General Manager, Entertainment

ABOUT APPLY

APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the world's most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail, CPG, Sports, and Media with AI-native delivery capability, designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands like Arc'teryx, NFL, Lululemon, and Kraft Heinz. For more information, visit applydigital.com.

LOCATION:APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in North America and able to collaborate with teams across ET, PT and GMT time zones.

THE ROLE

What You'll Own

Revenue & Commercial Leadership

• Own and drive global revenue growth targets for the Entertainment verticals.

Develop and execute go-to-market strategy for the Entertainment market in partnership with regional Managing Directors.

• Set annual and multi-year revenue plans presented to the CEO; maintain transparent progress reporting.
• Identify and prioritize high-value opportunities across media, streaming, gaming, live events, sports, and adjacent segments.
• Build and sustain C-suite client relationships that generate pipeline, deepen partnerships, and position APPLY as the trusted transformation partner of choice.
• Act as executive sponsor for marquee Entertainment client engagements.
• Engage and strengthen relationships with APPLY’s partners, specifically our Google Cloud alliance.

Organizational Leadership

• Lead the Entertainment market operating model — defining how commercial, delivery, and capability teams work together.
• Partner with regional Managing Directors to align strategy with local execution, removing barriers and amplifying success.
• Influence resource allocation and investment decisions to prioritize Entertainment growth initiatives.
• Develop, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team culture oriented around client value, growth, and continuous innovation.
• Represent Entertainment in executive leadership forums, shaping organizational priorities and investment.

Industry Expertise & Thought Leadership

• Serve as APPLY's recognized external voice in the Entertainment industry — sought after for speaking engagements, panels, and media commentary (CES, Cannes Lions, Google Cloud Next, Shoptalk, NRF, etc).
• Maintain deep command of Entertainment trends including streaming economics, audience fragmentation, IP monetization, gaming growth, and the convergence of physical and digital experiences.
• Translate market signals into clear strategic direction for internal teams and clients.
• Author or contribute to point-of-view materials, whitepapers, and market perspectives that build APPLY's credibility.
• Maintain ongoing relationships with industry analysts, studios, platforms, publishers, leagues, and ecosystem partners.

Agentic AI Leadership

• Champion Agentic AI adoption across Entertainment client engagements — educating clients on the strategic and operational implications of autonomous, AI-driven systems.
• Guide APPLY's delivery organization in building Agentic Experience capabilities relevant to Entertainment: autonomous content recommendation, AI-driven production workflows, intelligent audience engagement, and real-time personalization for live events.
• Shape APPLY's external narrative on Agentic Experience within Entertainment, establishing a differentiated market position.
• Stay at the frontier of how agentic systems are reshaping entertainment business models — from AI-generated content to autonomous distribution — and bring these insights to clients and internal stakeholders.

Who You Are

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive leadership with significant time in or directly serving the Entertainment industry (media, streaming, gaming, live events, sports, or adjacent sectors).
• Proven track record of driving material revenue growth in a commercial or client-facing leadership role.
• Deep familiarity with consulting, technology services, or digital transformation in an Entertainment context.
• Demonstrated thought leadership — published work, speaking history, or recognized industry presence.
• Experience leading within matrix organizations; demonstrated ability to influence across regions and functions without direct authority.
• Fluency with AI, data, and digital capabilities as they apply to entertainment businesses; practitioner-level comfort with Agentic AI.

Leadership & Operating Style

• Executive presence and communication skills benefitting a CEO-reporting, client-facing leader.
• Commercially oriented and highly accountable — comfortable owning a revenue number and building process from scratch.
• Able to move fluidly between strategy and execution; sets direction and works through details.
• Strong coaching instincts; energized by building internal capability, not just managing external relationships.
• Self-directed with a bias toward action in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment.