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Live concert production with a front-of-house mixing console
Case Study · Live Entertainment & Media

Executive finance placements for an industry that doesn't sleep.

Senior finance leaders for a global live-entertainment producer: people who speak production accounting fluently.

Sector
Live Entertainment
Festivals, concerts, branded shows
Engagement
Direct Hire
MSA + ongoing SOW
Timeline
Ongoing engagement
Senior searches, per role
Team Size
Senior finance leaders
Director · Controller · BMR
Result
90-day guarantee
Standard replacement window
— The Challenge

An industry where the finance function looks nothing like a corporate one.

A global live-entertainment leader producing thousands of events a year needed senior finance and accounting talent who could lead inside a production-accounting world.

  • The profile: project/production accounting depth, multi-entity consolidation, event-P&L fluency.
  • The roles: Director of Finance, Controller, reporting leadership, plus an ongoing pipeline.
  • The bar: finance leaders who thrive where the product exists for hours, then doesn't.
— Our Approach

Three layers of vetting before a single resume reached the client.

  • Three to five recruiters per role.

    A primary and backup recruiter per search, with a manager-level quality check on every shortlist.

  • Industry-calibrated screening.

    Screened on what matters in live entertainment (real consolidated closes and event P&Ls), not generalist signals.

  • Right-to-Represent discipline.

    Every candidate signed a written Right-to-Represent before submission. Exclusive, no double-submits.

  • Enterprise-grade, audit-ready compliance.

    Global-enterprise vendor standards met from day one: insurance, data security, and audit obligations in scope.

  • Backed by a replacement guarantee.

    Placements carry a replacement guarantee; terms set per engagement.

— The Outcome

What the engagement delivered.

3+
Vetting layers per submission
Recruiter, Recruiting Manager, Account Manager, each performing independent quality control
90d
Replacement guarantee
Standard on every placement; structurally aligns our incentives with the client's outcomes
100%
Compliance with enterprise vendor requirements
Tier 1 insurance, data security, audit, and Right-to-Represent discipline maintained throughout
1
Single point of accountability
Account Manager owns the entire pipeline, from intake to onboarding
“
Finance hires in our business fail when the recruiter doesn’t understand production accounting. Thunderhawk’s candidates walked in already speaking the language.
CFO Live Entertainment & Media Company

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