Confidential Candidate Network
We identify and build relationships with high-level professionals across publishing, product, licensing, sales, operations, marketing, manufacturing, crowdfunding, and related tabletop functions.
Executive Placement
The right people already know the industry.
Best in Play confidentially connects exceptional senior tabletop professionals with companies looking for experienced leadership. Candidates never pay a fee, and searches can happen quietly, without broadcasting that someone is considering a move.
High-level hiring works better when the search is both targeted and discreet.
ConfidentialCandidates can explore opportunities without announcing a job search to the industry
Industry FocusedWe build relationships with proven leaders who already understand tabletop
Full ServiceWe manage introductions, interviews, negotiations, and the path to an accepted offer
Some of the best candidates are not actively applying anywhere.
Senior tabletop talent often moves through relationships, reputation, and private conversations rather than public job boards. Best in Play is building a confidential network of outstanding executives and senior professionals, then matching the right people with both listed openings and opportunities that may never be publicly posted.
Executive placement built for tabletop.
We provide the familiar structure of an executive search and employment agency relationship, with one important difference: the search is grounded in a deep understanding of the tabletop business and the people who make it work.
Targeted Executive Search
Hiring companies can engage Best in Play to identify qualified candidates for a specific role, including professionals who may not be publicly looking for a new position.
Listed and Unlisted Opportunities
We match candidates with traditional posted positions as well as confidential searches, succession plans, newly created roles, and opportunities still being shaped by company leadership.
Candidate Representation
There is no charge to candidates. We help them evaluate fit, understand the opportunity, prepare for conversations, and navigate the process while protecting their privacy.
Interview and Offer Management
We coordinate introductions and interviews, keep communication moving, surface concerns early, and help both sides stay aligned throughout the search.
Compensation and Deal Negotiation
We help manage compensation, title, responsibilities, start timing, and other employment terms so the company and candidate can reach an agreement with fewer surprises.
A confidential search lets great people consider the next step without putting their current role at risk.
Why Best in Play
We know the roles, the companies, and the difference between a resume and a real fit.
The tabletop industry is unusually relationship-driven. A strong placement depends on more than matching keywords. We understand how publishers, studios, licensors, manufacturers, distributors, and service companies actually operate, which lets us evaluate candidates in the context of the business they would be joining.
Discretion first
Candidate interest is treated as confidential and shared only as appropriate during an active search.
Industry context
We understand the specialized experience behind product, licensing, publishing, and tabletop leadership roles.
Passive candidates
Companies gain access to people who may be open to the right opportunity but are not applying publicly.
Human matching
We look at leadership style, company stage, responsibilities, culture, and career goals, not just job titles.
For hiring companies
Best in Play is paid by the hiring company when engaged for placement services. Candidates are never charged. We can work on a defined executive search or help surface strong people for a role that is still taking shape.
Tell us what the business actually needs.
We work through the role, reporting structure, priorities, compensation expectations, company stage, and the problems the new hire needs to solve.
Reach beyond applicants.
We identify, approach, and qualify candidates through our industry network, including experienced professionals who would never appear in a public applicant pool.
Keep the process moving to yes.
We coordinate communication, interviews, feedback, compensation discussions, and final negotiations through an accepted offer.
For executives and senior candidates
You do not need to be unemployed, actively job hunting, or ready to announce a move. Our goal is to know who the exceptional people are before the exceptional opportunity appears.
1
Connect
Have a private conversation about your experience, ambitions, preferred roles, and what might make a move worthwhile.
2
Profile
We understand the kinds of companies, responsibilities, compensation, and challenges that would be a meaningful next step.
3
Match
When a relevant opportunity appears, we contact you privately rather than circulating your interest across the industry.
4
Explore
We facilitate confidential conversations and help both sides determine whether the fit is worth pursuing.
5
Negotiate
If there is a match, we help manage the offer and employment terms through a successful placement.
Built for senior roles across the tabletop business.
The exact titles vary from company to company, so we focus on responsibility and impact. Searches can span executive leadership and senior functional roles throughout the industry.
ExecutivePresidents, general managers, heads of games, studio leaders, and other senior operators.
ProductGame development, product leadership, inventor relations, creative, and portfolio strategy.
CommercialLicensing, business development, sales, marketing, crowdfunding, and partnerships.
OperationsManufacturing, sourcing, production, finance, logistics, and organizational leadership.
The next great hire may not be looking for you yet.
If you are hiring, tell us what you need. If you are an experienced tabletop professional open to the right next move, introduce yourself confidentially. Either conversation can start privately.