* Report out on status to Executive Team and Chairman’s office, as needed.
* Encourage best practices and procedures to ensure appropriate decision-making protocols are followed, and proactively identify areas for improvement that promote efficiency, innovation, and better communication internally
* Support continued growth of Talent Brand Management department as WWE’s talent roster continues to grow around the world
Requirements:
* A minimum of 10 years of leadership experience in Business Development or Brand Management within the entertainment industry
* Solid understanding of the entertainment industry and media landscape including evolving industry trends, key players, terminology.
* Highly organized and detail-oriented.
* Strong executive presence with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Ability to work well with multiple stakeholders across company and externally across partners/agencies.
* Proven leadership and management skills, ability to grow and motivate a team.
* A “can-do” attitude, positivity and high energy.
* Must fit into WWE culture; outside the box thinker, sense of humility, flexible, adaptable to changing conditions, and be an excellent team player.
* Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
* Must be flexible with working nights, weekends, and holidays.
* Bachelors degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, or related field of study preferred.
* MBA or JD is required.
Below are the Key Responsibilities and Qualifications for the Director job:
Key Responsibilities:
* Work across the organization to oversee the development and execution of individual WWE Superstar brand strategies
* Serve as point of contact for talent to seek feedback/ideas and review new opportunities that align with talent’s personal interests and/or larger brand growth strategy
* Partner with Creative Services and Television Production teams to develop marketing materials for individual talent
* Help evaluate opportunities Superstars to help grow talent and reach new audiences based on individual talent brand strategies
* Work with key internal departments including, but not limited to Brand, Communications, Marketing, Sponsorship, Consumer Products and Talent Relations, to track any potential/upcoming/completed opportunities for assigned talent
* Work closely with Executive Directors for RAW, SmackDown and NXT to ensure alignment with short- and long-term storylines and character bibles
* Partner across the organization to solicit meaningful opportunities for assigned talent
* Establish and track KPIs to monitor growth of brands on on-going basis, create and distribute reports internally to key stakeholders
* Ensure rate card and standardized practices around external opportunities for talent are being followed
* Research and develop strategic plans that include proper positioning of individual talent brands
* Clearly communicate messaging and brand positioning for individual talent across the internal organization
* Provide support, research, feedback and insight to the VP, Talent Brand Management as needed
* Provide onsite support at events and activations as needed
Qualifications:
* 7+ years of related experience, preferably from a promotions/sports marketing agency; including working directly with athletes or celebrities
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including verbal, written, and presentation
* Exceptional project management, organizational, and time management skills, with the ability to lead multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
* Self-motivated with a positive, can-do attitude; poise and grace under pressure
* Professional in always maintaining the highest degree of discretion and confidentiality
* Willing and able to work a flexible schedule including late nights and weekends on a regular basis
* Able to travel for business as needed (approximately 20-25%) and work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed
* Proficient in MS Office suite, especially PowerPoint and Excel
* Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or JD is a plus
