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Product Manager and Content Strategist

About me

I am a Media Product Strategist with M.S. and 7+ year of experience in journalism, media innovation and content strategy for start-ups and established brands.

I am passionate about the process of turning ideas into stories and getting those stories in front of the right audiences. From co-founding a financial literacy app to launching a content creation system for an established media brand, I am excited by opportunities to actualize concepts that not only build businesses but also create content that audiences connect with. I have a demonstrated track record for working cross-functionally to grow revenue by defining target audiences, shaping and executing content strategy and implementing SEO and affiliate strategies, backed by superior communication skills as an experienced reporter/editor and seasoned on-air commerce trends expert. Creative and curious, I am comfortable adapting my skillset to the task at hand and am tech savvy with proficiency in Jira, Asana, Airtable, ChatGPT, Google Analytics, Looker, Chartbeat, Blueconic, HTML, CSS, Adobe Creative Cloud.

 

Resume

Meredith Gallo 

703-434-0233 | meredithagallo@gmail.com 

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY 

Media product strategist with M.S. in journalism, media innovation & content strategy and 7+ years of experience launching, developing and maintaining products, from a start-up financial literacy app to a content creation system for an established media brand. Creative problem solver experienced in working cross-functionally to grow revenue by defining target audiences, shaping and executing content strategy and implementing SEO and affiliate strategies. Superior communication skills as an experienced reporter/editor and seasoned on-air commerce trends expert. Tech savvy with proficiency in Jira, Asana, Airtable, ChatGPT, Google Analytics, Looker, Chartbeat, Blueconic, HTML, CSS, Adobe Creative Cloud 

EDITORIAL CONTENT & PRODUCT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE          

Senior Editor, Testing & Research — 09/2020 – Present 

BestReviews (New York, NY)  

  • Promoted from Editor after less than a year at the ecommerce website owned by Nexstar Media Group. Successfully built and rolled out centralized content creation system that increased revenue and content quality; Oversees digital, broadcast and social editorial calendar 

  • Launched and grew Testing Lab from initial concept to full-scale operation testing 400+ products and publishing 650+ unique articles per year; manage team of testing writers, edit articles and leverage AI to optimize workflow 

  • Achieved best single-day traffic and revenue for 2021 Amazon Prime Day; coverage involved 25+ people and created 960 unique URLs for news partners at Tribune Media and Nexstar Media Group 

  • Track analytics and align content with affiliate partnership strategy and SEO practices to optimize user experience; sunsetted underperforming influencer marketing program and strategically reallocated resources 

  • Developed syndication partnerships at The Hill, Nexstar Digital & TV stations to increase brand visibility 

  • Frequently represent brand as on-air commerce trends expert; appearances include NewsNation, KRON, WPIX & KWGN 

  • Led editorial contribution to website rebrand, partnering with product, design and marketing 

Editorial & Audience Engagement Consultant — 06/2019 – 09/2020 

Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University (Chicago, IL) 

  • Completed a rotation of professional consulting engagements as part of graduate program and authored a series of articles on product management as a Product Thinking in Journalism Fellow at the Northwestern University Knight Lab 

  • Ran audit of Charlottesville Tomorrow website; identified opportunities to raise audience engagement and presented to leadership  

  • Conducted qualitative user research for San Francisco Chronicle and applied human-centered design principles to craft and recommend novel engagement strategies to leadership 

  • Built model web application and business proposal for a viable startup concept; pitched to experts and investors 

Director of Content — 12/2017 – 06/2019 

Guardian Savings (Remote) 

  • Co-founded financial literacy app for children aged 6-12 and led team of developers to implement curriculum and iterate features through user testing, interviews and research while meeting stakeholder timelines 

  • Developed strategy for beta test and app launch, including a marketing strategy that increased web traffic by +30% 

  • Launched, wrote and edited SEO-driven blog on financial literacy and personal finance 

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

Account Manager 

Equilar (Chicago, IL) — 10/2018 – 04/2019  

  • Built relationships with new and existing clients; crafted reports, sales campaigns & demos; exceeded monthly metrics 

Oracle (Reston, VA) — 07/2016 – 10/2018 

  • Promoted from Business Development Consultant in less than a year; won sales and supported relationships with clients 

EDUCATION 

M.S., Northwestern University, Medill School — Journalism, Media Innovation & Content Strategy 

B.A., University of Virginia — Double Major in History and Global Studies: Security and Justice; Echols Scholar                      

ABOUT ME 

Grew up in the Middle East and East Africa, short story writer, performed on stage with Mortified