David's Bridal

As Head of Product and AI for Pearl at David's, I lead a dual focus on developing comprehensive wedding planning solutions while driving AI innovation across the organization. I spearhead the creation of intuitive AI-native applications that serve both couples planning their weddings and businesses seeking to enhance their client interactions throughout the planning journey.
Beyond product development, I identify strategic opportunities to implement AI-driven tools that improve efficiency and innovation company-wide. My role involves evaluating emerging technologies, determining high-value use cases, and implementing solutions that transform both customer experiences and internal operations.
Working alongside visionary leadership, I help shape and execute bold initiatives that keep David's at the forefront of wedding technology innovation. This position combines my passion for product excellence with my expertise in leveraging AI to create meaningful experiences and operational advantages in the wedding industry.

Head of Product and AI

Nova Registry

As the Head of Strategy and GTM at Nova Registry, I lead our efforts to integrate custom domains into SaaS products, focusing on activation and go-to-market (GTM) strategies with our partners. By embedding .link domains seamlessly into their platforms, I help our partners unlock new possibilities for their users, enhancing both brand identity and digital presence.

Our partnerships with leading platforms such as Gravatar, Dub, WordPress.com, Bit.ly, Wix, and Heylink.me demonstrate our commitment to collaboration and innovation. I work closely with these partners to refine messaging, positioning, and pricing strategies that optimize acquisition and lifecycle marketing, ensuring a superior product experience that drives user activation.

At Nova Registry, we are dedicated to helping our partners succeed by providing the tools and insights necessary to leverage the .link TLD to its fullest potential. Our partner program is designed to offer comprehensive support, from strategic planning to execution, as we strive to create meaningful and lasting partnerships.

Head of  Strategy and GTM

Mike Bal 

I work with companies of all sizes to help young and growing products find product market fit, nail their go-to-market strategy, and accelerate growth. I love solving problems so my consulting work pulls from the entirety of my experiences and skills, including marketing, content, strategic partnerships and anything tied to growth.

Advising and Fractional Leadership 

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The Engineered Innovation Group

* Working to establish and grow the product management discipline, ensuring that every engagement is powered by the strategic focus and clarity that product management should bring to product development.

* Growing the Engineered Innovation practice, helping aspiring and established companies validate their ideas, shape their product strategies, and set the foundation for their go-to-market. 

* Leading product development in emerging technologies while also building multiple patentable technologies and configurations that leverage AI/ML systems and models.

* Leading multiple 0 to 1 AI powered product builds, including the first platform to provide horizontal integration of multiple AI models.

* Hands on prompt engineering for system-level and task-focused prompts as part of implementing public and custom models into products and key experiences.

Sr. Director of Technical Product Management 

Automattic

Integrated product strategy into major initiatives across WordPress.com by developing competitive analysis, GTM strategies, and leading integration of new features and 0 to 1 product builds. 

Led initiatives to build and launch new products, bring major features to market, and craft empathetic experiences for users — including a self-serve ads platform and consumer-facing e-commerce platform built on open-source software. Aside from the product management work involved, I was hands-on in supporting product marketing efforts, providing copy, creative direction, positioning, and educational content. 

Created product-focused video content that helped thousands of customers leverage the product to achieve their goals every day. 

Drove optimal impact through product-led growth. My projects directly impacted growth in new markets, customer value, and new customer activation.

Head of Product Strategy

Head of Community Growth, WordPress.com

10up

As the Director of Audience and Revenue, I established a new discipline within the organization, working closely with internal stakeholders and key clients to seamlessly integrate this area into our core services. I spearheaded a team that was dedicated to ensuring our clients could collect the most important data from across their digital products and platforms. Our work involved not only data collection but also ensuring clients had the infrastructure and reporting abilities to leverage this data effectively. This, in turn, empowered our clients to make more informed and strategic decisions about their products.

In parallel, another significant portion of my role involved a razor-sharp focus on growth optimization. We concentrated on enhancing revenue, user acquisition, and conversion for our enterprise clients. This dual-focus approach to audience understanding and revenue enhancement helped us deliver comprehensive solutions that drove both user engagement and bottom-line results.

My tenure in this role solidified my belief in the power of data and the importance of customer-centric strategies. I'm proud of the work we did, the growth we achieved, and the value we delivered to our clients. I look forward to bringing these insights and experiences to my future endeavors.

Director of (Growth) Audience & Revenue

In my role as Director of Client Delivery at 10up, I was privileged to lead an exceptional group of managers who were responsible for product, project, and program management for our enterprise clients. I was at the helm of four cross-functional teams, collectively comprising over 40 dedicated professionals. Together, we delivered successful outcomes and ensured satisfaction in all our engagements.

Our work spanned a diverse array of projects. While a significant portion of our efforts was centered around platform migrations and 0 to 1 builds, the heart of our work was rooted in the ongoing, iterative improvement of digital products for enterprise businesses. We were not just building and launching products; we were continuously refining them, learning from user behavior and market trends, and making strategic adjustments to drive engagement and business value.

My leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in empowerment. I believe in setting clear expectations, providing the necessary resources, and then stepping back to allow my team to do what they do best. I am immensely proud of the work we accomplished at 10up, and the growth we fostered, both in terms of our clients' success and our team's professional development. 

Please review this summary and let me know if any changes are needed to ensure it accurately reflects your experience and achievements.

Director of Delivery

In my capacity as Team Lead and Project Manager, I was entrusted with dual responsibilities that were both challenging and rewarding. Not only did I act as the project or program manager for multiple large and complex projects, but I also served as the direct manager for a large cross-functional team, with several project managers reporting directly to me.

This role offered me the invaluable opportunity to learn and practice multiple agile methodologies for product management. It was an intense, hands-on experience that allowed me to refine my ability to prioritize impactful work and construct thoughtful product experiences efficiently and effectively. My day-to-day responsibilities ranged from managing project timelines and coordinating teams to strategizing product roadmaps and communicating with stakeholders.

Serving in a player/coach role, I took extreme ownership over the product's success, cultivating a habit that has since defined my approach to product leadership. This role solidified my belief in the power of leading by example and instilled in me a deep understanding of the nuances of project and team management.

I am deeply grateful for this experience. The challenges I faced, the skills I honed, and the lessons I learned have made me the resilient, adaptable, and results-driven leader I am today. 

Please review this summary and let me know if there are any changes or additions you would like to make to ensure it accurately reflects your experience and accomplishments.

Team Lead and Senior Manager

Creatures of Content

Creatures of Content is a side project I started as a way to push my own creative skills to the next level while helping great businesses pick up some momentum. We seek out really impressive products and services and then create content about those things based on our experience with it and the ideas it inspires. 

We don't charge our partners anything apart from the cost of the product and shipping because we want our audience and personal connections to be able to trust that we'll be 100% honest. So far we've had the pleasure of working with great companies like Loot Crate, Fifty Three, Kidrobot, Whiskey Barrel Coffee, Sock Fancy and more.

Founder and Chief Creator

Independent Consultant

I have done work in training, consulting and execution on a variety of subjects. Most of my experience is weighted in social media but I'm also fairly well versed in elements of web design and my favorite platform to work on is WordPress. What really gets me excited is brand architecture. I love building it from the ground up and I think a lot of people and businesses don't understand how intricate an irreplaceable brand should be.

The most valuable thing I have to offer any business or brand is my brain. I try not to limit my services because I know that every brand is different and every brand is in a completely unique situation. This means that I will take the time to identify and develop the opportunities that make the most sense in context and I won't try to sell you something you don't need.

Strategic Marketing Consultant

Single Grain LLC

As the Director of Client Success I'm responsible for making sure that our efforts align with the client's needs and that we're producing nothing less than impressive work. This requires me to manage internal and external processes, client expectations, project strategy, and all communications. 

This new role also requires me to leverage my comprehensive knowledge of digital marketing to solve problems and present opportunities related to paid acquisition, search engine optimization, social media marketing, content marketing, and conversion rate optimization. 

While managing my responsibilities as the Director of Client Success I'll also be acting as the lead strategist for all social media and content marketing efforts. This requires me to own or be involved with:

Content Ideation
Content Strategy
Creative Direction
Content Planning
Content Promotions
Social Media Strategy
Social Media Management
Social Media Campaigns
Social Media Content Planning and Development
Data Analysis
Performance Analysis

Director of Client Success

I started with Single Grain as the Director of Social Media and Content where I helped develop an offering of quality, and results-driven, social media and community management services for our clients. 

From there, it was my job to ensure that our work helps to fortify and grow our client's presence across the social media space earning increased traffic, raised brand awareness, and unbreakable loyalty for all of the brands we work with. 

I was also responsible for ensuring that Single Grain was always up to date on the newest technologies and opportunities in the industry and that we're effectively using all of the tools that were at our disposal to consistently create and share engaging and innovative content.

I quickly took over additional responsibility as the lead of our content marketing services where I lead everything from strategy to ideation and creative direction for all client deliverables. (infographics, blog posts, ebooks, microsites, etc.)

Half way through 2014 I was promoted to 'Director of Client Success' where my responsibilities shifted from production to the daily management of our teams and all client projects. Acting as the main point of contact for all projects I was able to drastically reduce client churn and increase avg. client value by reevaluating progress and strategy for all accounts.

Director of Social Media

Experienced Product Leader with 10+ years of experience driving growth and success for startups and enterprise businesses. Currently focused on creating AI-powered products and experiences that leverage multi-model (and modal) systems. A proven track record in both B2B and B2C SaaS environments, thriving at the intersection of technology, strategy, and innovation. 

Thriving in fast-paced environments, I relish the opportunity to tackle complex, challenging problems - the harder, the better. I excel at guiding cross-functional teams through the full product lifecycle, from conceptualization to launch and beyond, ensuring that data-driven insights and a relentless focus on the customer underpin every step.

My general product mindset is rooted in a deep belief that great products aren't just about what they can do; they're about doing meaningful things that meet people's needs in a simple, intuitive, and delightful way.

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