Background...
Mark Stephen Souder
1036 South Rose Street
Seattle, Washington 98108
+1-206-372-1655
mark@studio403.com
Skills
Direct marketing
Business development
Design and implementation of on-line and print-based strategies
Website and blog design and maintenance
Image management
Vendor cost-control
Consulting Experience
2013 – on-going Excition Seattle, Washington
Business Development Consultant
Duties: Evaluate existing on-line specialized on-line printing business for efficiencies. Triage website for modernization.
2011 – on-going Madrona Wine Merchants Seattle, Washington
Business Development Consultant
Duties: Co-authored business plan and performed detailed market analysis. Logo and website design, signage, and promotions. Stewarded store build out. Manage Facebook and other social media presence.
2009 – on-going Think Act Seattle, Washington
Business Development Consultant
Duties: Logo and branding for Microsoft/Google/Nokia consultant. Unified branding for business cards, leave-behinds, PowerPoint templates, letterhead.
2008 – 2010 Events & Adventures Bellevue, Washington
Business Development Consultant
Duties: Solidified their branding and marketing by instituting logo, typeface, and corporate color scheme while they expanded from clubs in four cities to clubs in eight cities. Standardized images used in publications and on-line. Monitored blogs and web to resolve trademark infringement issues. Managed Facebook and other social media presence.
2005 – 2008 Shirts of Bamboo St. Petersburg, Florida
Business Development Consultant
Duties: Worked with owners to expand on-line and retail clothing business into wholesale and implemented a plan to offer unique print-on-demand clothing products. Provided “sounding-board” services for expansion into specialty show markets. Handled ad design for both print and web, along with affiliate program materials. Coordinated insertion schedules for print ads.
2006 – 2007 Twango Redmond, Washington
Marketing Plan Implementation
Duties: Worked with marketing team and owners of the small photo sharing startup to implement event presence and extend branding. Researched favorable events and negotiated with sponsors over fees and access. Worked on partnership agreements between promoters and Twango. Designed upload station from “off-the-shelf” hardware for instant uploading of event photos without Ethernet access at event site. Coordinated volunteers and staff to work events. Twango was bought by Nokia in July 2007 and is currently branded as Nokia Share.
2000 – 2004 Chicago Science Group Chicago/Monterey/Seattle
Publishing Consultant
Duties: Designed, sourced, and staffed short run print facility for all beta testing materials for the Science Companion materials for K-5 science curriculum. Managed a staff of eight floating employees to handle graphics, design, printing, and binding of student and teacher materials. Sourced science lab components and designed/maintained inventory system for science kit materials along with implementing quality control checklists for shipping department. Chicago Science Group entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Pearson Scott Foresman in 2004.
Microsoft Experience
1996 - 1999 Microsoft Applications & Internet Client Group
Position: Direct Marketing Manager
Duties: Responsible for end-to-end direct marketing for Mastering Series and MSDN renewal efforts (80% renewal rate). Responsible for production all direct mail printed materials for the Applications & Internet Client Group. Cost savings generated by aggressive management of vendors accounted for $3.9 million in additional sales for first half of FY 1997 from the 4.3 million pieces mailed at an average in-the-mail cost of 51 cents each.
1995 - 1996 Microsoft Developer Division Redmond, Washington
Position: Direct Mail Production Manager
Duties: Responsible for all direct mail printed materials for the Developer Division of the Microsoft Corporation. Budget approximately $4 million for FY 1996. Cost savings generated by aggressive management of vendors accounted for $18 million in additional sales for FY1996. Handled projects accounting for 3.3 million pieces of direct mail during the year (with an average in-the-mail cost of 57 cents each). Trained junior staff.
1993 - 1995 Microsoft Developer Network Redmond, Washington
Position: Print/CD/Packaging Production Director
Duties: Responsible for all print and packaging-based materials procurement with a budget in excess of $8.5 million. Responsible for package design, configuration, and sourcing for one monthly and two quarterly CD-ROM-based subscription products with a pressing of 7 million discs annually. Additional responsibilities include direct mail design, print buying and sourcing, layout; along with management of outside designers, printers, and direct mail houses. Saved $.5 million by moving production to Midwest printers, without a loss of quality and turn-around time.
1991 - 1993 Microsoft Developer Network Redmond, Washington
Position: Art Production Director
Duties: Responsible for layout and design of bi-monthly 425,000 circulation Microsoft Developer Network Newspaper. Was a main contact for outside designers and temporary staff working on newspaper and CD-ROM-based material. Maintained production schedules, conducted press checks, and did print buying for newspaper and CD-ROM-related materials. Responsible for evolutionary design changes to improve look, feel, and readability of newspaper.
1989 – 1991 Microsoft Press Redmond, Washington
Position: Traffic Coordinator
Duties: Internal liaison between art, type, and editorial systems. External liaison between Microsoft Press and vendors, all located east of the Mississippi. Coordinated internal flow for 52 new book projects and 105 reprints yearly. Handled reprint corrections through various departments to ensure timely delivery. Scheduled approximately $3.2 million worth of interior and cover printing. Conducted press checks on 4- to 6-color covers. Department technical person for hardware/software upgrades. Worked with Associate Publisher on historical analysis projects.
Publishing Background
2001 - 2004 Pigletté & Bobo Children’s Book Series
Position: Publisher/Owner/Writer/Editor
Published a series of twenty five children’s books currently available on Amazon. Use internal print-on-demand technology to fulfill orders on an as-needed basis. Many titles available as eBooks on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
1981 - 1994 Sign of the Times -- A Chronicle of Decadence in the Atomic Age
Position: Publisher/Owner/Editor
Started and operated a twice-yearly literary magazine featuring fiction, photography, and graphics. Published an anthology edition featuring the best of twelve years of Sign of the Times. Many issues available as eBooks on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
1982 - 1986 Florist & Grower
Position: Publisher/Owner/Editor
Bought, managed, expanded, and sold an advertising-supported monthly trade magazine Oregon’s floral and nursery industry. Responsible for gathering and editing text, photos, and art,, mailing list research, composition, distribution, etc.
Public Service
1998-2000 Board of Governors, The Evergreen Foundation Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington
1999 Established endowed scholarship at Evergreen - the Mark Stephen Souder Scholarship for Information Dissemination.
Education
1980 The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington Graphic Arts/Business Administration
Sound good? Email us at mark@studio403.com