our leadership

With a wizards knowledge of the talent rules and code and an incredible skill in planning the perfect vacation, Gayle brings over 30 years to the day-to-day client service operations and management of our Chicago office. Co-leading that effort with Hannah Robbins, Gayle leverages her deep client relationships, passion for solving complex business issues, and capacity to handle "all the moving parts" with an impressive calm. Over her tenure, Gayle has worked with significant client brands including Chrysler, Grey and Bird Bonette and Stauderman and assumed a variety of roles beginning as a client service rep for Talent and Residuals culminating with her current leadership position.

Funny, a real "what do we need to make this work" guy, with a heart of gold, Mark co-leads our client service function in the New York office. Day-to-day he is charged with achieving a high level of operational excellence while advancing team building, client relationships and making the account teams hum. To this end, Mark leverages his 20+ years of experience as a Ernst and Young accountant, as an internal auditor for Bristol Myers working both internationally and domestically, and with Donovan Data Systems in multiple account management roles. In his role at Talent Partners, Mark works directly with such industry leaders as Publicis, BBDO, Modernista, BBH and Sapient/Nitro.

Mary brings over 20 years of tax experience including stops at industry leaders, Deloitte and Grant Thornton. Her role is best described by her own words - "anything with the word tax is mine". Mary leads our day-to-day efforts in tax compliance, state and federal fillings, audits, and continually working to identify opportunities to bring tax savings to Talent Partners and its clients. In addition to looking at today, she also spends a good amount of time looking ahead at changes that will shape the tax future, including – proposed laws, economic events which drive tax code, and new trends that will impact our client’s bottom line.

Tim is equal parts business brain and creative spirit. With nearly 30 years in both operational and creative roles, Tim is charged with developing and evolving the company’s product offerings. Whether through the application of technology or the creation of hybrid products that bundle technology, services and consultative thinking, each offering must address the ever changing landscape of our clients and industry. Tim came to us with a business degree and an agency and brand background including stints as Vice President of the The Brownstone Group, a design agency in Boston, President of Chestnut Hill Marketing, a contract design and manufacturing firm, and as founding Partner of Oxygen, a brand and communications consultancy.

Quick minded, rationale and with one of the funkiest eye glass collections on the planet, Maria co-leads the client service function in our New York office. Maria comes with a variety of knowledge and skills gained through stints at Ernst and Young as and auditor/accountant, senior client service roles at Donovan Data System, a leading media services and technology company, and through consulting roles in numerous industry and union studies and projects. Maria has an amazing "ambassador like" quality as she helps a broad range of stakeholders come together to achieve the best solution. She has worked for and consulted with such leading brands and organizations as Y&R, Saatchi, Grey, Ogilvy, BBDO and the JPC.

With a relentless sense of humor and a wise crack for every occasion, Fran is as sharp as they come. With over 30 years in the business including positions ranging from a secretary in the early days, to client service representative, to client service manager, Fran maintains a formidable knowledge of talent, the industry, and the technology that supports the work. As both an internal and client go to, Fran is charged with keeping our core systems current, "getting people what they need" and connecting the right people, to get issues resolved quickly and effectively.

12 years ago, Joy went from public relations to employee relations and hasn’t looked back since. With a warm, approachable demeanor, and an amazing supply of healthy snack food, she daily applies the skills gained with such industry leaders as Bloomingdales and Deloitte to support the Talent Partners’ staff and culture. Joy applies her experience and masters in HR training and development to advise managers and those they manage, keep everyone informed on policies and procedures as well design and deliver programs that develop our people and our skills. As Joy says it’s "all about the people".

With the razor sharp mind of a consultant and the heart of an accountant, Wendy brings over 30 years of cross industry experience to the senior management team. Achieving significant roles in such household names as Tupperware, Price Waterhouse, and boutique consulting firm The Johnsson Group, Wendy applies her CPA and MBA education and years of work in financial controls, as an expert in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, and change management. Just one of her charges is to work with our clients closely as they manage the shifting financial landscape of the industry and offer suggestions and approaches that "makes sense" for everyone involved.

Warm, smart, with an infectious laugh, Luanne leads a group of client teams in our New York talent department. Focused on delivering all that Talent Partners can provide, Luanne spends much of your day managing staff, ensuring accounts are running smoothly, keeping her "ears open" for things the clients need, and championing ways to raise the bar. With a broad background in talent, traffic, music licensing and negotiations, Luanne brings her perspective and 30+ years with such industry leaders as Broadcast Business Consultants (BBC), to each and every account.

With over 10 years in IT across organizations big and small – including consulting for JP Morgan Chase on their global operating system build – Tim delivers expertise and problem solving to the technology that makes Talent Partners hum. From extensive server management and infrastructure projects that span our 3 offices, to aiding the individual desktop user, Tim applies his business background and MIS degree to ensure that nothing goes bump and each of his "clients" get what they need to get their job done.

No-nonsense, sharp as a tack, with a tendency to damage keyboards from typing too hard, Kathy leads the effort to help our clients and our people leverage our technology in the most powerful way. With a ton of experience gained through 30+ years of "doing the work" at practically every level of the client service organization, Kathy knows the business, knows the workflow and knows the people that need to be brought together to truly take advantage of the technology. She has worked with such industry leaders as Y&R, Leo Burnett, Grey, Draft/FBC and BBDO and is charged with bringing their needs and perspective, as well as those of our own people, back into the product design process.

With a personal goal and passion to "make things better", Javier brings his decade plus of industry experience to the development and integration of Talent Partners product offering. From his career beginnings at Ziff Davis, to account management and client service roles at Donovan Data Systems, Javier has applied his business education and background to deliver intuitive software products to the advertising community that save time and create efficiencies. His high level of approachability, smarts, and broad array of knowledge make him a critical go to for clients and Talent Partners alike. While his personal ethos, besides his fanatical following of Pearl Jam, is best explained by the sign he has up in his office - resist the box.

With a mind as sharp as they come and a penchant for bursts of laughter during meetings, Paul is our chief vision guy. His focus is on reading the industry landscape for trends and challenges that affect our clients, pushing the company into areas that make sense, while keeping the core business healthy and vibrant. With strong beginnings at Ernst and Young utilizing his CPA, combined with a healthy stint at Donovan Data Systems, a leading media services company where he achieved top positions in both product and client service, Paul has continued to challenge the industry and people around him to think outside of the box. His additional work in the industry includes acting as a trustee for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Producers Pension and Health Plans where he applies that same balance of rational thinking with new ideas.

A head for talent, production and the code and a heart for arts and crafts, Eileen brings her 30+ years experience to the practice of imparting industry knowledge to people inside and outside the company. As one of the chief designers of our training and a frequent lecturer in the industry and with our clients, Eileen acts as a liaison to the unions, provides guidance on the ever changing contract and pursues her strong desire to "help people understand". With a background that includes work with Ogilvy and Mather, Campbell Soup and Unilever and skills that include everything from talent to foreign negotiations, Eileen has seen the industry through many changes and has worked hard to help others understand and manage those changes.

With 13 years in the business, a broad array of expertise and an MBA to boot, Lauren has been a critical player in building and delivering Talent Partners negotiation and art buying capability. Her background which includes stints as agent, art buyer and as a business consultant, extends across domestic and international programs and for an array of multinational brands including such companies as Coty, Proctor and Gamble, and Interparfums. Her everyday work focuses on team building, high level problem solving, and bringing together and advising a cross section of agents, brand/marketing managers, legal and public relations professionals to get the deal done.

Data driven, a gift for juggling the needs of many, and the wiring of a natural teacher, Hannah Robbins co-leads client service in our Chicago office. Applying skills from over 23 years in client service and finance and accounting roles, Hannah works to deliver a top notch product and ever better client experience. From having helped pioneer the company’s entrepreneurial Accounts (EA) group – which works with over 100 clients per year to deliver education, advise and aid on projects that are often in and out in 3 hours – to managing the work of such leading industry brands as Draft/FCB, DDB, and Anheuser-Busch, Hannah is great at finding the right balance of ideas and action.

With strong technical chops and a really funny sense of humor that seemingly comes out of nowhere, Jeremy and his IT team keep our people up to date and up and running with the technology to get their work done. Outwardly calm and collected but with an internal passion for figuring things out, Jeremy leads his tech-savvy group in providing infrastructure design, management and support across three offices and across clients inside and outside the company. With a background that spans roles from security administration to network engineer and includes stints with organizations as diverse as The Sands casino and William and Mary College, Jeremy brings a unique combination of critical thinking, flexibility, and the desire to facilitate powerful employee/client collaboration.

Spitfire, partner and "people passionate" come to mind when you talk about Mindy. Her energy seems to flow from the core belief that our people are our most important asset and one that needs to be stretched, supported and grown. With a background crossing 25 years and senior roles in broadcast/media – including CBS/Westinghouse, Time Warner and Food Network and HGTV – to consumer products with such as companies as Lifetime Brands (owners of Mikasa glass) Mindy brings a focus on organizational capacity, performance management and presenting HR as a strategic partner to our company and our clients.

To say that Nadine is a "people person" would be an understatement. This former travel agent turned HR pro, has recruited over 150 people for Talent Partners, helping to build the company into a organization that is even more capable of adapting to the dynamically changing needs of our clients and industry. Whether recruiting, crafting people development programs, or acting as the voice of employee relations, Nadine provides sound advice and ideas that help us grow. Although Nadine speaks English, Italian, Spanish, and French fluently, you will always hear her speak to you from the heart. When asked what she is most proud of she will tell you its "giving people the opportunity to work in a special place like Talent Partners and helping to make their dreams come true".

Smart, thoughtful and a calm voice in a not so calm industry, Linda brings 17 years in media and entertainment to the table. With senior stints in sales and sales operations at industry powerhouse Rainbow Media – owners of American Movie Classics (AMC) the independent Film Channel (IFC) and weTV – Linda has regulary had to negotiate a wide range of stakeholders needs. Charged with helping our clients leverage the Talent Partners offering while exploring new options and models for making things better, Linda calls on her unique combination of perspective and strategic DNA, daily.

A literal oracle of talent information and one fabulous story teller, Jeanne joins Luanne Lehmann in the running and management of the New York talent teams. With her background deeply anchored in the union contracts and code including SAG, AFTRA, and AFM, Jeanne is often one of the "go to’s" when things become complex or when a production gets "wacky". With over 27 years in the business including several roles at Broadcast Traffic and Residuals (BT&R), Jeanne has leveraged her skills and knowledge to educate the clients and a whole new generation of talent professionals.

With 27 years in the business and a impressive rolodex of people, relationships and "who begat who" stories, Mark is charged with advancing our client and industry relationships, helping our clients leverage all the company can be and delivering high level problem solving in all things talent. With a background as a talent agent for Curtis Brown Management with clients that included Maureen Stapleton and Matthew Modine, to roles in paying talent to managing the NY office of Talent Partners, Mark "knows the work" because he’s done the work.

Brainy, quick and with an eye of an auditor, April manages our treasury, budget and forecasting, and reporting team. With over 10+ years in public accounting including an eight year stint at industry leader Grant Thornton, April brings an energy and strong desire to positively shape our company while finding ever better ways to deliver the information we need to run the business efficiently. Taking the lead in a variety of company changing initiatives including an internal audit function and the upgrading of our core financial systems, April has demonstrated, time and time again, an important Talent Partners rallying cry - make it better.

When we say Stephanie runs our west coast office we mean she really runs the office. With an amazing pulse on the business, and a strange fascination with leopard skin patterns, Stephanie gets it. Call her up on any day and ask her what happening and she can recite client, people and business stats without taking a breadth. When asked to handle issues that might be considered "tough" she just says "tell me what you need me to do". Her 22 years in the industry have taken her from receptionist to broadcast business affairs to management, from agency to Talent Partners where she works with leading industry brands including Chiat, Goodby Silverstein and Partners, GSD&M and Deutsch. And, on each of her stops, we’re positive she’s made everyone laugh.

With an infectious energy, passion for "figuring stuff out" and a boatload of industry knowledge, Linda brings deep agency and advertiser experience to the table. Through her most recent role as Senior VP and Director of Production Operations at Draft/FCB Chicago working with such leading brands as Kraft, S.C. Johnson and Miller/Coors to her stints at Leo Burnett and Hal Riney Partners, to her tenure as a producer, Linda delivers the production and business affairs landscape and mindset. In her role at Talent Partners she is charged with shaping the client service function and to building our human capital to address the evolving challenges facing the advertising industry.

Though an internal go to on a variety of topics from contracts, to collection, to legal advice, Mary is very much a person on the front line. She has spent most of her 20 plus years building significant client relationships through a combination of cool headedness, application of her financial experience and an ability to figure out "ways to make things happen". Often a person with a strong pulse on the organization and our clients businesses, Mary has championed a series of innovations and activities that have lead to a better end product including our new e-voicing initiative.

Seasoned, highly skilled and full of positive energy, Maura manages the critical payroll audit function that touches all things performer, client and agent. From managing and making sure hundreds of thousands of transactions are in sync, to delivering W2’s to tens of thousands of performers each year, to handling and troubleshooting any problem that could arise, Maura leverages her 20+ years, her undergraduate degree in Finance and Masters in Accounting, to make sure everything is buttoned up and on the mark.