John Surdakowski

Avex E-commerce

Leading eCommerce agency providing creative, development, email marketing & strategy for brands such as: Mondelez, Hugo Boss, KITH, O’Neil, HAUS, Undefeated, Marchesa, Balance Athletica, TomBoyX, Wolf & Shepherd, Badgley Mischka & Iconix Brand Group.

Founder & CEO

Agency-X Podcast

Agency X — Hosted by John Surdakowski, is a Podcast that takes a dive deep into the world of ecommerce, digital strategy, and the evolving landscape of marketing technology. From the challenges of building a brand to mastering the latest tools shaping the future of commerce, Agency X offers insights drawn from real experiences at Avex. Each week, we break down what works, what doesn’t, and the bold moves that drive growth for leading brands.

Host

Shogun

Shogun empowers brands and agencies to create unique ecommerce experiences by making it easy to build and optimize online stores. Shogun is seamlessly integrated with leading ecommerce platforms, and is trusted by over 12,000 eCommerce brands, including Leesa mattresses, MVMT watches, Gaiam yoga apparel, K-Swiss, and Chubbies shorts

Investor

GRIN

Grin is the #1 all-in-one influencer marketing platform designed to help brands own their influencer relationships. With our tools in your corner, you’ll build a pool of credible ambassadors and reap the financial and brand rewards that come with it. GRIN puts every aspect of your influencer marketing program at your fingertips, empowering you to own it every step of the way.

Inveterate, Inc

Govalo

Kinn

Consulting

Freelance creative direction, web design and development for various brands and agencies, including Google, Samsung, Havas, JWT, Campfire, USANetwork, Cinemax and Sony

Creative Contractor

Havas

Designed digital experiences such as: websites, mobile ads, video story boards and rich media campaigns.

Sr. Art Director Consultant

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Designed and developed digital campaigns for Estee Lauder’s online creative department.

Art Director Consultant

Founder & CEO at Avex, a New York City based creative, technology and e-commerce agency for fashion & lifestyle brands. 

With 20 years of experience creating for the web, I’ve seen the digital landscape evolve. From Web 1.0 and Flash animation, to the explosion of mobile and e-commerce. I utilize my vast experience in creative, technology and business to help DTC brands achieve rapid growth. 

Throughout the years I've consulted for JWT, Havas, Estee Lauder, BBDO, NBC, MRM Worldwide, Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and many other New York based companies.

In 2015 I started growing my freelance business into a boutique digital agency, with focus on fashion, lifestyle and premium products. 

Avex has partnered with major brands such as: Hugo Boss, KITH, O’Neill, Undefeated, Simmons Serta Bedding, Marchesa, Eugenia Kim, Badgley Mishka, Ports V, Reem Acra, Iconix Brand Group, Google, PONY, Starter, Rocawear, Shutterstock, 88Rising, USANetwork, HBO, UBISoft, Sony Music and many more. 

Today, I continue to act as CEO and Founder (among other titles) of Avex. I’ve applied my experience and ability to adapt to creating a business that I am immensely passionate about. I love working with other creatives, building my team and taking on new challenges.

In 2019 Avex was invited to become a Shopify Plus Partner. Our agency focuses on helping brands navigate eCommerce.

Valentine Coget

Product Owner

Head of Delivery

Senior Project Manager

Digital Operative

Digital Producer

World of Digits

- Worked to overhaul a consumer-facing platform with a user-centric approach to be optimized for conversion 
- Successfully converted 32% of the initial 83% of anonymous visitors to freemium accounts and improved loyalty by offering a superior personalized experience, and finally increased lead generation for memberships by 12% 
- Documented business requirements from stakeholders and translated it into appropriate functional requirements
- Led user research efforts including interviews, surveys and data analytics to build user stories and use cases
- Insured strategic prioritization of the product backlog and defined KPIs (Key Performance Indicator) for every new feature
- Built and managed product roadmaps as well as defined an exact schedule for feature implementation
- Led remote cross-functional teams in scrum ritual meetings, including discoveries, backlog groomings, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.

Dogstudio

Managed and communicated on project objectives and requirements, timeline and planning, risk management, scope and change requests, budget and burndown, feedback reviews, reported and escalated issues to management as needed
Planned and managed key milestones and deliverables for various digital products including business analysis, user research, I.A. (information architecture), UX/UI, front-end and back-end, UAT (user acceptance testing), google analytics tracking
Conducted various forms of validation to ensure product quality,  including user interviews, AB testing, and  usability testing 
Coordinated agile teams, composed of full-time and contract resources, to meet tight deadlines
Curated templates and established new practices that contributed to Dogstudio’s ongoing processes 
Led various client workshops to establish personas, customer journeys, and rebrandings using various tools like ice breakers,  empathy  maps, affinity diagrams, and more


Here are a few digital products I've successfully managed: www.eggo.be, www.suschem.org, www.landmarkpublicaffairs.com, www.urbancampus.com, www.aremis.com, www.skylaneoptics.com, ...

Digital Project Manager

FamousGrey

Liaised between ad agencies, media agencies, and clients to manage expectations, requirements, and deadlines
Strategized with creative teams to plan and execute multimedia campaigns, including TV, radio, OOH, print, social media, etc.
Coordinated the day-to-day of projects including budgets, resource planning, quality and testing

Project Manager

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners

Conducted competitive analysis including positioning & category knowledge reports
Researched and curated consumer/persona insights, attitude and behaviors 
Researched and reported on cultural/digital trends
Analyzed business needs to produce creative briefs

Digital Strategy Intern

The Boxing App

Conducted competitive analysis
Led user testing of the application
Interviewed key stakeholder to glean product direction and company design standards
Completed redesign of the UX/UI using Sketch

UX / UI Design Freelancer

Chariot*

Responsible for the brand visual communication
Curated and designed posts for social media and newsletter 
Designed prototypes through I.A., user flows and wireframes using sketch
Translate wireframes into design using sketch and Illustrator
Wrote functional description of the wireframes 
Ensured coordinated with the developers on the mobile application

Project Coordinator

Pereira & O'Dell

Concluded competitive monitoring reports
Analyzed cultural trends of different audience segments 
Refined business needs and researched target insights utilizing syndicated research tools (Mintel & Simmons) to produce creative briefs

Creative Strategy Internship

So Nice

Designed decks for client presentations 
Developed business and target insights 
Analyzed RFP to curate technical solutions catered to client needs

taplio

The Battle

John Surdakowski

Valentine Coget

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