South West Recruitment Firm OD Talent Solutions handles major recruitment project for GB News ahead of ground breaking network launch.
When the brand new GB News channel launches on our TV screens on 13th June, viewers can expect to see a whole host of household names on camera – experts in their respective journalistic sectors, committed to bringing a fresh and honest approach to British news broadcasting. Fitting then, that South West company OD Talent Solutions, who themselves are disrupters within their own sector, were selected by GB News to handle the significant staffing project, from recruitment right through to developing and implementing the onboarding process for all new starters, and the handling of required employment paperwork for GB News’ high profile recruits.
The project saw the recruitment for in excess of 100 new roles from a pool of over 6,000 candidates keen to join the network which has seasoned broadcaster Andrew Neil at the helm as its chairman. Roles on offer encompassed journalism and producing, as well as broadcast and digital technology specialisms, and at all levels of seniority. The OD Talent team also undertook the recruitment of a significant number of regional reporters across the country, to help serve the GB News mission of involving “non-metropolitan voices in the national conversation”.
Director Laura O’Driscoll founded OD Talent Solutions based solidly on core principles of integrity, relationship building, and a firm desire to be true industry specialists, offering a unique outsourced vacancy management model based around a bespoke, full circle approach. Laura expands: “This provides the market with a tailored alternative to the traditional routes of either setting up costly inhouse operations, or reliance on agencies where competitive placing often overshadows service quality and candidate experience.”
Director of news and programming John McAndrew who has worked for the BBC, Sky News, ITN and NBC said: “We can sense a real hunger for something fresh and different in television news and debate. It’s humbling because we are a start-up with a fraction of the resources of others, but what we lack in size we make up for in passion and determination to provide a welcoming home for honest British news and debate. All our presenters will have the freedom to say what they think, to have some fun and to be brave about covering the issues that really matter to the people of Britain.”
Clients of OD Talent Solutions benefit from a similarly honest and straight talking approach coupled with drive, determination and a no fear, ‘can do’ attitude evidenced across the whole of Laura O’Driscoll’s recruitment team – qualities that the founders of GB News were keen to engage with. “We chose OD Talent Solutions because we wanted an outsourced recruitment solution that functioned as a fully integrated in-house one: knowledgeable, efficient and personal. Laura and her team delivered exactly that, quickly getting to grips with media and calmly managing more than 6,000 applications to GB News – far more than anyone expected” explains Chief Operating Officer, Marc Schipper. “Laura took the time to treat candidates as individuals and ultimately supported us to complete a challenging recruitment exercise in record time, in the middle of a pandemic.”
Laura adds: “We are an agile business who totally understood the need for a new media platform that will give a voice to the regions beyond Westminster, and which will bring diversity of thought and debate rather than just a continual rolling news feed. Being a working class girl from Yorkshire, now settled in the South West, I know first-hand how life in the regions differs so significantly to that in London, and how regional news and views have been underrepresented for a long time, so it has been an honour to be selected to help GB News get off the ground by helping them build a strong team, rich in experience.”