Business Development Director (Entertainment / Agency)

About the role

The agency is hiring its first dedicated Business Development Director to build a clear, disciplined, and repeatable growth system for the U.S. market. The director will own the full commercial pipeline, from opening new relationships and accessing new rooms inside large entertainment clients to qualifying opportunities, coordinating pitches, and keeping everything moving.

Responsibilities

• Building and leading the agency's commercial growth system for the U.S. entertainment market, with a focus on LA-based studios, streamers, networks, platforms, franchises, and entertainment brands
• Creating a named-account strategy across priority client ecosystems, prospects, former clients, warm-path relationships, partners, and referral sources
• Opening new rooms inside large client organizations by mapping stakeholders, departments, budget owners, and sponsor paths
• Taking the agency's AI transformation offer to market, qualifying where there is practical operational pain and selling bounded diagnostic entry engagements
• Qualifying opportunities with strong judgment across strategic fit, budget, urgency, sponsorship, delivery feasibility, margin, and cultural fit
• Owning CRM and pipeline discipline, keeping opportunities, contacts, next steps, forecasts, and risks visible and current
• Leading and directing the AI-first marketing team, setting commercial priorities, directing research and content output, and holding the quality bar
• Manning the pitch and proposal flow, including RFPs, credentials conversations, proposal narratives, timelines, and post-pitch learning
• Representing the agency externally as a credible commercial ambassador at industry events, private meetings, and client networking
• Bringing market intelligence back into the organization on client trends, AI adoption, budget shifts, and buyer sentiment
• Protecting the agency from poor-fit opportunities, unfocused pitches, and underpriced work

Qualifications

• Significant business development, growth, or commercial experience in an agency, entertainment, media, or adjacent environment
• Existing relationships or credible access within the Los Angeles entertainment, media, marketing, or agency ecosystem
• Experience leading or contributing to pitches, proposals, RFPs, credentials meetings, SOWs, and commercial negotiations
• Ability to understand and engage deeply with bespoke services including strategy, social, content, creative production, and AI transformation
• Already using AI in day-to-day work, with genuine curiosity about what it can do for a commercial role
• Commercially sharp with instincts for value, fit, and margin
• Charismatic and rigorous communicator with presence in senior rooms and clarity in internal collaboration