School to Career - Radio City Music Hall - Director of Merchandising


		Radio City Merchandise

As Director of Merchandising, Franci Reiman is in charge of ordering and tracking the sales of all products associated with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, as well as those associated with other events at both the Music Hall and Madison Square Garden, such as the musical, Annie. She establishes direct connections with the companies that grant licensing rights for products and orders the products in advance of the shows. She also negotiates the costs and works with vendors and factory directors to make sure everything from souvenirs to t-shirts to special merchandise turns out as ordered.

It Helps To Be Passionate

"You need to have good communication and listening skills," says Franci, who also points to people skills as being key to your success in merchandising. "You are dealing with a lot of phone calls from vendors and different companies. You also need to have a good eye for products and know what kind of things would be appealing and have the ability to sell well," explains Franci, adding that you need to have a creative passion and an interest in sports and entertainment to really succeed.

While working on her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Northeastern University, Franci did internships at Filene's Basement and at Barney's to get a feel for working in the retail industry. Then, after graduating, she worked in merchandising for a variety of different companies including The Gap and Disney before coming over to Madison Square Garden where she has worked for the past five years. Today, busy days for Franci include answering emails and going to meetings with vendors to discuss merchandise, whether that means coming up with ideas for new products or reordering products that are doing well. Franci also spends time checking sales from the night before to see what is sold out and what has to be reordered. "I also attend show rooms at different companies to preview products that I think may be a good seller for any of the venue's events."

Follow Your Dreams

"Merchandising seemed like the right route for me to take in my career because it was really something that intrigued me," says Franci. "If you are really interested in going into a career like this, I would say to follow your dreams and keep at it. There are so many companies and such an abundance of opportunities, that if you really set your mind to it and want it, you can achieve your goals."