John Hashimoto
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Atlanta, GA, United States
Toptal member since November 14, 2019
A media-product-technology veteran, John has galvanized teams of product managers, UX designers, and developers to build innovative, industry-leading products, including Interactive TV for some of the most popular properties in digital media: Most recently, CNN and The Weather Channel. Along with his big media experience, John has worked as a product lead at two start-ups, including a real estate marketplace and social network.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Sprints
- Android
- Product Delivery
- Product Management
- Product Strategy
- Scrum
- Videos
- iOS
Work Experience
Product Consultant
Vervior
- Developed a product strategy and business plan for the Science-Climate News studio startup for venture funding.
- Created a media growth plan with a focus on podcasts and live events for an independent news production company.
- Conducted extensive market and competitive research to generate a compelling pitch deck for a podcast industry news vertical.
VP or Product Management
CNN Digital
- Galvanized teams of more than 40 product managers, UX designers, and developers across three continents to create innovative and leading-edge products.
- Transformed product management, user experience, mobile website design, and the front-end tech layer for Global News and the Lifestyle digital portfolio.
- Drove strategic outsourcing of audience research and quality assurance, dramatically improving user experience with rapid usability testing and eliminating more than 1,000 bugs across the digital portfolio.
- Revolutionized product design with a new Experience and Audience Toolkit, prioritizing audience and user experience and instituting a Test and Learn organizational framework for reducing changes and costs.
Senior Director of Product and Portfolio Management
CNN Digital
- Directed the Global Product team, driving profitable, business-critical improvements in all CNN digital products and platforms, including web properties, mobile apps, and enabling technologies (CMS, content API, content annotation, and alerts).
- Boosted CNN.com monthly visits by 25%, more than doubling video consumption and propelling annual revenues of 67% from $150 million in 2016 to $250 million in 2016.
- Led a strategic $5 million initiative to modernize the technology stack for the entire digital portfolio. This reduced annual costs by $500,000 and radically improved user experience and API content distribution efficiency while creating new content licensing revenue streams and positioning CNN for future growth.
- Led the successful expansion of distribution relationships with Apple, Google, Samsung, Flipboard, and Microsoft. Provided new products for distribution and led strategic and tactical discussions regarding technical integrations.
Director of Product Development
The Weather Channel
- Drove product development of ground-breaking services and applications for distribution across multiple partner platforms, including external cable, satellite, consumer electronics, and telecommunications.
- Developed and launched industry-leading interactive TV applications, two-screen applications, and TV Everywhere services for The Weather Channel’s on-demand content.
- Produced the first dual TV/iPad experience for a Cable Network.
- Managed product development and distribution relationships with AT&T, Charter, Dish Network, Verizon, Microsoft, Comcast, Direct TV, Time Warner, Panasonic, Sony, and Samsung.
Director of Product Development
Kaneva
- Defined the product roadmap and user engagement strategy for an innovative 3D virtual world/social networking startup.
Project History
CNN Politics App
https://www.niemanlab.org/2016/04/cnn-politics-launches-a-new-ios-mobile-app-focused-on-the-numbers-behind-the-2016-campaign-season/Led product design and development of CNN's ground-breaking Politics iOS mobile app, earning Apple's "apps we love" status.
CNN on Apple News
https://www.niemanlab.org/2016/11/after-a-slow-start-apple-news-is-emerging-as-a-significant-traffic-driver-for-some-news-orgs/Led cross-functional team in the "stealth" build-out of CNN's multiple channel launch on Apple News.
Weather Channel Interactive TV + iPad App
Led design, development, and programming of The Weather Channel two-way TV-iPad interactive app, a first for a US cable net.
Education
Bachelor's Degree with Honors in Journalism
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Certifications
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Alliance
Skills
Tools
Trello, Slack, Atlassian Suite, Excel 2016
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile Product Management, Agile Workflow, Waterfall Development
Industry Expertise
Financial Services, Real Estate
Other
Agile Sprints, Media, Digital Media, Videos, Product Management, Product Strategy, Product Thinking, Product Delivery, Product Operations, News Media, Product Owner, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Product Leadership, Project Management, Portfolio Management, Interactive TV, IPTV, Android, iOS, Social Networking, Aha!, React Native
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