Our Team
SAMANTHA LITMAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
📧 Samantha@bltrecruiting.com | (310) 210-4400 | Linkedin
After more than a decade of running her own company, People Path Recruiting, Samantha has taken over the helm at BLT. Samantha has a passion for diving deep into a company’s culture and evaluating its needs with a 360° approach. Timing is everything in recruiting! Samantha prides herself on her ability to move quickly, make meaningful assessments, and find the proverbial needle in the haystack that every company seeks.
SUSAN O’NEAL
📧 susan@bltrecruiting.com | (310) 560-7518 | Linkedin
Susan combines a background in VFX commercial and features production with a focus on creating the perfect team. She has worked with VFX houses like Method, The Mill, and Digital Domain. She’s a techie at heart… Just ask her how she feels about open-source code. Susan is on the VES Global Board of Directors 2022, is the VES Membership Committee Chair, and was the 2nd Vice-Chair on the historic all-female Executive Committee for the VES in 2022.
ANDREA ANDREWS
📧 andrea.andrews@bltrecruiting.com | (310) 863-3061 | LinkedIn
Andrea is within 6 degrees of literally everyone in advertising. She has served as an executive producer, an independent rep, and the head of sales/marketing for prominent bi-coastal production and post-production companies. She was born in Toronto, Canada, lived for a decade in Milano, Italy, and traveled the world in between and ever since! Andrea is on the AICP West Coast Planning Committee.
ANDREA JOY STERN
📧 Andrea.Stern@bltrecruiting.com | 310-422-7481 | LinkedIn
Andrea joined forces with BLT Recruiting and discovered her true passion for connecting great people with great companies. Before joining BLT, she created Sternworld Creative Management and was also a founder and President of Lab903, a branding and motion design firm working with high profile networks, agencies, and studios. As an executive, Andrea has guided branding initiatives, acting as producer of commercials, main titles, music videos, on-air promotions, and theatrical trailers. Her favorite credit of all is associate producer of the cult classic Godzilla! Andrea is an active member of Promax and The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Main Title Design Peer Group).
CYNTHIA JACOBSEN
📧 cynthia@bltrecruiting.com | (415) 699-6946 | LinkedIn
Cynthia’s background in creative has proven invaluable in recognizing and managing creative talent. At TBWA\Chiat\Day\Tequila she made the flip from art direction to resource management and recruitment. Cynthia fine tuned her resource management skills at Razorfish, Trailer Park, and Fullscreen. She resides in Bend, Oregon, where you might find her floating down the Deschutes River while sipping a vodka martini.
KAREN SMITH
📧 karen@bltrecruiting.com | (310) 569-8348 | LinkedIn
Karen started her career in advertising right out of college, with a goal of working in broadcast production. Karen made her mark as an executive producer on the award-winning Lexus brand at Team One Advertising and on the Safeway brand at Dailey & Associates. She then jumped over to the post side as the managing director of a West Coast editorial shop. Karen applies all of her experience in advertising to her recruiting career at BLT.
KATHY MCGOFF
📧 kathy@bltrecruiting.com | (310) 493-2718 | LinkedIn
Kathy worked as a producer in the advertising industry for 15 years. During that time, she was thrilled to work with some of the best and brightest in the ad business, producing award winning work for Apple, Round Up, and Sheba. She earned a few Clios & Cannes along the way! Now Kathy uses her critical eye for helping companies find the best copywriters, art directors, and strategists for their teams.
STEVIE DEMOTT
📧 Stevie@BLTRecruiting.com | LinkedIn
Stevie is a professionally trained actor and theater collaborator turned entertainment and media recruiter. After leaving the big stage, she worked in Bay Area real estate for 7 years before reuniting with her original passion - investing in people's stories - this time, the stories of professionals looking to advance in the entertainment industry. Stevie deeply enjoys connecting with a diverse range of people and uniting them with their next big opportunity.
Stevie is a proud graduate of Cal State University, and received her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater.
HARRY HANTEL
📧 Harry@Bltrecruiting.com | LinkedIn
A Texan by birth, Harry started at BLT as a sourcer back in 2017, after a fateful sushi happy hour in Venice (Thanks, Andrea Stern!). He loves connecting great candidates with BLT’s diverse clients, and has sourced and recruited for a variety of positions across marketing & advertising, media, production, post production, and beyond since graduating from NYU. His first love is creative writing, but finding top-tier creative talent is a close second.
He’s glad to have landed with such a great group of recruiters who are willing to share their wealth of knowledge. Ask him about short fiction, natural wine, and Fleetwood Mac.
TARA HENDERSON
📧 Tara@bltrecruiting.com | LinkedIn
Tara honed her skills in administration and management in the nonprofit sector after graduating from UCLA in 2017. She ventured into the advertising world by joining ThinkLA as an events associate in 2020, where she was introduced to BLT’s executive director Samantha. Tara fell in love with BLT’s team and mission, and joined the company in 2021. As Operations Manager, she’s our swiss army knife, touching everything from payroll to party planning! Outside of work, she loves hiking, going to concerts, and spending time with her dog, Rocco.
KATIE WARD GERARD
📧 Katie@bltrecruiting.com | LinkedIn
Obsessed with helping seekers on both sides, Katie specializes in partnering with brands and agencies to bring them the best creative talent for every full-time or project-based gig. As a connector and curator who’s worked with directors, animators, visual effects artists and musicians in NY, LA, SF, Chicago and Toronto, Katie's well-tuned creative sensibilities and visual instincts guide her in matching the right talent with the ideal project. As a mom, surfer and yogi, Katie is curious and compassionate, and prioritizes honesty and authenticity for her candidates and clients.