Lars Schmidt, senior director of talent acquisition and innovation at NPR, is leaving to form his own company, he announced in a blog post Dec. 19.
“Walking away from one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve had isn’t easy, but I can’t deny this growing hunger to follow in my father’s footsteps and launch a business,” Schmidt wrote. His new company, Amplify Talent, LLC, will incorporate marketing and social media practices into recruiting strategies for businesses.
Schmidt joined NPR in February 2011 and pushed to expand the network’s online recruiting strategies, turning the Twitter account @NPRJobs and the hashtag #pubjobs into one-stop shops for public broadcasting job seekers. He co-founded the audience-engagement initiative Generation Listen and led an effort to begin paying NPR’s interns year-round. Prior to NPR, Schmidt worked at a series of startups and was v.p. of human resources for Ticketmaster.