$125M Lionsgate Newark studio breaks ground as NJ’s first purpose-built film and TV facility
Project expected to generate 600+ permanent jobs, $800M in annual economic impact
Developers commit to major community benefits, training programs and local hiring
12-acre complex to include soundstages, offices, full on-site production services
Officials marked the start of construction of Lionsgate Newark film studio – New Jersey’s first purpose-built film and television production facility – during a Dec. 11 groundbreaking ceremony at the Temple of Hip Hop in Newark.
The $125 million project, located in the South Ward, is set to open in 2027. Great Point Studios will own and operate the studio, while long-term anchor tenant Lionsgate will receive naming rights. Key stakeholders include New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the Newark Housing Authority.
The commencement of construction marks another major step for the state’s booming film and television production sector. This project also provides the opportunity to revitalize Newark’s South Ward neighborhood and create lasting job opportunities for Newark residents.
“This initiative is more than just a film studio; it is a profound commitment to the future of Newark and to the future of the film industry in New Jersey,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “I am proud of the work that our administration has done to attract leading entertainment companies, such as Lionsgate, to our state. This growing sector will drive economic growth by creating thousands of new jobs, supporting local businesses, and bringing meaningful investments to the community.”
Working with residents
The ceremony featured a slew of government officials, leaders and key stakeholders, including the signing of a Community Benefits Agreement. The document outlines the studio developers’ commitment to ensuring that the facility will benefit both the city and South Ward residents through job creation, new educational programs and other initiatives.
“Lionsgate Newark is set to be a major driver of opportunity and artistic innovation for our city,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “From the opportunities presented by the construction phase to the long-term careers the studio will sustain in rapidly growing industries, this project represents a genuine collaboration with the people of Newark.”
Key project details include:
Spans 12 acres on the site of the former Seth Boyden Housing complex
Features multiple soundstages, production offices, set-building facilities, and full on-site production services, such as grip/electric, equipment storage, catering, props, parking, security and more
Matrix Development will serve as the project developer and Gensler signed on to lead architecture and master planning
Developers estimate the project will generate more than 600 permanent production jobs. They predict an annual economic impact of over $800 million
Developers will invest $300,000 in dedicated community funding for the South Ward. Then, once the project is completed, Great Point will contribute grants to 10 local community organizations totaling $200,000. It will also contribute an additional $100,000 to the South Ward Environmental Alliance for environmental improvements and green-jobs programs
During construction, 40% of total worker hours will be dedicated to Newark residents
Developers committed to offering 25% of total construction contracting to Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and 7% to Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs)
Once operational, the studio will reserve 70% of its full-time employment opportunities – spanning maintenance, engineering, janitorial, administrative, landscaping, security and other departments – for Newark residents. They will also receive priority consideration when applying for all studio jobs
Studio will maintain an ongoing local-vendor preference policy during operations to support the city’s small businesses
Studio project partners intend to collaborate with the Newark Board of Education to develop film, television, broadcast and related industry curricula for the city’s students, as well as training and apprenticeship programs for its young people. Great Point Studios and NJPAC will help develop these educational programs.
NJPAC also committed to producing and presenting at least 15 arts and community in the South Ward annually
Celebrating the Dec. 11, 2025, groundbreaking of Lionsgate Newark are: (from left) John Schreiber, CEO NJPAC; Fehmi Zeko, chairman, Great Point Studios; Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; First Lady Tammy Murphy and Gov. Phil Murphy. – PROVIDED BY NJPAC
‘The ideal environment’
Great Point Studios founder and CEO Robert Halmi said New Jersey has become one of the most exciting places for film and television production.
“And this project builds on that momentum,” said Halmi. “The state’s strong support and smart incentives have created the ideal environment for a world-class facility like this. Lionsgate Newark will strengthen the state’s growing production industry and create meaningful opportunities for Newark residents.”
Lionsgate Newark will strengthen the state’s growing production industry and create meaningful opportunities for Newark residents.
– Robert Halmi, Great Point Studios founder and CEO
“This new studio will become a hub of content creation for Lionsgate’s projects, and we’re excited about the opportunity to partner with the South Ward community to make this neighborhood a new focal point for the entertainment industry,” said Lionsgate Executive Vice President & Head of TV Production Joel Meyer.
“Creating new jobs for Newarkers and providing career training opportunities for young people in the TV and film industry are two unique and transformative deliverables that Lionsgate Newark will make possible for our community,” said NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber. “The unprecedented investment that Lionsgate and Great Point Studios are making in our city will provide life-enhancing pathways to success to our residents.”
“Not only will the studio bring jobs to the South Ward, but the organizations behind this project are showing themselves to be good neighbors already by offering this level of support to our community groups and our schools,” said Patrick Council, the Newark City Council member who represents the South Ward. “Lionsgate Newark will serve as an economic engine that will drive so many positive changes for our community and for Newark as a whole.”
Watch the Lionsgate Newark press conference here (provided by NJPAC):Empty heading
Leading manufacturer of residential and commercial building materials taps award-winning agency to help drive awareness and business growth
Merlot Marketing (Merlot) has been named Agency of Record for Nichiha USA, a top-tier manufacturer of building material solutions. Merlot will elevate the brand’s presence in industry and business media through a targeted, multi-tiered public relations campaign.
“Intimate knowledge of our industry and their savvy approach to media engagement make Merlot Marketing the ideal storyteller for our brand,” said Maria Fernandez, Director of Marketing for Nichiha USA. “To further connect with architects, designers, and builders, we are excited to share compelling stories that showcase how our solutions help create beautiful, enduring spaces.”
Nichiha’s architectural wall panels (AWP) give architects, designers, building owners, and homeowners the look and feel they want – wood, stone, brick, or concrete – without the upkeep that comes with natural materials. Made from durable fiber cement, they’re designed to be shaped and finished for nearly any style, then installed quickly using Nichiha’s Ultimate Clip System. The result: a high-end aesthetic that lasts, without the extra maintenance or specialized crews normally required.
“We’re excited to partner with Nichiha USA to promote their complete line of building materials,” said Debi Hammond, CEO and founder of Merlot Marketing. “Nichiha’s products help create stunning, long-lasting commercial and residential spaces around the world. We look forward to sharing their story of sustainability and performance here in the United States.”
Merlot will collaborate closely with Nichiha USA to drive key public relations and communications efforts. Through its unique PR.0 program, which blends traditional PR with digital innovation, Merlot will engage national commercial media with compelling product and trend stories. This includes Digitally Integrated News Releases (DiNR), MAT releases, award submissions, tradeshow support, and targeted outreach to increase brand awareness and industry engagement within the product category.
Adhesive company Gorilla Glue is sticking to Betty, which it just named its creative AOR after a competitive review.
First work will break in 2026.
“While we’re not experts in primates, we’re excited to bring our strategic and creative expertise to a venerable brand like Gorilla Glue. Their products are second to none, so they deserve ideas that are second to none,” Mike Caguin, Betty CCO, told Agency Daily.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Gorilla Glue Company produces tapes, sealants, and adhesives, including Gorilla Tape, Gorilla Super Glue and Gorilla Construction Adhesive.
Morgan Roberts, vice president, brand Management at The Gorilla Glue Company, added to AD: “The brand is entering an exciting chapter of growth, and we need a partner who can help us elevate our craft and showcase our product superiority through bigger, bolder creative storytelling. Consumer expectations are evolving, our portfolio is expanding, and we’re raising the bar on how we show up.”
In its decision, Gorilla Glue noted Betty’s vision of brand awareness moving forward, as well as its ability to execute big ideas at scale.
Betty, a Quad agency, has done creative work for Kemp’s, Minnesota Lottery and Natrol.
Hershey’s Kisses “Holiday Bells” spot is the premiere sponsor of NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center.”
The show and the commercial kick off Dec. 4.
The jingle will be brought to life with an LED musical mat at Rockefeller Center for visitors through Dec. 7. The colorful lights on the mat represent a bell from the commercial, recreating the 35-year-old tune.
The ad is Hershey’s longest-running commercial — and not a word is spoken.
“Holiday Bells” experience extends beyond Rockefeller through strategic partnerships on TikTok, Snapchat and Candy Crush. In addition, SiriusXM home-screen branded integration on Pandora will help to deliver “Holiday Bells” to millions of music streamers.
MiltonOne from Publicis, devoted solely to Hershey’s account, handled creative in partnership with NBC. The agency name is derived from the candy company’s founder.
Country star Lainey Wilson is also joining Bing Crosby for a contemporary take on “Let It Snow,” with the music video featuring Hershey’s Kisses and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars in classic holiday style.
Candy innovations this year include Hershey’s Kisses Snickerdoodle Cookie Candy, which include cookie pieces in seasonal foils, and Hershey’s Dipped Pretzels Trees for a sweet-salty combo.
“For 35 years, the melody of the Hershey’s Kisses ‘Holiday Bells’ commercial has been synonymous with holiday magic,” Vinny Rinaldi, vice president, consumer connections, The Hershey Company, told Agency Daily. “This year, we’re bringing new life to this holiday mainstay by inviting families to step inside the commercial and play the tune themselves. It’s just one example of many ways we’re harnessing the power of our legacy brands and modernizing them for timeless consumer and cultural relevance.”
A year after launching Unwell Hydration, Alex Cooper, host of the popular podcast “Call Her Daddy,” is expanding the business beyond the category.
The business will rebrand as Unwell Beverages with the upcoming launch of its energy drink line, Unwell Energy. Unwell Energy will make its retail debut through a partnership with Target on Dec. 28, launching with four flavors: Cherry Lime, Passion Fruit Orange Guava, Watermelon, and Pineapple Coconut. The brand’s new energy drink follows other recent product launches for Unwell, including its introduction of Unwell Hydration with Protein in September.
Ahead of the retail launch of Unwell Energy, Unwell Beverages is promoting its expansion with an “Unwell Forever” series of experiential activations in New York City.
This weekend the brand is hosting a pop-up event at in Soho featuring a series of different “rooms” and culminating with a “Disco Dance Floor x Unwell Energy” activation designed to evoke a retro nightclub, complete with disco ball, checkered dance floor, and DJ booth.
Three of the activations support the flagship Unwell Hydration brand. A “Retro Airport Lounge”promoting Unwell Hydration Stick Packs is designed to evoke vintage air travel, offering samples and “airline-themed giveaways.”
Unwell Beverages is rounding out the event with a gift shop offering both merchandise giveaways (“Unwell Forever” patch baseball cap, branded long-sleeve and short-sleeve T-shirts) and an opportunity to shop an exclusive Unwell capsule collection.
The activations will also leverage Cooper’s celebrity, promising unspecified “notable guest appearances.” At the time of Unwell Hydration’s launch last December, Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast was listed as the number two podcast both in the U.S. and globally on Spotify’s year-end ranking.
The “Unwell Forever” campaign will continue rolling out across the brand’s social channels over the course of the next six months.
Between M&A, leadership shifts, and the rise of AI, it was a whiplash year for agencies with a tumultuous ending. But ADWEEK’s 2025 Agency of the Year winners didn’t just weather the ups and downs but fired on all cylinders, delivering breakthrough creativity, business-moving strategy, and culture-shaping work for their clients.
At the same time, this pack of industry leaders — notably, 8 out of 11 of them independents — grew their businesses while attracting and retaining top talent and making their companies great places to work.
The Mischief executive team
2025 US Agency of the Year: Mischief @ No Fixed Address
At five years old, Mischief @ No Fixed Address could have ended 2025 scaled up, sold, or fizzled out. But as ADWEEK’s U.S. Agency of the Year for the second time, Mischief forged its own path. The independent agency has matured from its scrappy underdog days into a partner for long-term brand building. Read the full story.
2025 Social/Influencer Agency of the Year: Billion Dollar Boy
As creators and social media have established themselves as core marketing channels, Billion Dollar Boy is reaping the rewards. With capabilities from brand building to performance marketing, BDB taps a network of more than 2,500 creators across 42 markets on behalf of its clients. On its way to the top of the creator marketing heap, BDB has managed to strike a tough balance: scaling globally without losing touch with culture. Read the full story.
2025 Breakthrough Agency of the Year: Special US
Special US kicked off 2025 amid major disruption. As wildfires swept through Los Angeles — home to the agency’s flagship U.S. office — the team raced to complete two high-profile Super Bowl campaigns. The chaos tested Special’s limits, but underscored its creative drive in what became its most successful year yet. Read the full story.
2025 Global Agency of the Year: Wieden + Kennedy
At the top of 2025, after a 27-year hiatus, Nike decided to return as a Super Bowl advertiser. It was a choice that put its longtime agency Wieden+Kennedy in the hot seat. In typical style, W+K surprised everyone with its approach — but that’s what W+K is known for: work that breaks through with worldwide cultural resonance. Read the full story.
2025 Multicultural Agency of the Year: IW Group
Amid a sharp pullback in diversity, equity, and inclusion progress this year, multicultural agency IW Group did more than just weather the storm. While revenues were only up slightly, from $23 million to $24 million year-over-year, president and chief momentum officer Nita Song described the agency as “stronger than we’ve ever been.” Read the full story.
2025 Small Agency of the Year: Mirimar
Mirimar is growing up — and making its mark. After being named ADWEEK’s Breakthrough Agency of the Year in 2024, the Venice, Calif.-based shop spent 2025 proving that momentum wasn’t a fluke. The agency added five new brand partners in 2025, including Poppi, Netflix, and BJ’s Restaurant as AORs, and expanded its relationship with Mammoth Brands’ Mando, Flamingo, and Lume. Read the full story.
2025 Midsize Agency of the Year: Known
In an industry dogged by vanity metrics and opaque economics, Known proves that transparency and profitability can coexist. The pitch to clients is simple: “We don’t lie,” said chairman and CEO Kern Schireson. Known charges only for the services and software in its proposals — no rebates, no hidden margins — with between 10% and 25% of its fees tied to clients’ business outcomes. In 2025, that model proved its worth. Read the full story.
2025 Innovation Agency of the Year: Code and Theory
When consumer attention shifts, Code and Theory transforms itself in response to the chaos. Then, with a staff of half creatives and half engineers, it helps its clients do the same. ADWEEK’s 2025 Innovation Agency of the Year launched in 2001 with the hypothesis that combining creativity with technology to solve problems was a missing link. The agency says its creative and engineering DNA is why more than 35 Fortune 500 companies have turned to Code and Theory when they need to hit the reset button. Read the full story.
2025 Agency Network of the Year: FCB
FCB has a lot to be proud of this year, but the celebration is bittersweet. It might feel funny to win an accolade when, as Omnicom completed its acquisition of IPG in November, FCB was folded into BBDO — and has ceased to exist. But the machinations of holding company spreadsheet logic are distinct from the fact that FCB fired on all cylinders during what it didn’t realize was the final lap of its 151-year legacy. Read the full story.
2025 Independent Agency of the Year: Rethink
In its 25th year, Toronto-headquartered Rethink refused to coast on its legacy. The indie powerhouse expanded in its hometown, as well as New York, Montreal, and Vancouver, while sharpening the creative edge that made its name. “By any metric — financial, people, creative work — we’re better than we’ve ever been,” said Sean McDonald, global chief strategy officer and partner. Read the full story.
2025 International Agency of the Year: VCCP
Of all the work VCCP has produced in the past 12 months, none embodies the tech, strategy, and creativity fueling its next chapter more than “Daisy vs. Scammers.” Based on the insight that one in five Brits experience a fraud attempt every week, the privately owned agency used AI to develop a “grandmother” that answered nuisance calls and wasted scammers’ time by chatting about her cat, Fluffy. The campaign made global headlines and resulted in $45 million in earned media. It also saved U.K. consumers an estimated $3 million and won 48 awards in 2025, including five Cannes Lions. Read the full story.
IBM accelerates cloud drive with $11 billion Confluent deal as AI demand booms
Mountain View, California-based Confluent provides technology needed to manage massive, real-time data streams for artificial intelligence models.
“IBM and Confluent together will enable enterprises to deploy generative and agentic AI better and faster,” Krishna said in a statement.
“With the acquisition of Confluent, IBM will provide the smart data platform for enterprise IT, purpose-built for AI.”
TALKS BEGAN IN SUMMER
The companies began initial talks about the possibility of a deal over the summer, building on their existing relationship through IBM’s partner network, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
After IBM signaled its interest, Confluent hired advisers and launched a formal auction process, but IBM ultimately prevailed, according to a source familiar with the matter. As part of the deal, Confluent CEO and co-founder Jay Kreps is joining IBM Software and will report to Rob Thomas, an IBM spokesperson said.
Centerview advised IBM, while Morgan Stanley advised Confluent. Cooley served as Confluent’s legal counsel, and Paul Weiss advised IBM.
The offer price of $31 per share represents a premium of around 34% to Confluent’s last close. Confluent’s shares surged nearly 30%, while IBM was up marginally in early trading.
The Confluent stock is up nearly 44% since October 7, the last trading session before Reuters reported that the company was exploring a sale after attracting acquisition interest.
“IBM is buying the critical data firehose that supports the AI hype,” said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital.
“With this purchase, IBM improves … recurring revenue, tightening its grip on large enterprises.”
STRING OF ACQUISITIONS
IBM has long turned to deal-making to gain scale and fend off competition, especially in cloud computing.
In April last year, the company bought cloud firm HashiCorp in a deal valued at $6.4 billion. Its $34 billion deal for Red Hat in 2019 is credited by analysts as the central catalyst that boosted its cloud business.
IBM will fund the Confluent deal with cash on hand and the transaction is expected to close by the middle of 2026.
The deal is expected to boost IBM’s adjusted core earnings within the first full year of the transaction’s completion and it will add to free cash flow in year two.
By Rob Hicks, CEO, C-Screens
At the end of the last century, business theorists B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore published their seminal work The Experience Economy. In it, they posited the idea that “goods and services are no longer enough; companies must stage experiences that engage customers in a personal and memorable way.”
Half a decade after The Experience Economy was written, social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram emerged that were to embed experience at the heart of consumer expectations. From posting an Instagram during a concert, to checking into a restaurant on Facebook, to sharing a TikTok from a trip, social media has made experience the marker by which many people signal their identity and create wider connections.
Experiences are made to be shared
Real-time documentation has become an integral part of almost any experience. Travel is one of the most visible examples. Seventy-five percent of travellers use social media for travel inspiration, while posts with geotags or check-ins frequently accompany special events or trips, reinforcing the social expectation to broadcast experiences as they happen.
Dining behaviours show similar patterns. Seventy-five percent of diners say they have chosen a restaurant based solely on social-media photos, and 85% of customers share positive dining experiences online, turning meals into moments designed not just to enjoy, but to post.
Even traditionally offline experiences now unfold through the lens of a smartphone. According to Deloitte, 43% of Gen Z fans use their mobile device to post to social media while watching live sports events, illustrating that spectatorship itself is now a participatory activity.
Marketers tune into experiences
This new consumer mindset brings with it significant opportunities for brands, ones that experiential marketers are keen to capture. Drawing on the ideas of the experience economy, experiential marketers are looking at how best to engage consumers directly with immersive activations including events, pop-ups, and interactive campaigns.
This approach is set to become big, with forecasts suggesting that 21-50% of marketing budgets will be allocated to experiential marketing by CMOs. The reason is simple: experiential marketing works. One study suggests that 85% of consumers are more likely to purchase after attending a live marketing event, and 91% have more positive feelings about the associated brands.
TVOOH: The new frontier for experiential opportunities
As experiential marketers look to tap into this rich opportunity, a new approach is coming to the fore. TV Out of Home (TVOOH) enables the viewing of live, playback, and on-demand TV content in high-dwell-time environments outside of the traditional home setting. These include pubs, stadiums, service stations, retail environments, public squares, and other places where people watch TV as part of the broader environment. Unlike traditional TV, which competes for fragmented attention, TVOOH delivers unskippable and high-impact content in context-relevant environments, making it ideally suited to branded campaigns.
For brands looking to engage with consumers, TVOOH provides a powerful way to enhance sponsorships, drive real-time engagement, and create interactive experiences that are ideally suited for organic amplification on social media.
The strength of TVOOH is that it combines the reach of traditional OOH formats such as billboards or digital signs with the emotive and immersive features of live TV. That might be during the buildup to a championship match or the excitement surrounding a film release, but it also extends to everyday environments where experiences matter, such as a traveller passing through an airport and encountering a destination-themed activation. In these contextually relevant spaces, brand messages feel like a natural extension of the moment, enhancing both relevance and connection.
TVOOH also enables dynamic content that can adapt in real-time. Marketers targeting rugby fans watching a match at a pub might, for example, time their branded creative to be triggered by the scoring of a try, or the build up to a penalty kick. Similarly, a brand sponsoring a town square Christmas lights switch-on could trigger a synchronised TVOOH activation the moment the countdown ends, flooding nearby screens with festive visuals and unveiling an immersive pop-up experience.
The evolution of TVOOH
The use of TVOOH in experiential marketing is only going to increase as the technology matures. For a taste of what’s to come, look no further than The George, Greene King’s flagship pub in London, which is gearing up to offer the world’s first fully interactive TVOOH experiences.
The Greene King’s TVOOH screens at The George will integrate fan engagement technology that’s usually reserved for large stadiums for live sport and music events. Pub goers watching games, movies, or concerts at the pub will soon be able to engage directly with on-screen content in real time, such as by sharing their photos, posting written messages, sending shout-outs to friends, or seeing themselves on the big screen and playing around with fun skins and characters.
Meanwhile, hot new social event spaces centred on food, drink, and entertainment, such as the STACK Seaburn, Sheepfold Stables, and Frate Newcastle are enriching their experiences with TVOOH activations. Screens at sites like these enable visitors to engage in branded events including karaoke singalongs, quizzes, and open mic nights, as well as showing premium sporting events.
By delivering the participatory experiences that consumers demand, any activation run over the screens will deliver measurable value to site owners and advertisers. For example, by creating stickier and immersive experiences, screenings at the pubs and hubs like these will likely increase dwell time and footfall, while also generating GDPR-compliant audience data to help advertisers understand and engage their visitors.
Putting people at the heart of experiences
In a world where consumers demand personalised and immersive experiences, TVOOH is fast becoming a core part of every experiential marketers’ toolbox. Enabling brands to blend context, creativity, and interactivity and offering advertisers a new way to capture attention and build genuine relevance.
It’s 27 years since The Experience Economy was written, but it’s only now thanks to innovations like TVOOH that the concept is coming to full fruition.
Dropbox research shows disorganisation is draining productivity and profit, hitting creative industries hardest and flags AI tools to help restore order
Research from Dropbox suggests that businesses are losing a significant amount of money each year due to disorganised digital files.
The study, which surveyed over 2,000 workers, found that the average employee spends more than 11 hours per week searching for files, resulting in notable productivity losses.
Dropbox research shows that creativity thrives on clarity, not clutter and better digital organisation frees the mind for greater imagination, innovation and business results | Credit: Dropbox
Digital clutter and its impact on revenue
The report, titled “The High Cost of Digital Clutter,” found that the problem is particularly acute in creative industries, where employees are often working with large files and multiple versions of documents. This can lead to confusion and errors, which can be costly for businesses.
“The creative industry is all about collaboration,” says Andy Wilson, director of Dropbox’s creative industries division.
“But when you have multiple people working on the same project, it’s easy for things to get disorganised. That’s why it’s so important to have a good system in place for managing your digital files.”
Human-AI collaboration in creative work
The study also found that many creative professionals are not taking advantage of the latest AI-powered tools that can help them to organise their work. For example, only 25% of respondents said they use AI to automatically tag their files, and only 20% use AI to search for files.
“There’s a huge opportunity for creative professionals to utilise AI tools to streamline their workflows and be more productive,” Andy says.
“But we need to do a better job of educating them about the benefits of these tools.”
Dropbox research reveals creatives struggle to remember non-personal, non-repetitive work details | Credit: Dropbox
Improving creative flow with AI tools
Dropbox is one of a number of companies that are developing AI-powered tools to help creative professionals to be more organized and productive. For example, the company’s new “Spaces” feature uses AI to automatically organise files and folders, and its “DBX” platform provides a central place for teams to collaborate on projects.
The goal is to help creative professionals to spend less time searching for files and more time doing what they do best: creating. “We want to help people to get into a state of ‘creative flow,’ where they’re not being distracted by the technology,” says Andy.
“AI can play a big role in that.”
AT&T’s head of business operations, Jennifer Van Buskirk, asks two questions to assess candidates.
The executive said she is looking to identify risk-takers who are willing to make bold moves.
Van Buskirk said small-picture, risk-averse answers are dealbreakers in the hiring process.
AT&T’s Jennifer Van Buskirk has been with the telecom giant for over 25 years and leads a team of roughly 20,000 people. So she’s no stranger to hiring.
A few years ago, the head of business operations launched a startup, now operating as Cricket Wireless, a subsidiary of AT&T. Cricket Wireless is now worth over $6 billion and has more than 13 million customers, a spokesperson for AT&T said.
During that process, she had the opportunity to build her dream team — and her goal was to find employees who were willing to think big. Through trial and error, Van Buskirk discovered two interview questions that she still uses to help her identify the right candidates.
“I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, probably professionally and personally,” Van Buskirk told Business Insider.
The executive looks for similar qualities when interviewing candidates — those who are “courageous enough to take the bold move, the big risk.”
Your greatest risk
Van Buskirk’s first big question is: What’s the greatest risk you’ve ever taken and why?
“When you’re driving change or starting something new, it’s really important to get people that can thrive in that kind of environment,” Van Buskirk said.
She said she’s open to responses about both personal and professional risks, but in general, she’s looking for a “big, bold move,” and she’s looking to hear how comfortable the candidate is with getting uncomfortable. She said she’s heard responses about people moving to a new country or making a pivot into a new industry.
Van Buskirk said she herself has done plenty of risk-taking activities, including skydiving and launching a business, and she’s looking for others who can also take big leaps.
“Those that didn’t have that experience, I found, weren’t as proficient or successful in these different environments where that was required,” Van Buskirk said. “You have to be okay living in that land of uncertainty.”
Van Buskirk said that one person who didn’t get hired said their biggest risk was getting married.
“I thought they might have either bad judgment or were really risk-averse — one of those two things,” Van Buskirk said.
What would you change
Van Buskirk’s second question is: If you started all over again, what would you do differently and why?
Van Buskirk said if a candidate responded with an answer about how they would change a small, singularaspect of their career, that would indicate they’re not thinking broadly enough.
“That’s a fail, because there’s always some improvement that can be had, if you can think big enough,” Van Buskirk said.
