Director – Business Development
Complex
Director – Business Development
Complex
Pop culture and lifestyle media platform
Salary Range: 150000 to 180000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)
Company And Culture
ESCO (Exhibit Supply Company), founded in 1901, is a legendary name in collecting history and is credited with helping invent the modern trading card. Among the earliest companies to produce collectible picture cards featuring entertainers, athletes and cultural icons, ESCO captured the stars and stories of its time—from Charlie Chaplin and Babe Ruth to Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. ESCO was also among the first to issue trading cards independently of other consumer products such as tobacco or gum, helping establish the trading card as a collectible in its own right.
Now, the legend returns.
ESCO Trading Cards begins a new chapter, bringing more than a century of collecting heritage into the future of the hobby. As the only premium trading card brand dedicated exclusively to music and pop culture, ESCO celebrates the artists, icons and cultural moments that define generations—while creating cards worthy of being collected, displayed and passed down.
The brand that helped shape the trading card is back—reimagined for a new generation of collectors.
Why We're Hiring
The Director of Business Development will play a critical role in driving ESCO's growth by identifying and developing strategic partnerships, licensing opportunities, distribution relationships, brand collaborations, and new business initiatives.
This person will work at the intersection of music, entertainment, collectibles, consumer products, licensing, retail, and culture, building relationships that create meaningful commercial opportunities for ESCO.
The ideal candidate is a natural relationship builder with strong commercial instincts who can take an opportunity from initial introduction through negotiation and execution. This person should be equally comfortable developing a partnership strategy, making a pitch, building a financial business case, negotiating deal terms, and working cross-functionally to bring a partnership to market.
This is a highly entrepreneurial role for someone who is excited about helping build a rapidly growing business and identifying opportunities that may not yet exist.
Develop and execute ESCO's business development strategy with a focus on driving revenue, expanding distribution, developing strategic partnerships, and creating new growth opportunities.
Identify, evaluate, and pursue new business opportunities across music, entertainment, sports, fashion, retail, consumer products, collectibles, media, and culture.
Build and maintain relationships with record labels, music publishers, artist management companies, agencies, entertainment companies, brands, retailers, distributors, licensors, and other strategic partners.
Identify opportunities for artist, talent, brand, and intellectual-property partnerships that can translate into compelling trading card and collectible products.
Source and develop new licensing opportunities that expand ESCO's portfolio of artists, cultural properties, and collectible categories.
Develop strategic partnerships and collaborations that extend ESCO beyond traditional trading card products and introduce the brand to new audiences.
Identify and pursue opportunities across retail, hobby, direct-to-consumer, e-commerce, live events, and other distribution channels.
Lead partnership discussions from initial outreach and pitch development through negotiation, contracting, launch, and ongoing relationship management.
Develop compelling presentations, proposals, partnership concepts, and business cases for prospective partners.
Evaluate the commercial potential of new opportunities, including revenue potential, economics, strategic value, audience, market demand, and operational requirements.
Negotiate key business terms in partnership with leadership, Finance, and Legal.
Build financial models and deal structures that support profitable, sustainable partnerships.
Maintain a robust pipeline of prospective partners and opportunities and provide regular reporting on pipeline activity, deal status, revenue potential, and next steps.
Track industry trends, emerging categories, competitors, artists, cultural moments, and consumer behavior to identify opportunities for ESCO.
Represent ESCO at relevant industry events, conferences, meetings, and partner presentations.
Partner closely with Product, Creative, Marketing, Licensing, Sales, Operations, Finance, and Legal to ensure partnerships can be successfully executed.
Work with internal teams to transition signed partnerships from business development into product development and launch.
Develop long-term relationships with partners and identify opportunities to expand successful partnerships into additional products, properties, or revenue streams.
Help define and build scalable business development processes as ESCO continues to grow.
Take on additional strategic projects and growth initiatives as opportunities arise.
7+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, licensing, sales, or a related commercial role.
Demonstrated track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing meaningful partnerships and revenue-generating opportunities.
Strong network and/or experience within music, entertainment, collectibles, consumer products, licensing, retail, media, or related industries.
Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills.
Strong negotiation skills with experience navigating complex partnership and commercial agreements.
Excellent presentation and pitching skills, with the ability to communicate a compelling vision to prospective partners.
Strong commercial and financial acumen with the ability to evaluate deal economics and revenue opportunities.
Ability to develop an opportunity from an initial idea through execution rather than simply managing existing relationships.
Highly entrepreneurial, proactive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a significant pipeline of opportunities simultaneously.
Ability to collaborate effectively across creative, operational, financial, legal, and executive teams.
Comfortable interacting and negotiating with senior executives, talent representatives, brands, and other high-level external stakeholders.
Experience within the trading card, collectibles, music, entertainment, licensing, consumer products, or retail industries.
Existing relationships across record labels, artist management, agencies, entertainment companies, brands, licensors, retailers, or distributors.
Experience developing artist, talent, IP, or brand licensing partnerships.
Understanding of the trading card and collectibles ecosystem, including hobby, retail, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer distribution.
Experience launching new products, partnerships, categories, or business verticals.
Experience working within an entrepreneurial, high-growth, or early-stage business environment.
Genuine passion for music, entertainment, pop culture, and collectibles.
Complex runs a media platform focused on pop culture, music, sneakers, style, and sports, delivering news, features, and trend coverage to a diverse audience. It earns money from advertising, branded content, and merchandise, including exclusive collaborations with artists and designers. The platform publishes editorial and multimedia content to engage readers, using that engagement to attract advertisers and drive traffic, while merchandise and limited collaborations turn cultural moments into purchases. Its edge comes from a strong emphasis on streetwear and music culture, plus exclusive brand-artist drops, aiming to be the go-to source for pop culture and lifestyle trends while building sustainable revenue from ads, branded content, and partnerships.
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