ABOUT ME:
Senior Product Marketer with a background in brand marketing, copywriting, and podcasting. Track record of successful go-to-market launches and cross-functional project leadership, impacting edtech, B2B, and B2C companies. Skilled in uncovering insights, developing positioning and messaging, and leading sales enablement to drive revenue growth of up to 245% YoY.

RECOMMENDATIONS: (Full recommendations on Linkedin)
”I highly recommend Keith for his project leadership and exemplary product launches. His contributions have been invaluable to our success.”
-Pam Parker, VP Marketing, Pathful

“I was consistently impressed by his proactive approach to identifying gaps and developing innovative solutions. Keith possesses a remarkable problem-solving mindset…”
-Lindsay Hallam, Marketing Director, Pathful

“His ability to connect cultural insights with business needs is rare and exceptional.”
-Pearl Owen, Managing Director of Strategy, Sensis

“In addition to being laser-focused, highly energetic, and proactive, he is all at once humble, exacting, and eternally optimistic.”
-Dana Satterwhite, SVP Creative Director, Barkley

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Product Marketing; Brand Marketing; Go-to-Market Strategy; Product Launches; Positioning; Messaging; Sales Enablement; Content Strategy + Creation; Podcast Strategy + Production; Market Research Plans; Qualitative Research Interviews; Quantitative Research; Copywriting and Creative Direction; Integrated Omni-Channel Marketing Campaigns; Team Management and Talent Sourcing; Multicultural Marketing; New Business Pitches

MARKETING/CONTENT EXPERIENCE

Sept 2013 – Present
Not A Small Time Thing, CEO + Product Marketing/Brand Marketing Consultant –New York, NY

• As a consultant, I help companies find the shortest path to money through a blend of product marketing and brand marketing. I use Customer and Market Research + Data, Positioning, Storytelling/Messaging, Sales Enablement, and Content Creation.

• Clients range from startups and small businesses to ad agencies and production companies: The Barbarian Group, Edelman Digital, Sanders\Wingo, Leroy & Clarkson, MedTech Impact Partners, Prosper Digital, Old Dominion University Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, among others.

• Highlights: 

  • Created marketing roadmap that helped a medtech consultancy grow top-line revenue 245% and improve gross profit 201% compared to the previous year.

  • As a marketing strategist, co-creative director, and writer for video production company Prosper Digital, I played a key role in developing videos and marketing strategies that helped clients to significantly increase inbound leads, while earning the agency 10+ international awards for creativity and production quality.

  • Co-developed the strategy, wrote the script, and was the associate creative director for an award-winning, 19-minute video used by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to train more than 197,000 active drivers on wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

  • Producer of 2 WHRO public radio podcasts. One was distributed to the local station area of 1.7 million people.

  • Marketing/Content/Podcasting portfolio: keithjsaunders.com

Dec 2022 – Jan 2024
Pathful, Senior Product Marketing Manager–New York, NY

• As the company’s first product marketer, I established systems and developed positioning, messaging, and marketing strategy for products that prepare K-16 students for the rapidly evolving world of work. Highlights:

  • Led the 9-person cross-functional User Engagement Strategy team (comprised of leaders from Product, Marketing, and Customer Success) and provided audience insights to help us create monthly themes, aligned activities, and omni-channel campaigns for increasing customer usage and retention.

  • Orchestrated the Planner and Explore Plus product launches through the planning and execution of go-to-market strategy, sales enablement training for 50+ team members, and the production of sales decks, landing pages, one pagers, internal messaging documents, and other marketing collateral. Launches exceeded MQL goals by 30% for the Planner launch and by 25% for the Explore Plus launch.

  • Developed Customer Personas, Competitive Scorecards, and collaborated with the Product team to create a Customer Advisory Council. These tools influenced product development and helped the Go-to-Market team to understand customer needs and deal with objections.

Aug 2020 – Dec 2022
Sanders\Wingo, Strategic Planner–New York, NY

• Conduct consumer and market research, uncover insights, develop strategy plans, produce creative briefs, and craft revenue-generating ideas for Crocs, Burton, YPO, KFC, Planned Parenthood, and new business pitches.

• Defined the positioning, messaging strategy, and tagline of YPO’s Diversity Hub, a subnetwork serving the organization’s global CEO community of 30,000 members in 142 countries.

• Spearheaded a new business process reboot that pre-qualified prospects and created more accurate proposals, saving the executive team time and money spent on new business activities.

• Led a cross-functional team of 4 people in the development and production of the agency’s podcast, The Follow: thefollowpodcast.com

Nov 2016 – Dec 2018
WHRO Public Media, Podcast Producer (Smart Pill)–Norfolk, VA

• Co-founded and served as team lead for the public radio podcast Smart Pill.

• Managed and coached a group of 4 team members.

• Developed show ideas, planned and directed recording sessions, edited audio, and on occasion, hosted the show.

• Created team and role-specific playbooks, laying out the individual processes necessary to create an episode.

• Interfaced with station officials and ensured timely delivery of episodes.

• Listen to selected episodes here: keithjsaunders.com/#/smart-pill-podcast

Nov 2016 – Jun 2018
WHRO Public Media, Podcast Producer (Mind Over Manners)–Norfolk, VA

• Served as producer for the first 33 episodes of public radio podcast Mind Over Manners, which was distributed to the local station area of 1.7 million people through the NPR One app and made available online.

• Conducted and edited ”man-on-the-street” interviews.

• Developed show ideas, researched and pre-interviewed guests, and formulated host questions.

• Supervised recording sessions from the engineering booth, giving feedback and suggestions to the hosts and audio engineer.

• Managed the production workflow to keep team informed and on schedule.

• Listen to selected episodes here: keithjsaunders.com/#/mind-over-manners-podcast

Jan 2007 – May 2013
Footsteps Group, Copywriter–New York, NY

• Developed web, TV, print, and out-of-home advertising and content for various clients, including Gillette, Infiniti, Nissan, Lowe's, Smirnoff, Mercedes, Baileys, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, alli, and MassMutual.

• Developed and wrote Gillette’s game show/webisode series dedicated to African-American men's grooming, hosted by comedian JB Smoove and directed by Robert Townsend.

Apr 2004 – Jan 2007
Various Ad Agencies, Freelance Copywriter–New York, NY

• Developed television, print, digital, and out-of-home advertising and content for the following agencies: Ogilvy, VH1 (in-house), Berlin Cameron, Team One, The Brooklyn Brothers, Footsteps Group, and Arnell, among others.

• Created work for the following clients: Coke, Reebok, VH1, The History Channel, ExxonMobil, among others.

• Wrote and produced the launch campaign for VH1’s first-ever Hip Hop Honors award show.

• Wrote the launch campaign for Reebok’s line of NBA apparel, starring Fred Willard, and NBA greats Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, James Worthy, Bill Walton, Walt Frazier, and Kenny Smith, among others.

Nov 2002 – Apr 2004
Cliff Freeman & Partners, Copywriter–New York, NY

• Wrote and produced television, print, and radio advertising for Fox Sports Net, TBS, DSW, Value City, Hollywood Video, and Quizno’s.

• Wrote and developed a Christmas Santa stunt for Value City that earned a national media mention from the New York Times.

OTHER EXPERIENCE

Nov 2023 - Present
BUILD, Mentor–New York, NY

• BUILD teaches entrepreneurship to youth in under-resourced communities, so they can become the CEO of their own lives.

• Coached youth entrepreneurs on business model, product, go-to-market strategy, pitching ideas, and other elements of entrepreneurship.

Jul 2020
Wethrive, Mentor–New York, NY

• WeThrive is an entrepreneurial apprenticeship where youth from under-resourced communities start their own ventures, earn real revenues, and gain mentorship and critical life skills along the way.

• Advised youth entrepreneurs on their business model and go-to-market strategy.

Sept 2011 – Feb 2016
Project Expose, Founder–New York, NY

• Program created fun, project-based learning experiences for students in under-resourced communities in order to expand their horizons and worldviews.

• Sessions introduced students to different professions, interests, skills, cultures, countries, cuisines, philosophies, and religions.

• Developed the organizational framework, selected and coached guest speakers, advised on lesson plans, then organized and moderated sessions.

• Collaborated with school administrators and educators to make the experiences as relevant and engaging as possible.

• Conducted in-school sessions in Brooklyn, NY, through May 2013; English-language-learning sessions in Brazil and Peru in 2014; “American Culture” sessions in Finland in 2014; and various consulting engagements in 2015 and 2016

• More info: keithjsaunders.com/#/project-expose-1/

Jul 2013 – Aug 2014
Quarter-Career Gap Year–Various Countries
Spent July 2013 to August 2014 traveling, writing, and volunteering outside the United States, while making periodic stops back home to regroup and freelance. (More info: keithjsaunders.com/#/quarter-career-gap-year/)

Countries visited: 

• India, Finland, Brazil, Peru, Antigua, and Jamaica

Teaching/Volunteering:

• Worked as English Language Teacher in Sao Paulo, Brazil

• Worked as English Language Teacher in Huanchaco, Peru

• Lived and worked with different families in Finland

• Observed and interacted with student classes in six Finnish schools

Oct 2008 – Jun 2011
Eagle Academy at Ocean Hill, Mentor–New York, NY

• The Eagle Academy at Ocean Hill is an all-boys school, grades 6 and higher. Their goal is to develop globally conscious, globally competitive scholars. (Website: eafny.org)

• Created engaging lessons that taught kids about the advertising industry and careers in other industries.

• Praised by school officials for being able to hold the attention of an easily distracted population.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

Product Marketing Alliance–Online
Product Marketing Core Certification

General Assembly–Online
Digital Marketing Circuit

Portfolio Center–Atlanta, GA
Certificate of Professional Studies, Copywriting

University of Virginia–Charlottesville, VA
B.A., Psychology