Austin Carroll

Data-driven problem solver and Duke MBA with a track record of success developing business strategy and technology products for some of the world’s most-loved brands, startups, and venues. (I do my own stunts!)

Functional Expertise:

HOW I ANSWER THE BAT-SIGNAL

Superpowers

Builder

Biased toward action, and constantly pushing toward delivery with data-driven insights and a healthy obsession with the customer.

Marketing

Inspired communication of a vision through a deep understanding of how to package and position ideas for multiple stakeholders to generate buy-in.

Creativity

Ability to navigate ambiguity and come up with creative solutions that will delight users and deliver value for shareholders.

Curiosity

As a lifelong learner., I’m always motivated to improve or gain domain expertise and deliver insights via analysis & user research.

ADDITIONAL SKILL SET

A SNAPSHOT

Experience

I enjoy tackling new challenges and working cross-functionally. My career has stretched across entertainment, hospitality, travel, financial services, e-learning, and technology.

Capital One

Product Manager – Mobile Experiences (Rewards)

Techstars

Strategy & Marketing Associate, Techstars Anywhere

Spring 2021

The Walt Disney Company

MBA Intern, Strategy and Business Development (Freeform Network)

September 2020 – December 2020

• Conducted competitive analysis on the experiential market, validating new business opportunity for Network President
• Spearheaded the FY20 movie acquisitions postmortem analysis and identified underutilized assets

ApplicantLab

Product Manager

October 2018 – August 2021

ApplicantLab is a SaaS EdTech startup offering scalable MBA admissions consulting on an online platform.

• Synthesized market analysis into a new product recommendation for the CEO, subsequently partnering with software engineers to drive the go-to-market plan for MBA InterviewLab

Previous Role: Product Marketing Manager

• Utilized survey data and Google Analytics to identify gaps in customer experience and then engaged executives to develop implementable solutions
• Structured partnership deal with GMAT Club; resulted in significant email funnel growth and new customer wins

PharmaEssentia

Corporate Strategy MBA Summer Associate

May 2020 – August 2020

PharmaEssentia is a rapidly growing international biotech firm with a novel blood cancer drug pending U.S. regulatory approval for commercialization in 2021.

• Performed an analysis of 18 disease advocacy groups and presented executives with a clear strategic partnership recommendation to capitalize on competitors’ missed opportunities and accelerate customer awareness
• Orchestrated a global initiative to define, build, and roll out a new company Intranet; earned buy-in from key stakeholders and enhanced employee satisfaction with corporate communications 31%

The Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County

Digital Media & Strategic Partnerships Manager

May 2017 – May 2019

The Music Center is the second-largest performing arts center in the United States with five venues, including The Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I was in charge of customer experience, guest research, digital marketing, content creation, and facilitating and sourcing strategic partnerships.

• Secured 45 new in-kind arts partners, including LACMA and Getty, and spearheaded a re-brand of the perks card loyalty program
• Built relationships with brand partners and executed creative on-property and digital activations (Mattel’s Barbie, Don Francisco Coffee, and Porsche)
• Improved overall guest survey response rate by 225% by chairing a cross-functional taskforce of 12 leaders from Operations, I.T., and Marketing to administer a complete overhaul of audience surveys and research practices
• Orchestrated digital innovation and the first Facebook Live season launch of a major performing arts center with CEO

Omni Hotels: Omni Los Angeles Hotel

Sales & Marketing Coordinator

September 2016 – May 2017

I facilitated a complete overhaul of all existing Sales Collateral materials and the creation of 3 leisure tourism hotel room packages – including the first-ever hotel package with The Broad Museum.

• Drove incremental revenue by negotiating and launching the first hotel package with The Broad museum
• Introduced new Group Sales kits after conducting national competitor research; requests for proposals increased 11%
• Oversaw 104 staff over a 7-month process to a new CRM; finished 11 days early by devising clear technical materials

Disneyland Resort

Guest Relations Hostess

March 2015 – March 2016

I served as a resource for Disneyland Resort guests at locations throughout both theme parks and partnered with internal stakeholders to identify and solve 50+ complex guest concerns a day. I also worked closely with Make-A-Wish® children, planning their visits, overseeing the lounge, and facilitating character meet & greets.

LA’s Historic Speakeasy Bar Crawl (Founder)

Founder

March 2018 – June 2019

I founded a Speakeasy Tour Company in partnership with Airbnb Experiences. The tour generated a profit of $14,000 and achieved a rating as Top 3 Nightlight Experience in Los Angeles within 6 months

The Hollywood Intern Diaries (Founder)

Founder

2012 – 2016

Created The Hollywood Intern Diaries media site and assisted 1000’s in securing media internships (1 million hits)

TRAINING I'VE RECEIVED

Education

Duke University Fuqua School of Business, Master of Business Administration (MBA) ’21
Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts BFA ’15
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Graduate Certificate in Marketing & Web Analytics

Additional Training

Y Combinator Startup School
Training The Street Financial Modeling
SuperHi User Experience (UX) Design
OneMonth Product Management
OneMonth Programming for Non-Programmers

SOME OF MY FAVORITE PROJECTS

Portfolio

Featured Project

The Music Center Arts & Culture Card Rebrand and Partnerships

The Music Center’s Perk Card, intended as an incentive for donors, had become an afterthought for users and partners with low utilization and conversion rates (only 5%).

Using interviews with key donors, market research, and surveys, I was able to successfully pitch senior management a rebrand to an “Arts and Culture Card.”

I contracted new in-kind partnerships with 45 arts and culture partners including LACMA, The Getty, and the L.A. Zoo. The rebrand resulted in donors being 2x as likely to upgrade to $250 donation in 2018.

5 %

Conversion Rate

Featured Project

LA's Historic Speakeasy Bar Crawl: A/B Testing

When I expanded my tour company and hired additional tour guides, I was faced with a problem. My tour had reached popularity with the name: “LA Speakeasy Bar Crawl with a Historian,” but my new guides weren’t historians!

I decided to conduct market research, surveys, and A/B tests to determine the new name. I also tested pricing and key photography with the same methodological approach.

10 %

Booking Increase

Featured Project

The Music Center x Barbie Style

In October of 2017, I reached out to Mattel’s Business Development team to set up a meeting on how The Music Center and Barbie could collaborate.

The result was a fruitful two-year partnership with the @BarbieStyle Instagram account (2.1 million followers) where Barbie traveled to The Music Center on multiple occasions.

The primarily digital campaign was constructed to fulfill the needs of both Mattel and The Music Center. It was key in successfully positioning The Music Center as an independent destination and a key player in the L.A. dance scene.

100000

Social Media Engagements

Featured Project

ApplicantLab MBA InteriewLab Product Launch

In 2018, ApplicantLab, a SaaS direct-to-consumer MBA admissions advice platform, did not hit revenue predictions for Quarter 4. I needed to quickly devise a way to capture incremental revenue at a low fixed cost. After conducting upgraded and free-trial user interviews, I synthesized market analysis into a new product recommendation for the CEO – MBA InterviewLab.

The new product was a walled-off version of our existing core product, which mitigated our engineering cost while capturing users at later stages in the MBA Admissions process.

In addition to driving the product development, I created the go-to-market strategy, including:

Creating the Product Roadmap for MBA InterviewLab
Devising User Personas + the Customer’s Journey
Crafting the Marketing Campaign and Messaging
Developing the Pricing Strategy
Engaging New Strategic Promotional Partners

5 %

of Total Revenue in 2019

Featured Project

The Omni Los Angeles Hotel Sales Collateral Redesign

Ten new hotel properties opened in Downtown Los Angeles between 2015 and 2019. How could our Express, Group, and Trial Sales teams compete with new inventory?

Using interviews with the Sales team, market research, and my design background, I was able to work with Corporate to create new Sales Kits that were customizable to the needs of each Sales manager.

7 %

Increase in Inquiries

Featured Project

Crwl: A Mobile App

In May 2020, I decided to finally take on the challenge of creating my own mobile app as an opportunity to illustrate my technical knowledge, design workflow, iterative process, and data-driven product management skills.

I designed and developed the mobile application. In June 2020, I launched the application in beta as a progressive web application (PWA).

SOME OF MY THOUGHTS

Articles

Episode #34 of MBASchooled Podcast

Release Date: 8/20/2020

100 Days to Speak Tech

Over the course of 100 days, I learned everything I could about technology, computer science, and coding.…

hello@austinmeloniecarroll.me