Executive Search for Media, Entertainment & Sports Technology

Strategy changes.
Leadership has to move with it.

Working across North America & EMEA

Ben Swanton with Julien Gachot on the embrace stand at NAB Show Las Vegas 2026

20+ years inside Media Technology.

808 Talent was built on market knowledge, not a candidate database.

“The value isn’t simply knowing people. It’s understanding the companies, technologies and market context around an appointment, and being prepared to challenge the brief when the market says something different.”
Ben SwantonFounder, 808 Talent

We run retained searches, and the market intelligence behind them.

Sketch of the 808 Talent executive search journey: hire strategy and brief together, map and headhunt, competency-based assessment, shortlist and interview, hire, and First 100 Days Onboard Coaching

Executive Search

Retained search for senior leadership and specialist appointments where the market is small, international or difficult to reach.

START-UP Every hire changes the company. Who can build this with you, at this stage?
SCALE-UP Who has already done this, at the size you’re about to become?
ESTABLISHED Your strategy, ownership or model has changed. Who leads you through it?

From hire strategy to your new leader’s first 100 days.

Explore Executive Search

Market evidence for the decisions that sit before, around or sometimes instead of a search.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED. Does it exist? Where does it live? How much of it exists? What does it cost?
You’re still shaping what you need. What capability is missing? How are comparable businesses structured? What is realistic?
Explore Market Intelligence
Sketch of 808 Talent market intelligence services: talent mapping, salary benchmarking, competitor structures and market feasibility

Market Intelligence

The names are not the hard part.

AI can now produce a list of 150 plausible people in seconds. What matters is knowing which twelve count, why they’d move, and whether they’d work with your CEO. Sometimes the search changes the brief.

Some of the companies we’ve run searches for.

“He’s not just a recruiter, but a strategic advisor to business leaders, helping us shape and execute our talent strategy.”

Julien GachotFounder & CEO, Embrace

“Ben leveraged his deep understanding of the Sports Production ecosystem, helping us attract brilliant individuals into our team.”

David O’CarrollCOO, Aurora Media Worldwide

“Beyond exceptional talent acquisition, they’ve been instrumental in our strategic expansion into new regions.”

Phil PetitpontCEO & Co-Founder, Moments Lab
Damrak canal houses in late sun, Amsterdam

SEPTEMBER 2026

Six Things IBC 2026 Was Really About, and None of Them Were on the Stands

Photo Credit: Javier M. / Unsplash

I had 63 meetings across IBC and the Devoncroft summit this year, most of them with CEOs and founders. I expected the usual mix of product news and market chatter. What came back, conversation after conversation, had very little to do with what was on the stands.

The same six themes kept surfacing. On its own, each one is a hiring problem. Together they point to something bigger, which I will come to at the end.

What is changing in your business?

Tell us what’s changing and we’ll help you work out what it means for your leadership team.