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mjbear.com
online, wireless, and media strategies
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MJ Bear
Vienna, Austria
U.S. cell
+1.515.771.4539 | European cell+43.676.726.1416
mj at mjbear.com |
mjbear at microsoft.com
SUMMARY
Media executive with 20+ years experience in the U.S. and abroad as a vice president
for online, a programming executive and a TV producer. Established
manager with leadership track-record in transitioning traditional media
companies to new technologies and platforms. Problem-solver.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Vienna, Austria 2008- current
Microsoft is a worldwide leader in software, services and technical solutions.
Executive Producer, CEMEA
§
Responsible for MSN portal sites, driving traffic, engagement and revenue.
RADIO
FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, Prague, Czech Republic 2005 - current
RFE/RL is a private,
international media service to 21 countries in Eastern and Southeastern
Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central and Southwestern Asia and the Middle East. RFE/RL broadcasts
more than 1000 hours of radio and television programming a week. Its Web sites
reach 1.5 million monthly unique visitors viewing more than 20 million
pages and listening to a million audio files per month.
Director of Programming
§
Launch new Internet sites. Lead teams in the creation
and implementation of the site’s content, staffing, design and promotional/marketing
decisions. Increased Persian site traffic by 2 million page views in
first two months due to improved architecture and content; new Russian
site more than doubled its traffic to 750,000+ unique monthly visitors in
its first year due to improved content and an aggressive daily headline
marketing campaign;
§
Acting Director Internet
Technical Team.
Eleven-month special assignment in 2006 running day-to-day operations. Managed
13 staff members responsible for maintenance and development of 19 Web
sites in 28 languages. Helped develop and stabilize back-end Content Management
System to provide more complex functions and automation. Hired and
managed outsourcing partners and consultants. Improved design, usability
and search functions; migrated sites to load-balancing serving solution;
created new interactive tools, mobile and e-news products;
§
Lead Language Services in
convergence.
Includes: creating corporate strategy for online technical and editorial
teams, conceiving of and implementing multiplatform programming, training
editorial staff and helping formulate corporate-wide, cross-platform
policies;
§
Provide corporate-wide Web
analytics analysis, which is used to help guide online and mobile content, marketing
and technical initiatives;
§
Create and implement new broadcast
programming.
Newly launched TV programs in Kyrgyzstan captured 30 percent audience
share in first few months on-air;
§
Evaluate programming in formal review process
which includes delivering written and oral comments on Internet, radio
and TV programming strengths and weaknesses;
§
Train staff in Prague and in local bureaus in
multimedia journalism. Create and conduct seminars on convergence,
Internet writing and general programming issues;
KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATION, Bucharest, Romania 2004 - 2005
The Knight International
Fellowship program places mid-career journalists in developing societies.
Fellow/Journalism Trainer
§
Trained journalism students
and media professionals in Romania and Moldova in print, broadcast and
online news coverage, ethics and best practices;
§
Faculty advisor/editor for monthly, bi-lingual
newspaper;
AMERICAN
UNIVERSITY, Washington, DC 2002 - 2005
Accredited
university with more than 10,500 undergraduate, graduate and law students.
Professor-in-Residence 2004 - 2005
Assistant Professor 2002 - 2004
§
Taught digital media, broadcast
journalism and advanced editing to undergraduate and graduate journalism
students in nationally ranked School of Communication;
§
Co-authored ground-breaking
study of
media self censorship in Iraqi war coverage; findings reported by: Editor and Publisher, Columbia Journalism Review and Poynter;
§
Created faculty-run consulting
firm
specializing in Internet strategy and implementation;
MJBEAR.COM founded 2001
Online,
wireless, and media strategies provided to start-ups and established
organizations.
Principal
§
Provided consulting services to non-profits and media entities
with a focus on Internet and wireless strategies. Assisted in online
content distribution and business development;
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, Washington, DC 1996 - 2001
NPR is a private, non-profit broadcast
network made-up of 800 radio stations and serving 26 million weekly
listeners.
Vice President for Online 2000 - 2001
Director New Media Services 1997 - 2000
Manager New Media Services 1996 - 1997
§
Ran online operations for five years with increasing
level of responsibility and position. Grew from a $300,000 annual budget
to more than $5 million in operating and capital expenses. Created viable
structure for programming, technology, station services and E-Commerce
activities;
§
Managed eight direct reports
with a total staff of 35, including the: editorial, technical, production and
business development departments;
§
Created more than 36 award-winning
Web sites,
which comprised NPR.org. Acquired online properties such as Fresh Air with Terry Gross; created Web-only programs
such as All Songs Considered.
Won two Webby Awards in successive years;
§
Negotiated key partnerships and placements with AOL,
Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, and Real Networks;
§
Launched redesigned and
retooled sites
on time and under budget. Implemented Content Management System and enabled
user customization -- integrating network programming with content from
NPR's more than 800 local and independently run member stations;
§
Created the PBS/NPR Online Summit, which became public broadcasting's premier online training event
with 600 attendees in 2001, its second year;
§
Successfully settled union
dispute
ending in mutually agreeable contract;
§
Created blueprint for network
growth and
operations in area of online and wireless technology. Successfully led
Board of Directors, Trustees, and hundreds of representatives from NPR
stations through the strategy and concept;
MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Redmond, WA 1995 - 1996
Microsoft
is a worldwide leader in software, services and technical solutions.
Project Manager/Consultant
§
Created and maintained Web
sites for
Internet Server products. Responsible for: Web site design and updating, Web-based
marketing programs, customer case studies;
KIRO-TV, Seattle, WA 1991 - 1995
KIRO is
the CBS affiliate in the Seattle-Tacoma television market.
Executive Producer 1994 - 1995
Special Projects Producer 1992 - 1994
Producer 1992 - 1994
§
Created two new, daily, live
talk/information programs in a sixth-month time span. Compiled staff, concept,
content, budget, set, graphics, music and on-air look for both programs
with only six weeks from project go-ahead to first air date;
§
Emmy nominated Producer. Coordinated series and
special projects including election coverage. Field reporter and
producer.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCING POSITIONS
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT 1989 - 1991
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC 1987 - 1989
KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids, IA 1986 – 1987
EDUCATION
Master of Arts, Foreign Affairs, University of
Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 1986
Bachelor of Science, Broadcast
Journalism, Boston University, Boston, MA 1984
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
Online News Association: Founding Board Member. International
Committee Member 2005- current. Board of Directors 2000-2003. First
Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony Chair.
Media Center at the American Press Institute: Advisory Board Member
2000-2002.
District of Columbia Jewish Community Center: Board Member 2002 - 2004.
Jewish Federation: 1992 - 2002. National Women's
Cabinet Member 2002; Young Leadership Division (YLD) Co-President 1995.
Aspen Institute Socrates
Society:
Participant 1999 - 2003.
LANGUAGES
Basic knowledge of: Hebrew and French. Beginning Romanian and Czech.
PRESENTATIONS
Keynotes and Major Addresses: Streaming Media East, United
Way Annual Training Conference, Stanford Web Publishing Course, DC Web
Woman, Carnegie Mellon MBA program.
Panels: National Association
of Broadcasters Conference, Society of Professional Journalists Annual
Meeting, Online News Association Annual Meetings, Magazine Industry Folio
Show, National Press Club, Unity Conference, NYU Center for Communication,
Non-Profits Online Conference, many major public radio and television conferences.
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