Working with clients in the TV Production and Film industry

S+O Media, first established in 2003, is now one of London’s leading broadcast equipment hire and crewing companies, employing over 20 members of staff. Changes in both the media landscape and their growth trajectory meant they needed an HR partner who could take control of the day-to-day, allowing them to scale to new heights..

Industry challenges

As S+O Media continued to grow – and the industry shifted in the wake of the pandemic – they realised their long-standing approach to supporting employees needed to evolve. What had worked in the past was no longer hitting the mark.

They searched for a more integrated HR partner, someone who could provide clear guidance and structure for the team, whilst freeing up the directors to focus on strategy and business development in a challenging market. And Fitzgerald met this brief, beautifully.

Our team stepped in to handle the day-to-day HR tasks, offering experienced people guidance and support, whilst giving the directors peace of mind that their team were in good hands and would continue to be treated with the same care and attention that they had always strived for.

First things first

Their initial priorities were to:

• review their employee documentation, such as employment contracts and policies; and
• define the approach for tackling the cultural challenges they faced.

In just a few short months of working together, Fitzgerald had already updated the employee handbook to better reflect S+O’s company culture, helped the directors rebuild a positive, supportive post-pandemic team environment, and taken full ownership of the onboarding process – from handling job offers and pre-employment checks to making sure new starters felt welcomed and ready to go.

In addition, an employee email inbox was set up and regularly monitored by the team at Fitzgerald, who continue to respond to any queries or concerns that come in.

Onwards and upwards

But the good work doesn’t stop there.

S+O Media plan to tackle other strategic projects such as salary and reward benchmarking, the development of an Employee Value Proposition, carrying out a survey to better understand employee engagement levels, and reviewing performance frameworks; all with Fitzgerald by their side.

A match made in heaven

One of the key strengths of this partnership is the close collaboration between Fitzgerald and S+O Media. Plus, S+O Media benefit from Fitzgerald’s experience of working with many other companies in the TV Production and Film industry. 

This experience means that Fitzgerald have a deep-rooted understanding of the unique people challenges and issues that the industry faces and can bring this to life in every interaction.