ABOUT YOU

Who are you?

At my core, I am one part entrepreneur, one part continuous learner, and one part strategist.

I grew up in rural South Carolina, living a farm life. It greatly helped shape my work ethic. 

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I have a Masters in Urban Affairs and Regional Planning and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis on law and a minor in Business Administration. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but since I was 5 years old I always wanted to become a lawyer. I was accepted to Columbia Law School, but after my grandmother fell ill I stayed to help care for her.

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I had to completely pivot my life and career plans. It led me to becoming a business match maker, merging amazing talent and with highly successful companies. As a people person I love granting opportunities for people. Recruitment has allowed me what I am good at and passionate about.

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My first job was at a small recruitment agency. I was hired to be a recruiter and soonI was  asked to tag along with the sales team. With no experience in sales, being at the company for 6 months, I had acquired enough new business to triple the company's sales. We grew from 1 office to 6 offices in 4 different states and got promoted as the COO.

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In 2003, I founded Genesis Professional Staffing, Inc., which took me to lead employees in 14 states and 3 countries (the US, Canada and Mexico). For 21 years, I partnered with companies ranging from Honda, Harley Davidson, Frigidaire, FOX Entertainment, Johnson & Johnson, Open Table, and The Walt Disney Company, to name a few.. 

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In 2019, Netflix had tried to recruit me, but the timing just wasn’t right. In 2021, I took over the recruitment efforts of 13 different departments, ranging from tech, series (television), film, music development, dubbing and subtitles. The goal was to help Netflix reach its goal of growing the company from 12,500 employees to 25,000 employees over the next 5 years. 

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After 2 years at Netflix I became Global Director, Talent Acquisition for 2K Games (a subsidiary of Take Two Games), one of the largest video games companies in the world. I led a large team of recruiters, grew the organizational development strategies, and partnered with the likes of NBA (National Basketball Association) and the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) to produce some of the best games in the industry. I led a team that was scattered throughout North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.

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In 2024, my experience in developing international talent strategies, led me to start my own consulting firm , where I have worked with startups, multi-billion dollar agricultural companies, and everything inbetween–serving as The Head of People and Culture and Interim CEO.

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What should our community know about you?

I don’t think that you can be good at a job in the human capital industry without liking to work with people and without having a keen sense of how to marry those individuals with companies, cultures, and roles where they can thrive. Your ability to connect those dots matters tremendously, in order to best serve the individual and the company’s interests..

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I like to work on the topic of Corporate Culture. 

Culture is not providing lunches or giving free tickets to a sporting event. Culture is creating an environment where people can show up as their authentic selves and collaborate with their peers to create outstanding results that everyone benefits from. 

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When this is achieved, one is not only creating a safe and pleasant working environment, they are also creating the best form of advertisement that they could ever ask for, by having their employees speak goodwill about their employer. 

There has never been a better form of advertisement than word of mouth and hiring talented people who want to be there is vital to a company’s success.

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I don’t recommend people or businesses easily, but when I do, I vet that person, their services, and their reliability. 

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ABOUT YOUR MISSION

What do you do? Which mission drives you?

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At my core,  I am a connector! Whether it be connecting people, aligning strategies, creating strategies to help departments within an organization work more seamlessly with another department, to me it is all the same.

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I like to listen and observe what the pain points are and then develop a solution. I don’t believe in a “one size fits all” mentality. Every person is unique and every company is unique. My goal is to know what makes you motivated and not just the “what,” but also the “why.” 

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For the next stage of my career, I want to support companies declutter and uncomplicate their recruitment strategies. Addressing with them how to  use AI, but not be run by it or feel the need to run from it. AI is a tool that can be efficient and extraordinary, but in my opinion, it is rarely a people replacement option. 

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Lastly, I want to help companies leverage their human capital. Keeping in mind that there is no company without people. Empathy, clear communication, and being invested in your employees' growth are not signs of weakness, but could very well be the key differentiator that keeps the best and brightest choosing you over a competitor. 

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What is your next big thing in the months to come?

My next big thing is coming to Portugal to live with my wife and 1 year old daughter. We have been moved by the people, the food, and the culture. There is something in the air that fits me. It has the things that I like about California and it has the things that I miss about South Carolina.  I love the respect shown to elderly people and how well children are received. When we come, we don’t want to just take from Portugal, but we want to give back and become a part of the fabric that makes it such a wonderful place.

I will pursue my consulting practice to foster companies strategy building and implementation,

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ABOUT REDBRIDGE

What represents Redbridge for you? And how does this bridge make sense to you?

My dear friend Darcy, living in Portugal, introduced me to Redbridge. 

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It’s a wonderful way for me to meet with local entrepreneurs and join a community that aims at bridging the US and Portuguese culture. I love learning from other people and finding like minded people who love entrepreneurship and connecting. I see many opportunities between the US and Portugal possible and it has so much in common, especially coming from California. I am eager to mingle within this community and hopefully, we can work and learn from each other. 

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Having worked in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles for 20 years, I see a wonderful opportunity to convince some of the filmmakers and big studios I know to facilitate the connection with Portugal. It would make a lot of sense for them to shoot more films in Portugal. The weather, the light, and the landscape's charm is beautiful and idyllic for film making while being more affordable. I have started discussions with some of them and they are very interested in doing it. Stay tuned!

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What is your call to action for the members of our community?

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For entrepreneurs and leaders:

Too often I see companies (start ups, or following an acquisition or a merger) developing their plan with their finance, tech team and then turn toward HR to find the required people. This has led to so many mistakes, as far as I have seen. They are missing the HR/talent considerations in the development of their plan, which I strongly feel is paramount to the success of their goals. I have never seen a successful company without great people. People need to always be aligned to profits. You rarely have one without the other.

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For those looking for work: 

Don’t just apply on Linkedin or through a website. Contact your connections and let them know that you are looking, maybe invite them for a cup of coffee. I have a saying that I have become known for, “Don’t succeed in secret and don’t suffer in silence.” Too many of us feel embarrassed if we are without work or laid off. Don’t be! It has happened to tens of millions of people and it will happen to many more. The best people to help you get a new role are the people who know you and are invested in you. Do whatever you can to be face to face. Most interviews these days are via Zoom or Google video calls but it could make a real difference if you are able to meet in person. It helps you present yourself and be more engaged.

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Lastly, always take the time to meet with recruiters even if you are not seeking a job. You may not need it now but it could serve you well 3 months from now. If you are not interested in the position, refer someone who could be a good fit, because it will come back to you tenfold later. The recruiter will remember and appreciate you and I can assure you that the family member or friend that you recommend will be grateful that you thought of them during a tough time. Always pay it forward. Referral remains the best way to get hired. 

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If this speaks to you, let’s connect!

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Follow Marcus Moore on his LinkedIn and his website www.mtmconsults.com

Interview by Aurélie A. Vincent,  Founder of Embody Agency

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