Stephen Pedroff

Founder & CEO

SurfMedia Communications

Stephen was one of SurfMedia’s first biotech clients while he was the marketing VP at the world’s first robotic surgery startup. The agency was instrumental in executing a novel regional PR campaign Stephen created for more than a dozen US hospital systems that were early adopters of the technology including UCLA, the Cleveland Clinic and others. 

Stephen’s recent work at SurfMedia includes creating a new business consulting practice for NGO’s with emerging Salesforce.com and marketing automation implementations, developing a new non-profit brand identity for a notable athlete’s non-profit expansion, and media representation of a foundation-funded college entrepreneurship program.

SVP Technology & Healthcare

InTouch Health

Stephen joined InTouch Health to build a media content development team for digital media production, streaming media, graphics and design, internal communications, PR/IR and meetings and conferences. He was doubly fortunate to work at InTouch; he was reunited with former colleagues in both the company founder and it’s new CEO, and he was able to hire two of his favorite former colleagues to lead the newly formed media and design departments. 

Together the new team refreshed the corporate brand, created and launched new products and brands, reasserted the company’s leadership position at industry conferences and meetings, and built a new internal communications streaming media network. 

Stephen led the RFP process for a new public relations agency of record and secured a long-term engagement with Edelman. 

Stephen’s team led significant implementation of a full-stack marketing technology suite including Asana, Salesforce.com, Marketo, Terminus, Meltwater, Kapost, DOMO and Vidyard. 

Stephen left InTouch to join the founders of a local media agency dedicated

Vice President Communications

AngioDynamics

Stephen built and led a global team at AngioDynamics with as many as nine reports in NY and additional dotted line staff in the Netherlands. Stephen reduced the department's $8m annual budget to under $5m in 24 months while the company’s revenue grew from $150m to $350m. 

In the first year the team restructured downstream marketing, rebranded the company with only internal resources (free to the org!), rebuilt the global meetings and conferences calendar, and created a new internal communication streaming platform. In the second year the team led marketing integration for a $350 million acquisition, launched a half-dozen new products, and rebuilt OUS marketing functions. The Marcom team also led marketing automation and customer relationship management (SFDC) platform introductions. 
In years three and four the team began building marketing automation implementations, including a global iOS private enterprise app store. 

In the final year the team continued to roll out apps to the organization and also implemented the company’s first CRM database in Salesforce.com and first marketing automation campaigns. Also a major initiative was the first patient self-referral app released in the Apple and Android app stores. With an agency medial planning a buying partner the pilot program began with 10 cities and six figure SEO and display ad campaign.

Stephen accomplished several 'firsts' at AngioDynamics. He led an educational grant program for the first digital patient resource portal for the Society of Interventional Radiology’s journal, JVIR. He guided the company’s media relations support for the announcement of positive results from a groundbreaking clinical trial in pancreatic cancer treatment. 

Stephen left upstate NY to return to his permanent home in Santa Barbara where his family and his wife’s family live.

Sr. Dir. Global Marketing Communications

Pedroff Productions

Following the sale of RITA Medical to AngioDynamics, Stephen left Silicon Valley and returned with his family to their home in Santa Barbara. For the next five years he built a growing marketing consultancy focused on creating and executing marketing programs in the life sciences and CPG categories. 

Stephen launched products for more than a dozen companies, and built new markets and published content for patients and physicians across a variety of specialties: cardio-thoracic surgery, orthopedics and joint replacement, congestive heart failure, liver cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, uterine fibroids, emphysema, high-risk obstetrics, stroke and tele-medicine, and robotically-assisted surgery.

Founder and CEO

RITA Medical Systems, Inc. (now AngioDynamics); CA

Transformed a $12M annual sales pre-profit company into a profitable $50M industry leader through effective marketing initiatives encompassing product development, integrated marketing campaigns, product launches, strategy development and execution, and clinical education programs. Created and sustained 20% annual product adoption growth across multiple specialties and procedures including breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer. Managed all internal and external advertising, public relations, and investor relations. Used $3.7M budget and strategic planning to process improve product management, event marketing, product marketing, investor relations, corporate communications, sales support programs, and improve brand value perception. Authorized to sign single expenditures of $100K+ with CEO and CFO signatures and up to $25K individually.

VP Marketing Communications

Computer Motion, Inc. (now Intuitive Surgical); CA

Escalated annual sales from $10M to $50M, member of senior integration team during acquisition by Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG).  Led marketing, corporate communications, strategic planning, digital and traditional media campaigns, competitive product positioning, and Public Relations and Investor Relations. Managed $3.2M annual budget. Successfully leveraged KOLs and business development efforts resulting in largest single system sale in company history to UC medical school.  Drove more than $100M in global editorial media placements with minimal agency support. Individual signing authority to $15K, $100K+ with the approval of the CEO and CFO.

VP Marketing & Communications

SALUS MEDIA; CA

A remarkable experience working with absolutely the best creative and software design teams ever assembled. Only had one better gig in my life. The company was led by the delightful Peter Douglas (he had a very cool painting in his office which at the time I thought it was a real Renoir, however I am now advised that it was a reproduction - would have made a better story if it had been a VanGogh). 

I applied my prior experience managing creative media projects to researching, approaching and executing new strategic partnerships. I often worked with the fabulous content team to structure content deals with providers. I met Noah benShea!  He wrote a column for us and we used his immense library to deliver daily aphorisms to the subscribers. I also found and signed syndication partners as a distribution channel for our content, and sometimes I licensed their content. 

The tech-bubble bust began with Enron, our primary funding source. I have no idea why, but apparently Enron had purchased, leased or otherwise obtained a large portion of ‘dark fiber’ – fiber optic cables that had been ‘planted’ but had yet to see any measurable (profitable) digital traffic. Salus needed bandwidth, copious amounts of bandwidth – and it had to be high-speed (I think the application needed 1mb per second – that was near ‘un-obtanium’ T1 speed at the time). The idea was to deliver an interactive health and wellness experience to every employee’s desktop and home – I honestly can’t remember if we were designing for mobile. The interface was elegant, the content deep and well curated, the infrastructure was robust, and the market was huge. When Enron's money was no longer available the company faced an existential crisis.

In the 90's companies spent around $14 per month on ‘employee wellness’ programs! Most are health-and-safety mandated and the assumption is that they are about 5% effective. There are 128 million full time employees in America, that’s a $1.8 billion dollar market.

Senior Director, Strategic Business Development

America Online

The best job I ever had. Hands down my favorite.

I created the original concept for "Telluride Avalanche" with my agent, Pat Faulstich. It was hailed at the time as the first online soap opera. It was written by Hollywood veterans, featured celebrities, sex and environmental terrorism, and the show drew 50K regular readers for the 12-episode run. The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and a few Rocky Mountain national TV network affiliates talked about us. Wired magazine was … less than impressed. 

We hired dozens of people in the town. We hired the mayor, the sheriff, the leading real-estate developer, the town celebrity (and his horse), and every person who had ever acted or been in a school play. They were all great! Telluride remains my second favorite place on the planet to this day.

The challenge was enormous. We first created a pilot, an interactive CDROM programmed in Macromedia Director (I had interviewed Macromedia’s founder and CEO, Marc Canter a few years earlier). Moving images, layers, music, multiple video tracks, etc. – computers didn’t really DO that in 1995 when we started talking about the project and when AOL had ‘just’ 3 million users. It didn’t help when AOL stopped charging users by the minute/hour. Our ‘deal’ was tied to user minutes and we knew that downloading it all took time, a fair bit. We served audio clips and gifs, had a rudimentary plan for responding to comments, but no real fan forum, just direct messages to the characters from the site. 

We did everything wrong. 

We spent the whole budget – a fortune on actors and photography and way too much for bandwidth – we had to bring the very first T1 line to town, ‘built’ just for us. The phone tech said they literally had to isolate 24 twisted pairs from our office all the way to the next big junction, which was tens of miles away. I always imagined guys crawling through tunnels with a flashlight – I doubt that happened. 

It was just great. I worked 24/7 and loved every minute.

Executive Producer

BRAND STRATEGY has never meant more to your company!  Maximize your ROI with a brand strategy consult. Spend 15 minutes on the phone with Stephen and learn how you can drive brand value for your company today!

Stephen Pedroff leads a virtual B2B and B2C digital media agency. He helps marketing leaders create compelling brands, build impactful content strategies and successful digital campaigns. Visit 

www.pedroff.com to see

PR/IR campaigns
Product Marketing 
Patient Stories
Physician Stories
Corporate Communications
Breaking News coverage
3D Animation and Motion Graphics
Meetings and Conferences

SCHEDULE A CALL TODAY

Visit calendly.com/sbelcap to schedule a 15-minute call with Stephen 

Need help with a marketing project? Instantly add INVALUABLE years of experience to your CAMPAIGN! Stephen’s team of marketing experts create media campaigns for public companies, help invent new markets and build successful global brands. 

Let Stephen help you turn your marketing team into strategic and executional winners! Success builds better teams, better brands and better companies!

Taplio

Stephen Pedroff's Linkedin Analytics

Stephen Pedroff

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Stephen Pedroff's Linkedin Analytics

Stephen Pedroff

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Stephen Pedroff's Linkedin Analytics