Andon Baltakov
Verified Expert in Marketing
Fractional COO and Marketing Expert
New York, NY, United States
Toptal member since May 9, 2022
Andon is a fractional COO and marketing expert with nearly 20 years of expertise across digital media, branding, product marketing, and strategic planning. He has worked with The Associated Press and CNN and provided advisory services to launch a new social, digital business. He devised a novel business plan and financial model for a sports info company, and his marketing strategy has boosted followers by 30%. Andon is now working with a media startup's CEO to structure its business model.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Branding
- Business Development
- Digital Media
- Marketing Research & Analysis
- Product Marketing
- SaaS Sales
- Sales Communication
- Strategic Planning
Work Experience
Consultant
Freelance
- Performed thorough market research and product analysis, leading to the launch of a new service that put the company on par with its main and entrenched competitor.
- Conducted market sizing for the launch of a new product.
- Developed a comprehensive audience growth strategy for a leading broadcaster in the Midwest.
Chief Revenue Officer
Underline Science
- Spearheaded negotiations with Clarivate and EBSCO, driving business development initiatives.
- Managed all aspects of sales operations, including team building, overseeing a $2.5+ million pipeline, conducting monthly and quarterly forecasts, managing budget, and closing sales deals.
- Increased followers by 30% in six months by establishing a marketing strategy to build the brand through social platforms, newsletters, and trade shows.
- Introduced new tools for efficient sales management, such as Salesforce, Cognism for lead generation, and Mixmax for mass sales campaigns.
CEO
Bnr
- Eliminated an 11% budget deficit within one year, stabilizing the organization and setting it up for growth. Improved internal control processes to optimize cost structure.
- Introduced cross-platform programming—from broadcast to digital to broadcast—to increase the reach and scale of the programs. Also introduced a portfolio of 50+ podcast series.
- Enabled content producers through new equipment and software and by introducing remote content production. Enhanced digital storytelling with visual content to boost audience impact.
COO
World Science
- Revamped the annual financial planning and budgeting process to enable precise resource allocation. Introduced dynamic quarterly forecasting and reporting through QuickBooks.
- Initiated a new performance management system to enable better talent management. Introduced ADP TotalSource as the new platform to manage all HR functions, including recruitment, onboarding, development, and offboarding.
- Structured, drafted, and negotiated a co-production agreement with New York Public Media, Channel Thirteen. Advised internal business units on complex business and legal matters.
COO
Storyful (acquired by News Corp)
- Grew revenue by 50%, from $8 million to $12 million, by evolving the corporate finance function into a structured unit for financial reporting, accounts payable and receivable, accounting, and tax.
- Installed an efficient business operations unit for customer support, account management, and office administration. Reduced operating expenses by $250,000+ by managing and negotiating relationships with key suppliers and introducing Salesforce.
- Achieved more than double the employee numbers across five locations—New York, Dublin, London, Sydney, and Hong Kong—by supporting global HR operations, including recruitment, talent development, people management, and enterprise culture.
- Oversaw and delivered a content sales budget of $3 million and managed the video unit, including content discovery, acquisition, and syndication.
VP, Product Management
ProQuest
- Set and administered the business unit budget and established cost controls to ensure the profitability of the news business and the whole enterprise. Led and grew a team of product managers and managed shared marketing and finance services.
- Implemented new content packages and pricing bundles to address changing market realities and customer demands. Initiated a rebranding program for a news product portfolio of 2,000+ titles, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Gannett.
- Oversaw commercial partnerships with content aggregators, such as Factiva, PressReader, and NewspaperArchive, to market their products to the academic markets.
Senior Director, Business Operations
CNN
- Devised the business and product strategy for digital video distribution across CNN. Oversaw the development and launch of CNN's digital video syndication network, Video Affiliate Network.
- Revamped CNN's video syndication business. Found a strategic partner to bridge a technology gap, worked with Product Development to build the supporting infrastructure, and partnered with Ad Sales to execute an aggressive revenue plan.
- Played a vital role in stabilizing and growing traffic to CNN Digital's video products on CNN.com, mobile apps, YouTube, and syndication partners by 90%—exceeding annual revenue targets by 20%.
Deputy Director, Strategic Planning
The Associated Press
- Led a cross-departmental team to develop AP's video strategy that positioned its TV news agency APTN as a leading digital video news player. Formulated the business strategy and implementation plan.
- Coordinated and managed AP's biennial corporate strategic planning process. Developed a corporate strategy framework that guided eight cross-departmental teams in developing strategic plans for their business units.
- Directed the daily operations of the strategic planning and business analysis function, set up and oversaw competitive analysis, and conducted studies on current and prospective business models.
Project History
New Product Launch
Launched a new digital video product for CNN that helped sustain CNN's revenue and expand its brand.
The Video Affiliate Network is a syndication content platform designed to aggregate and re-distribute content from 900+ TV stations. After identifying a big gap in sales retention and growth, I pitched a proposal to the executive leadership to build a new digital syndication network, including business, project, and product launch plans. We built the product in less than three months, and it’s still operational across the CNN affiliate network.
Product Portfolio Update
Relaunched an entire suite of the portfolio, including rebranding, sales collateral, and customer communications.
We updated the news product portfolio to address evolving consumer needs and market dynamics. All products were rebranded, requiring a comprehensive marketing campaign and sales training. Customers were delighted with the new look, feel, and usefulness of the updated product portfolio.
Studying the Deep Structure of Young Adult News Consumption
Enabled a deep ethnographic study of consumer behavior to understand news habits.
This was a cultural science study—in the discipline’s parlance, an ethnography—focusing on the news consumption habits of young digital consumers in six cities worldwide. The drive for this research came from recognizing that a significant shift in news consumption behavior was occurring among younger generations.
Education
Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
Yale University - New Haven, CT, USA
Bachelor's Degree in Economics
University of National and World Economy - Sofia, Bulgaria
Skills
Core
Product Marketing, Branding, Marketing Research & Analysis, Email Marketing, Email Marketing Automation, Digital Marketing Strategy, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Paid Advertising, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media, Brand Strategy, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Public Relations (PR), Marketing, Video Ads
Platforms & Tools
Salesforce Marketing Cloud, HubSpot Marketing Hub
Business Models
B2B, SaaS Product Marketing, B2B2C
Other
Sales Communication, Business Operations, SaaS Sales, B2B Marketing, Sales Pipeline Management, Digital Media, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Email Delivery, Personal Branding, Sales Operations, Startup Consulting, Go-to-market Plans, Product Launch, Growth Marketing, Strategic Planning & Execution, Finance, Human Resources (HR), Launch Strategy, Strategy, Economics
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