13 top advertising headhunters to know right now

Zimmerman Advertising; SyndicateBleu; Jenna Garofalo; Grace Blue; Yuqing Liu/Business Insider

• Big advertising agencies have shed employees, but some smaller independents and in-house brand teams are still hiring.
• As clients prioritize diversity and inclusion, headhunters are looking beyond "cookie-cutter" candidates with traditional portfolios or experience.
• To find work again, laid-off ad pros will have to reinvent themselves, learn new skills, and diversify, recruiters say.
• Here's Business Insider's first list of 13 top headhunters in the advertising industry.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit consumer spending, it also walloped advertising budgets. Agencies, many owned by holding companies, slashed staff. As Business Insider has reported, the cuts have upended the industry.

Still, some headhunters say their clients are hiring. Small and midsize agencies, often leaner and nimbler, continue to grow. Brands needing to pivot post-pandemic are relying on in-house marketing teams and agency partners. And ad pros who know how to position brands to a stuck-at-home audience are in high demand.

Business Insider identified 13 leading headhunters in advertising and marketing communications, considering factors like size, longevity, and clients. They range from sole proprietors to international search firms, along with two in-house talent officers. While their views on the market diverge, they agree that the pandemic, diversity needs, and remote work have changed advertising — and search — forever.

"Agencies are raising the bar. They want specific experiences, styles of work, and levels of talent," said Barbara Tejada, the owner of New York's Mighty Recruiting.

Here are 13 advertising recruiters to know right now, in alphabetical order by last name.

Diane Domeyer, executive director, The Creative Group

As part of the recruiting behemoth Robert Half, The Creative Group has an advantage in its scale — its onsite staff in 40 cities is backed by its parent's 300-plus locations.

Launched in 1999, it's also one of the oldest firms in the space, with deep relationships and experience through business cycles.

"What's changed over the years, aside from a jump to 11.5% unemployment, is the transition to virtual workplaces," said Diane Domeyer, the executive director. "Hiring and onboarding are happening remotely. Employers are lifting geographic boundaries to find top talent. That will be a permanent shift."

Despite the fallout from the pandemic, Domeyer remains optimistic about the industry. "There may be more people looking, but the future's very bright when you think about what organizations have to do to communicate with and engage their customers," she said.

Jenna Garofalo, independent

After years in creative recruitment in-house at JWT, 360i, and Anomaly, Jenna Garofalo went solo in 2019, winning clients like Droga5, We Are Social, and Peloton.

"Creative's my sweet spot, from interns to chief creative officers," she said. "When I started, it was 'stay in your lane,' whether you write or design. Now, grads also know how to code or how to animate. And you have to put that lens on candidates: What other skill sets can you bring to the table?"

Diversity has also altered searches themselves.

"Everyone's open to more than the usual cookie-cutter people," she said. "It's not just about awards they won or which school they went to. It's about nontraditional thinkers with different experiences. You find people not everyone else is looking for."

Manuela Guidi, founder, Manuela Guidi LLC

An advertising recruiter since 1996, Manuela Guidi hires for every kind of need but specializes in finding creatives like art directors, writers, and designers. Guidi, based in Chicago, handles searches worldwide, including in China and Russia.

"When the firm was born, it was much more agency-slanted," she said. "Now, brands are hiring more actively to create in-house departments."

Despite a talent glut, "candidates are as discerning as employers right now," she said. "More than ever, they want to know about a company's culture and commitment to issues. It's been a wake-up call."

A former television executive, Guidi said she still sees new business coming around. "There's been a flattening of hiring, but not a standstill," she said.

See Also:

• Inside the rise of Netflix's new 'badass' CMO, who rubs elbows with Anna Wintour and the Obamas and handled crises at Uber and Papa John's
• Disney Plus subscriber numbers are soaring — but that's not the whole story
• Top ad industry salaries, revealed: How much the biggest holding companies including WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom pay employees, from junior account directors to global creative leads

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