Talent leader Simone Press shares honest AND expert tips on hiring, job hunting, and building standout teams—insights from media, tech, and startup trenches you won’t want to miss.

If there’s one person who knows how to build world-class teams across media, tech, and startups, it’s Simone Press. With a career that has spanned major media giants, high-growth startups, and innovative tech companies, Simone has mastered theart of finding and attracting top talent to fuel business success. Currently serving as Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Candle Media, Simone is the strategic force behind scaling teams across a diverse portfolio of brands, including Hello Sunshine, ATTN, and Moonbug. Whether she’s partnering with the C-suite on hiring strategies or implementing cutting-edge  recruitment processes, Simone thrives at the intersection of business growth and people strategy. Beyond her corporate leadership, Simone has also built a successful fractional talent consulting business, Immersa Talent, working with some of the most exciting startups in entertainment, SaaS, and sports tech. She’s helped Tom Brady’s NFT startup, Autograph, hire key executives, partnered with CyberGRX to scale global hiring efforts, and supported GameChanger in filling high-impact leadership roles. If there’s a high-stakes recruiting challenge, Simone knows how to solve it. Her expertise spans executive search, employer branding, DE&I hiring, global recruitment strategies, and recruitment operations—all with a sharp focus on scalability and innovation. She’s built entire recruiting functions from scratch, scaled companies through rapid growth phases, and reduced time-to-fill and offer rejection rates in some of the most competitive talent markets. A former journalist turned talent guru, Simone brings a storyteller’s mindset to recruiting, helping companies craft compelling employer brands that attract top-tier talent. From Amazon Studios to Huffington Post, from tech-driven SaaS firms to digital-first entertainment companies, her experience is as diverse as the teams she’s built. Simone is a trusted hiring advisor, an industry thought leader, and a true talent connector—always finding innovative ways to bring the right people into the right roles to drive business success.