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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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