Andon Baltakov
Verified Expert in Sales
Sales Expert
New York, NY, United States
Toptal member since May 9, 2022
Andon is a media executive with over 20 years of experience driving strategic and operational excellence across digital media and broadcasting. As a fractional COO through Toptal, he provides strategic business guidance to executive clients. Previously, he led Storyful's growth from 50 to 170 employees across five global locations while increasing revenue by 50%. At CNN Digital, he grew video traffic by 90% and exceeded revenue targets by 20%. Andon holds an MBA from Yale University.
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.
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
Demand Generation
Paid Advertising
Competencies
B2B
Other
Product Marketing, Branding, Sales Communication, Marketing Research & Analysis, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Business Operations, SaaS Sales, B2B Marketing, Sales Pipeline Management, Digital Media, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Email Delivery, Email Marketing, Email Marketing Automation, Digital Marketing Strategy, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategies, Marketing Strategy, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media, Brand Strategy, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Personal Branding, Public Relations (PR), Sales Operations, Startup Consulting, Go-to-market Plans, Product Launch, SaaS Product Marketing, Growth Marketing, B2B2C, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Strategic Planning & Execution, Finance, Human Resources (HR), Marketing, Launch Strategy, Video Ads, Strategy, Economics
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