SVP, Strategy and Business Operations

WELCOME TO HARTBEAT. WE ARE COMEDY. WE ARE CULTURE.

HARTBEAT is the global, multi-platform media company founded by Kevin Hart with a mission to keep the world laughing together. Operating at the intersection of comedy and culture, we are dedicated to creating, producing distributing, and marketing compelling content and experiences that make your heart beat a little faster.

Led by an award-winning team, Hartbeat is a trusted creative partner for the world’s top entertainment companies, platforms, and brands. We drive cultural impact and generate sales, subscriptions, buzz, and conversation with some of the most coveted audiences.

We are committed to nurturing the next generation of diverse comedians while collaborating with established comedy legends. Our ecosystem supports talent, content and brands across various formats, platforms, and opportunities in TV, film, digital, audio, and experiential.

Our flagship consumer brand, LOL! Network, engages audiences through its owned-and-operated social media channels, audio content, and partnerships with OTT platforms.

THE ROLE:

The SVP, Strategy and Business Operations will be critical to helping Hartbeat achieve our ambitions: dream up big ideas, evaluate their feasibility and potential return, and then collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to make them a reality. This job is not simply making “decks” and “models” for interesting strategic opportunities. You will be a key member of the executive team, responsible for shaping the strategic direction of the company and ensuring the appropriate resources, capabilities, systems, and processes are put in place to execute against that vision. Hartbeat has the potential to combine our complimentary businesses to offer unique partnerships for artists, brands, and platforms. To do this effectively, we need dynamic and entrepreneurial leaders – like you – to maintain focus, manage cross-functional teams, and communicate clearly (and consistently). We need someone who seamlessly moves between the clouds and the ground floor; someone who can both think unconstrained by current norms and ensure we are detail-oriented and intentional in our decision-making. The ideal candidate will be able to lead initiatives from concept to execution with the confidence to operate with incomplete information and the curiosity to ask questions whenever necessary to improve the odds of success.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic Vision and Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive business strategies for our core businesses (Film, TV, Talk/Stand-Up, and Experiences), ensuring alignment with the company's overall vision and objectives. Collaborate with C-Suite and other members of company leadership to evaluate our existing plans (and performance) in comparison to opportunities in the marketplace. Help drive refinements, shifts, and transformations to ensure we are always committing resources against the most attractive risk-adjusted strategic bets.
• Business Formation: Identify and develop new profit streams, by advancing/evolving our existing businesses or leading us into new ones. Ensure we remain focused and don’t overextend, leading to poor execution and a dilution of resources. Evaluate and implement sourcing, deal-making, financing, development, production/execution, and monetization strategies that optimally leverage internal and outsourced resources. Build robust financial and business cases/plans for new initiatives, including revenue projections, cost analysis, and risk assessments. Collaborate with FP&A team and internal stakeholders to ensure that overall risk/reward and capital requirements are in-line with company principles. Determine key performance indicators (KPIs) that should be used by the team, C-Suite, and Board to evaluate the success of any implemented strategies. Identify and recruit top talent to support the execution of strategic initiatives and enhance business operations.
• Market Analysis and Opportunity Identification: Conduct in-depth market assessments to identify growth opportunities, competitive dynamics, and emerging trends in the media and entertainment industry. Promote a culture of critical thinking and curiosity through your pursuit (and collection) of key market intelligence and performance data. Leverage this information to analyze audience behavior, content consumption patterns, and technological advancements to inform strategic decisions.
• Partnership and Alliance Building: Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships with key industry players, including studios, networks, streaming platforms, consumer brands, and technology providers. Prioritize positive-sum, long-term arrangements that can lead to differentiated strategic position, outsized profits, or inexpensive access to high-value capabilities. Collaborate with key internal stakeholders to negotiate high-impact business arrangements that maximize value and drive profitable growth. Coordinate with and inform important external parties (e.g. reps, investors, affiliates, etc.) to ensure Hartbeat remains an exemplary partner.
• Operational Excellence: Foster a culture of intentionality, innovation, information sharing, and collaboration across the organization. We don’t want to “just execute;” we want to be excellent at what we do. Push for continuous improvement by spearheading a healthy post-mortem process and modeling behaviors that promote a culture of accountability including humility, vulnerability, and rigor. Work with corporate and business teams to streamline operational processes without oversimplifying or inadvertently degrading the quality of our execution. Oversee the implementation of strategic plans, ensuring timely delivery, budget adherence, and achievement of business goals.
• Stakeholder Communication: Provide thought leadership and strategic guidance to senior management and other stakeholders. Outline, draft, revise, and deliver material communications to our team, Board, and investors. Communicate progress, challenges, and opportunities effectively to ensure alignment and support across the organization.
  
  

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Engineering, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategy/Corp Dev, strategic planning, business operations, operations, or a similar role within the media and entertainment industry. This is a high visibility role for an operator and not ideal for someone looking to make the transition from professional services.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful business strategies that drive growth and profitability. Direct experience refashioning or pivoting an existing business or developing, building, launching, and scaling an entirely new business line.
• Strong operational expertise with the ability to translate strategic plans into actionable initiatives.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Demonstrated history of intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels. You are like a Rosetta Stone: able to translate complicated financial, contractual, strategic, or operational minutiae into relevant, digestible outputs.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including team building, talent development, and performance management.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Deep understanding of the media and entertainment industry and its various business lines.
  
  

WORK HARD, LAUGH HARDER

Look, it’s called work for a reason. We show up for our teammates, our partners, and our audience. We’re a high-energy culture, where EVERYONE IS A HEADLINER, expected to give their best performance. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, meaningful, and inspiring. Because if you’re not having fun at work, you’re missing a good time!

So, if you hate fun, never like to laugh, and hardly ever smile, we have the job for you – somewhere else. But if you believe in a culture of creativity, entrepreneurialism, inclusion, hustle, and heart – while prioritizing fun and funny – you belong here.

Must be 18 years or older and willing to submit to a reference check and must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.

Benefits

We got you! Hartbeat provides eligible employees competitive benefits, including: Medical, dental and vision insurance, life and disability insurance, paid vacation and holiday pay and generous family leave policies. We also offer 401(k) retirement savings plan, flexible spending account and an unlimited supply of laughs on company time (aftershock giggles may spill into personal time) and more!

Compensation

Actual compensation within the pay range will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, skills, prior relevant experience, and work location. In addition to the base salary, the compensation package for this role also includes a discretionary bonus, based on individual and company performance.

Hartbeat offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees, that include healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan including an employer match, family planning, paid time off, paid parental leave, several paid holidays, and more.

NOTICES

We take this seriously. Hartbeat provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. As an equal opportunity employer, Hartbeat will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.

Compensation Range: $300K - $350K