Managing Director - Cultural Mobilization

Bully Pulpit International is an outcomes agency made up of strategists, data scientists, and artists. We come from politics, brands, and government and we communicate without barriers and measure what matters. We have more than 400 team members in six countries and thirteen offices — Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, D.C., London, Los Angeles, New York, Oslo, San Francisco, and Zürich. We apply our unique expertise across strategic communications, public affairs, research, and digital marketing to create sophisticated and customized strategies that make change possible for both American and European clients.

• Starting Salary Range: $225,000 (+annual qualitative & quantitative portfolio bonus)
• Preferred to work from our LA office at least 3 days a week

The Impact You Will Make

We are seeking a Managing Director, Cultural Mobilization to build and lead this new practice. This person will be the architect of BPI’s cultural mobilization capability combining cultural intelligence, strategic relationship-building, and senior advisory to help clients understand culture, build credibility within it, and engage in ways that drive real-world impact. They will bring and cultivate relationships across entertainment, sports, media, and other cultural institutions, working with everyone from showrunners and creators to studio executives, journalists and other cultural gatekeepers. This practice complements BPI’s paid and earned creator programs by focusing on cultural strategy, long-term relationship building, and strategic activations and campaigns.

This is a practice-building role as we develop this specialty team within BPI. This team will serve BPI's diverse client roster, from major corporations to leading philanthropic and advocacy groups, driving impact across industry transformation, public policy, and brand reputation. Initially, the Managing Director will focus on developing strategy, building relationships within the industry and the field, originating opportunities that meet client needs, and enabling execution through BPI’s client teams and a curated network of contractors and specialists rather than building a large in-house team. As demand grows, they will have the opportunity to design, hire, and lead a dedicated Cultural Mobilization team.

Responsibilities

What the Day-to-Day Looks Like

Build & Manage the Practice

• Define and evolve the Cultural Mobilization practice, defining and scaling its operating model, service offerings, methodologies, and intellectual property.
• Establish and evolve service offerings and associated deliverables that enable the Practice and the firm to stay competitive, unique, and deliver for its clients.
• Recruit, develop, and lead the team as the practice grows, while representing BPI externally through speaking, publishing, industry engagement, and business development.
• Present to senior clients, including CCOs, heads of corporate affairs, and heads of philanthropic organizations, to demonstrate our deep expertise, establish BPI as first chair, and ensure our work successfully drives maximum impact.
• Develop and execute a marketing and visibility strategy to elevate the practice’s profile, positioning BPI as a thought leader in cultural mobilization and driving awareness among prospective clients.

Cultural Intelligence & Opportunity Identification

• Build BPI’s cultural intelligence capability, identifying the narratives, communities, creators, platforms, and moments that shape public attitudes and behavior across entertainment, sports, gaming, podcasts, digital media, and beyond.
• Identify and leverage cultural mapping tools to understand where target audiences spend their time, who they trust, and which stories, communities, and cultural moments present the greatest opportunity for client engagement.
• Identify emerging cultural trends, opportunities, and reputational risks before they become obvious, translating them into actionable recommendations for clients and internal teams.

• Partner with Insights team to produce cultural intelligence briefings, trend analyses, and strategic insights that strengthen client strategy and establish BPI’s point of view in the marketplace.

Cultural Lobbying & Strategic Relationships

• Lead BPI’s “cultural lobbying” practice by building sustained, trusted relationships with the people who shape culture, including showrunners, television writers, talent, agents, producers, executives, creators, and cultural institutions so that clients have credibility and access long before a specific opportunity or ask arises.
• Develop and steward a network of advisors, partners, and cultural experts spanning entertainment, sports, music, gaming, live events, and other sectors that influence public conversation.
• Cultivate the relationships, partnerships, and institutional knowledge that give BPI and its clients early access to emerging ideas, influential voices, and cultural moments.

• Position BPI as a trusted thought partner within the cultural ecosystem by building long-term relationships that create value for both clients and creative communities.

Client Cultural Strategy & Advisory

• Partner with senior client leaders to identify where culture can accelerate their priorities, translating business, advocacy, and policy objectives into cultural strategies grounded in storytelling, entertainment, partnerships, and shared experiences.
• Advise clients on how to build credibility, relationships, and influence within culture, integrating cultural mobilization with earned, owned, paid, and public affairs strategies into one cohesive approach.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to CEOs, foundation presidents, communications executives, advocacy leaders, and campaign teams on high-stakes cultural strategy, narrative development, and relationship-building.

Activation & Delivery

• Translate strategy into action by partnering with BPI’s client teams and a curated network of specialists to deliver high-impact cultural engagements.
• Design the approach, assemble the right collaborators, and stay closely involved in flagship work to ensure execution reflects the quality and strategic intent of the practice.
• Build, manage, and continuously expand a trusted network of contractors, advisors, and subject-matter experts, bringing together the right expertise for each client engagement.
• Equip BPI’s client teams with the tools, guidance, and support they need to confidently deliver cultural mobilization work while developing repeatable methodologies, playbooks, and measurement frameworks that allow the practice to scale.

• 15+ years of experience in entertainment, communications, media, marketing, advocacy, consulting, or a related field, with public affairs knowledge or policy expertise, and a demonstrated track record of building trusted relationships and influence within culture, not simply analyzing it from the outside.
• An established network and strong credibility across entertainment, talent representation, media, sports, philanthropy, or other cultural institutions, with the ability to continually expand and deepen those relationships.
• Deep understanding of how influence moves through today’s media ecosystem and how cultural narratives shape public perception, legitimacy, and behavior.
• Exceptional strategic judgment and the ability to advise CEOs, foundation presidents, communications executives, and other senior leaders on complex, high-stakes challenges.
• Commercially minded, with experience building a practice, leading a business line, managing a P&L, generating new business, or otherwise contributing to profitable growth.
• An entrepreneurial builder who thrives in ambiguity and is energized by creating new capabilities rather than inheriting established ones.
• Comfort operating across sectors, with the ability to move fluidly between mission-driven organizations, public affairs, philanthropy, entertainment, media, and the broader cultural landscape.

Success Metrics

• Quality, originality, and strategic impact of cultural intelligence, recommendations, and client work.
• Growth, depth, and strategic value of BPI’s relationships across entertainment, sports, media, philanthropy, and other cultural sectors.
• Revenue generated, client retention, and adoption of Cultural Mobilization services across new and existing accounts.
• Demonstrated client impact, including measurable shifts in awareness, engagement, partnerships, narrative traction, or other client-defined outcomes.
• Growth of the practice, including client retention, brand differentiation, profitability, scalability, repeatable methodologies, development of team and offers, and effective collaboration across BPI teams.
• External recognition of BPI’s Cultural Mobilization practice through thought leadership, speaking engagements, media coverage, industry partnerships, and market reputation.

BPI offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) program with employer match up to 4%, generous time off for vacation, $50 monthly phone reimbursement, unlimited sick time, and 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents. BPI’s benefits prioritize employee wellness and progressive support to our diverse workforce.

We’re looking for all kinds of people.  

BPI Group is an integrated public affairs agency that delivers outcomes for the top organizations and leaders around the world. With expertise in strategic communications, digital marketing, creative, research, and measurement, we offer a cohesive approach across corporate, policy, and public affairs strategy in today’s interconnected world. By combining incisive strategy and deep tactical expertise, we make change possible. Our transatlantic presence includes offices across thirteen markets in the US and Europe.

We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions based on individual commitment to excellence. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. 

BPI is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. We consider applications holistically and you may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

Let’s keep in touch. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at bpigroup.com