Kevin Hartz

Who they are

Kevin Hartz is Managing Partner at Herd Freed Hartz — a Seattle-based executive recruiting firm he co-founded, focused on technology and streaming media, built on a career that ran through RealNetworks.

Person

Kevin studied Marketing at Indiana University, then came up through the recruiting ranks — Senior Recruiter, then Recruiting Manager — before landing at RealNetworks, which gave him deep roots in Seattle's technology and streaming media scene. That RealNetworks chapter was significant enough that he co-founded the RealNetworks Alumni Organization to maintain those professional ties. He eventually took that operator-side expertise and co-founded Herd Freed Hartz, an executive and in-house recruiting firm focused on technology and streaming media, where he now serves as Managing Partner. The through-line is a career built around knowing people: from individual recruiting to running a firm, the bet has always been that deep relationships compound. Outside work, he supports Seattle-area causes — KEXP, Samaritan, and the Seattle Art Museum — and spends time outdoors.

How they likely show up

  • Long-tenure signal at Herd Freed Hartz → likely builds relationships over years, not quarters; probably values continuity with clients and candidates alike.
  • Career progression from Senior Recruiter to Recruiting Manager to Managing Partner → came up through the craft before running the firm; likely respects people who know their domain cold.
  • Co-founded the RealNetworks Alumni Organization → actively maintains networks rather than letting them go cold; relationship management is a deliberate practice, not an accident.
  • Firm is focused narrowly on technology and streaming media → probably thinks in terms of deep vertical expertise rather than broad generalist coverage; will engage more when the conversation is specific to that world.
  • Possibly — outdoors interest and Seattle community ties (KEXP, Samaritan, Seattle Art Museum) suggest someone who builds identity around place; local network likely runs deep.

Conversation tips

  • → Come in with specifics about the technology or streaming media segment you're operating in — he works a defined niche and will engage far more with someone who knows it.
  • → Ask about his time at RealNetworks — he cared enough about those relationships to co-found an alumni organization around them, so that era is clearly formative.
  • → Reference a shared Seattle connection if you have one (KEXP, the art scene, the outdoors community) — his civic ties aren't decorative, they're how he builds trust.
  • → Don't expect a heavy public writing footprint to reference; approach the conversation as a dialogue, not a chance to riff on his published takes.

Toolbox

Openers

  • Open on the RealNetworks Alumni Organization — he co-founded it to maintain those ties, which signals something deliberate about how he thinks about long-term professional relationships.
  • Reference Herd Freed Hartz's specific focus on technology and streaming media — framing your opening around that niche shows you know his firm isn't a generalist shop.
  • Mention KEXP or the Seattle Art Museum — he lists them as causes he supports, and they're a credible way into understanding what he values in the Seattle community he operates in.

Discovery questions

  1. What does executive recruiting look like inside streaming and technology right now — are companies building in-house talent functions or leaning harder on firms like yours?
  2. How did your time inside RealNetworks shape the way you approach recruiting for tech companies — do you think operator experience changes what you look for in candidates?
  3. What made you structure Herd Freed Hartz around that specific technology and streaming media vertical rather than going broader?

Avoid

Don't treat this as a transactional conversation about open roles — his career arc is built around long-term relationship management, and leading with a short-horizon ask will land wrong.

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Sources

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on June 5, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

Automatically generated by AI from public sources. May be inaccurate or out of date. Remove or correct this profile →