Case Study: Film Pittsburgh Executive Transition
Overview
Film Pittsburgh, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization, celebrates independent filmmakers and curates diverse cinematic experiences to foster dialogue, learning, and human connection.
In late December 2024, Film Pittsburgh engaged Shannon Parris Consulting to conduct a Staff Experience & Policy Assessment. The goal of the assessment was to learn about staff’s day-to-day experience working for Film Pittsburgh and understand how organizational policies supported (or undermined) that experience.
The staff assessment ultimately led to the first executive transition in Film Pittsburgh’s history — a process that needed to balance honoring the founding executive director’s legacy with supporting the staff’s wellbeing and preparing the organization for the future.
Paul Sloop, Film Pittsburgh’s Artistic Director, was the most senior staff member and stepped up as the staff leader during this transition. Reflecting on the experience, he said, “I don't think I ever imagined that such a thorough and thoughtful process would have been initiated. The choices made by the board of Film Pittsburgh were decisive and well considered. More importantly, they took the time to seek guidance from others and chose to bring on Shannon Parris, which, in my estimation, was a key factor in leading to the extremely positive outcome that was ultimately achieved.”
“[Bringing on Shannon Parris] was a key factor in leading to the extremely positive outcome that was ultimately achieved.”
From left: Shannon Parris, Elaine Gelb (Board of Directors, Film Pittsburgh), and Paul Sloop (Artistic Director, Film Pittsburgh) at ReelAbilities, one of Film Pittsburgh’s film festivals, in September 2025.
Approach
In January 2025, Shannon conducted a policy review and interviews with all Film Pittsburgh employees and contractors. When Film Pittsburgh’s board of directors decided to move forward with an executive transition, Shannon supported the documentation of the outgoing executive director’s institutional knowledge, including key responsibilities, standard operating procedures, and access to technological tools and accounts, and then created an onboarding dashboard for the incoming executive director.
Paul shared, “Shannon's guidance and support were critical in helping us find our path forward and helping us identify an ideal candidate to take on the executive director role at Film Pittsburgh. The continuity created through that process, I believe, has made our new executive director’s transition into our organization much smoother than it might have otherwise been.”
Indeed, Shanna Carrick, Film Pittsburgh’s new Executive Director, shared, “There is never an easy way to step into a role like this. A little bit of chaos is to be expected, but Shannon's documentation gave me a knowledge base to refer to for quick answers and helped me know exactly what I was walking into. The one-on-one check-ins with Shannon were critical to my decision making. If this transition work hadn’t happened before I was hired, it would have been absolutely chaos and would have added another three months on to our already-behind schedule.”
The process of searching for a new executive director included:
Drafting and widely advertising the job post
Managing all communications with candidates throughout the hiring process
Designing the interview process and creating customized interview questions
Creating a candidate tracking dashboard and scoring application materials with a rubric
Conducting phone screenings with the top candidates and recommending candidates for face-to-face interviews
Facilitating two rounds of face-to-face interviews with Film Pittsburgh board and staff members
Supporting Film Pittsburgh in selecting the top candidates from each round of interviews
Making a formal offer and negotiating employment terms with the selected candidate
Hiring and onboarding the incoming executive director for the first 90 days
Facilitating a 90-day performance evaluation of the Executive Director with board members
“Shannon's documentation gave me a knowledge base to refer to for quick answers and helped me know exactly what I was walking into.”
From left: Shannon Parris, Adrienne Wehr (Community Engagement Manager, Film Pittsburgh), Shanna Carrick (Executive Director, Film Pittsburgh) at ImpactUp, a Pittsburgh gathering of changemakers, in July 2025.
Recalling this search process, Daryl Hutson, Film Pittsburgh’s Board Chair during the transition, shared, “Every step of the way, there were clear and quantifiable objectives and much needed step-in by Shannon Parris Consulting to make sure we had the stability we needed. The board was not in a position to take this task on nor did we have the skill set to do it.
“Although it was not an easy process, we were able to achieve our goals with Shannon’s help, which were to honor our first executive director’s legacy, create a soft landing and maintain the current staff, and hire a new executive director.
“There was a clear sense of caring and humanity on Shannon’s part. Some of these traits are not found in all firms. She successfully laid out a framework and process that all parties could participate in and ultimately left the decision to us.
“Film Pittsburgh received tremendous value with our executive director search, and I still tell people how important hiring Shannon was. I would tell any nonprofit board to get professional help during any employee search or difficult transition.”
Coaching, Fractional HR & Operations Support
Throughout the transition period, Shannon provided one-on-one coaching support for Film Pittsburgh staff members, as well as fractional operational leadership and strategic advisory for the organization’s board and staff leaders. This work included:
Coaching sessions, as requested, available to all staff members
Identifying a PR firm and supporting the transition announcement
Reviewing and updating the organizational chart
Creating a board-executive-staff Decision Matrix
Ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal labor laws
Creating role charters for all staff roles
Executing contracts with independent contractors
Transitioning the organization to a new payroll provider
Updating the organization’s PTO policy
Implementing a new time tracking system
Supporting development efforts, including funder notifications and grant writing
Facilitating core values identification
Implementing a new performance management system
“There was a clear sense of caring and humanity on Shannon’s part. Some of these traits are not found in all firms.”
From left: Shannon Parris, Daryl Hutson (Board Chair, Film Pittsburgh) at ReelAbilities, one of Film Pittsburgh’s film festivals, in September 2025.
Supported staff members shared:
“Coaching supported me during the leadership transition by giving me a sense of stability. Shannon was a helpful sounding board in moments when I needed to make decisions without the normal leadership structure I was used to.”
“I saw Shannon as a very good ‘Head Coach.’ She sometimes had to be tough with me and let me know why I might need to adjust my thinking and approach. My sense was, at times, Shannon became concerned I might not see her as positively as I had before those tough discussions but the opposite was true. I saw that she was direct and honest and wouldn't pull punches when needed but also remained supportive. So, I felt like I was getting great coaching. It made me trust her more and more as our working relationship continued. It also has made me a much better leader than I was prior to this experience.”
“During a difficult period when I was unsure what was next for me and my career, Shannon encouraged me to refocus on my own wants and needs. Rather than trying to fit a role that wasn’t meant for me, she helped me find the courage to create a new opportunity within the organization that centered my own passions and strengths. With Shannon’s guidance, I was able to shape a new future for myself.”
“Coaching helped me make a plan for tackling difficult tasks and keeping the ship afloat while we waited to onboard a new Executive Director. Shannon helped me develop a project management strategy to ensure that my team continued to meet important deadlines during the transition.”
“Staff coaching during a leadership transition is incredibly worthwhile. It gives staff a neutral sounding board and empowers them to make decisions and manage tasks while management is in flux. During a leadership transition, staff often have to take on new challenges and new roles to ensure that the organization continues running smoothly, and coaching is an essential resource to ready staff to step into these roles without feeling overwhelmed and burning out.”
Increasing Trust & Transparency
Shanna was hired in July 2025 and welcomed by a team that had grown stronger because of how they had come together to weather this transition. Since all staff members had the opportunity to participate in the hiring process, they were confident in their choice and excited to welcome their new leader.
Throughout this process, there was an intentional effort to build trust by increasing transparency at all levels of the organization. Film Pittsburgh established direct and specific ways for board and staff members to interact, collaborate, and communicate, fostering a sense of shared responsibility for and investment in the organization’s mission.
Paul reflected, “The team at Film Pittsburgh became even closer and more cohesive throughout the process. That was aided significantly by the guidance and coaching I received from Shannon throughout the process. It's notable that not only did we not lose any of the key team members during this process, but two newer team members became even more integrated into the team as a whole and are now key members of the ongoing Film Pittsburgh organization.”
From left: Jo Deming, Shannon Parris, Molly Krichten, Michele Charmello, Shanna Carrick (Executive Director, Film Pittsburgh), Jeremy Burnworth, Adrienne Wehr (Community Engagement Manager, Film Pittsburgh), and Jonnet Solomon at ImpactUp, a Pittsburgh gathering of changemakers, in July 2025.
Results & Impact
At the conclusion of this work, Film Pittsburgh had:
Hired and onboarded a new executive director
Made offers of permanent employment to two staff members who had been working with the organization on a temporary or contract basis
Retained 100% of their staff
Identified new board members
Implemented new systems and processes
Aligned several employees’ job titles and compensation with their roles
None of this would have been possible without Film Pittsburgh’s courageous leadership, unwavering pursuit of effective communication, and willingness to remain steadfast amidst extreme uncertainty. As far as clients go, they were among the best to work with. The positive outcome of this transition process was possible because of how the individuals who are committed to the organization’s success showed up.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and flow.
