Multimediator and PixelScout set up new company for new media recruiting

The Multimediator Strategy Group Inc (MMSG), Toronto, is teaming up with two longtime high tech recruiters to launch a headhunting company for new media professionals. Executives at Pixel-Scout say their new firm is targeting an untapped niche for specialty recruiting in a sector which has been wanting for some time. MMSG VP Warren Coughlin says his company has been searching for over a year for the right partners to create a more permanent version of the recruiting work MMSG has been doing on an ad hoc basis for the last five years. He says new media firms routinely ask MMSG for help in filling positions, something his company has lacked the expertise and resources to do on a full time basis. After over a year of searching, MMSG has come to a three-way equity agreement between itself, Al Pitt, now president of PixelScout, and Frank Vecchiarelli, who assumes the position of VP. Pitt has been an executive recruiter in IT and new media for over 10 years and Vecchiarelli has been doing the same. The new media industry currently has thousands of openings for everything from PERL programmers to presidents. The challenge for recruiters, says Pitt, is that most don’t understand the demands or the unique culture of new media companies. "To be able to recruit for any client, regardless of the industry, the company, (or) the job category, our skill set is to learn about your industry and about the positions you have … and to find the people that are a good enough match to help your bottom line. "To be able to do that properly," he adds, "you have to have an understanding of what the dynamics of the industry are." Hiring a designer, for example, requires a recruiter to understand more than just the job title. "Are they talking about a graphics artists from the print side? Do they want somebody who’s a good Flash developer? (There are) a lot of details involved that are going to make a big difference as to whether or not they’re the right person for that position." Unlike recruiting for more established sectors, headhunters in new media can’t rely on a cookie-cutter approach, Pitt says. A dearth of graduates from universities and colleges, combined with the brain drain of talent south have been ongoing concerns for most IT and communications companies. For new media companies, the problem is heightened because of the small size of most firms in the sector, and its relative newness, says Pitt. Recruiting top talent away from more secure positions at large companies can be difficult, especially as most applicants are choosing between three or four positions when it comes time to move jobs. Pitt says a key aspect of his work will be to sell applicants on the virtues of working for companies as small as five people that offer growth opportunity and non-monetary rewards,. "For (applicants) who look at it in that way, it’s a very exciting time… The fact that the companies are small is actually a benefit because they’re flexible in their work environment. They’re also part of those new economy companies who are providing individuals some of those non-monetary things that they’re looking for in a job." PixelScout will initially focus on the Greater Toronto Area, and expand quickly to the rest of Canada, relying on sub-contractors and new hires as it grows. The team is composed initially of Pitt and Vecchiarelli with administrative and technical support from MMSG, including a proprietary database of thousands of new media professionals.

Multimediator and PixelScout set up new company for new media recruiting

Broadcast | June 28, 2000

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