Founder at New Startup
Greater Atlanta Area
- Current
-
- Founder at New Startup
- Past
-
- Innovator at MySpace
- Creative Director at Fox Interactive Media
- Chief Creative Officer and Director of Product Strategy at Sidereus Technologies
- Owner at SynFonts
- Principal / Owner at Synstelien Design
- VP / Experience Architect at Talisman Creative
- Creative Director at Caribiner International
- Education
-
- Dallas Institute of Art at Omaha
- Recommended
-
17 people have recommended Don - Connections
-
500+
connections
- Industry
- Internet
- Websites
Don Synstelien’s Summary
Strategist for social networks -- expert knowledgeable in the development of large scale, high-use platforms and products, advertiser metrics, monetization, widgets, apps, mobile, brand advertising and games in relation to social networks.
I've successfully launched several products for companies like Myspace, Fox Sports and The Weather Channel among many others. Most recently, the team I led redesigned all MySpace mobile products, including iPhone, Blackberry, Android and m.myspace.com
Other products of note: I founded SpringWidgets.com, Initiated and led the creation of two analytics/metrics products. I created prototypes for, conceptualized or spearheaded several major initiatives at FIM for the first two years, including such diverse projects as a self serve ad system, FIM's first developer network and Several internal redesigns of MySpace products for senior management.
I've worked on more top-secret projects than public ones and led a team who's products influenced many tens of millions in sales across Myspace and other various FIM properties.
I'm looking for a position that will allow me to supersede everything that I have done before and have fun while doing it.
Don Synstelien’s Specialties:
Skills include:
• Leadership
• Talent Acquisition
• Business Strategy
• Product Strategy
• Business Development
• Consulting
• Product Development
I also dream.
Don Synstelien’s Experience
-
Founder
New Startup
(Internet industry)
January 2009 — Present (11 months)
Currently looking for Angel funding for a new venture. We are focused on iPhone/other smartphone app development in the area of location based advertising products. New idea, unique to industry.
Please contact me if you are interested.
The last company that I helped run was sold to Fox Interactive Media in 2005. -
Innovator
MySpace
(Public Company; NWS; Internet industry)
2008 — January 2009 (1 year )
My position at Myspace is a continuation of my career at Fox Interactive Media listed below.
Some highlights of my position at Myspace include:
MySpace™ Mobile – Led the team that created the UI and UX for the recent mobile versions of MySpace™.com, including iPhone™, Blackberry™, Android™ and the m.myspace site.
SpringWidgets® platform/SpringWidgets®.com – Launched November, 2006. FIMLabs innovated and built SpringWidgets® – a core technology which became the first internally incubated brand for Fox Interactive Media. SpringWidgets® influenced several tens of millions of revenue from FY07 to-date. At peak, the product reached over 48 Million unique users across a network of distributed widgets, has 75,000 registered and was used in hundreds of branded-widget campaigns.
Metrics/Analytics products – I led the creation of and verified the data of two metrics programs -- (Name withheld until launch) and SpringWidgets® Analytics -
Creative Director
Fox Interactive Media
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; NWS; Internet industry)
July 2005 — January 2008 (2 years 7 months)
• Identified and presented countless business opportunities with defined business models to FIM/MySpace
• Consulted and presented on Social Networking and Web 2.0 strategies with FIM/FOX property GM’s
• Co-direct a team of 14-20 FTE and contractors
• Set product strategy
• Documented patents for key technologies worth millions
• Exceeded revenue expectations working in a dysfunctional and hostile business environment
FIMLabs – Challenged in 2005 by the executive management to create “Blue Ocean Strategies” and find new revenue products for cross-FIM properties. My partner, I and a small team of very talented employees fostered an inventive R&D lab with a team dedicated to concept forward-thinking products, including but not limited to:
Business plans, products and/or product demos developed for:
• Self-serve ad system
• Social financial website
• Advertiser-focused widget platform
• Mobile alerting system
• Ad-served widgets
• Social gaming platform -
Chief Creative Officer and Director of Product Strategy
Sidereus Technologies
(Internet industry)
November 2002 — July 2005 (2 years 9 months)
As one of four members of senior management, I helped build the business by implementing company and product vision and was instrumental in the acquisition of the company by Fox Interactive Media in July of 2005.
• Hired and directed a team of designers, developers and freelancers across two business initiatives -- an agency arm and a technology startup.
• Creative Strategist and Bus Dev (lead all product definition, creative and IA efforts) for
• Powercast, a suite of subscription-based products combining web, mobile and Windows desktop tools
• DirecTV GameTracker for Fox Sports and DirectTV, (popularity exceeded install expectations by 1200%)
• Strategized the Desktop Weather Platinum desktop product for The Weather Channel™ -- the most successful desktop product the Weather channel had ever released at that time. -
Owner
SynFonts
(Internet industry)
January 1994 — July 2005 (11 years 7 months)
SynFonts is an internet based type foundry that has been engaged in the online selling of type since 1994. SynFonts has clients in all current world countries and states and features 31 truly unique typeface designs.
-
Principal / Owner
Synstelien Design
(Computer Software industry)
October 2000 — November 2002 (2 years 2 months)
Started, owned and managed a profitable interactive collective performing a variety of work for clients and interactive agencies such as Lucent, Audi, Pillsbury, James Hardy, Sawyer Riley Compton, and Voltage Factory
• Provided all sales, bus dev and leadership roles required to run a small company
• Initiated strategy, creative, IA, UI and UX functions for all projects
• Contracted and project managed up to 4 freelancers at any one time depending on the number of ongoing projects
• Worked on projects across mobile, desktop, web and advertising fields
• Won a Best of Show Addy for work on the Cuss Control campaign "It was the only piece of work that each of the judges gave a perfect score," said Eleanor Farris, the 2002-2003 vice president of the ADDY Awards. "It was amazing." -
VP / Experience Architect
Talisman Creative
(Internet industry)
April 2000 — October 2000 (7 months)
Started the company and led all creative employees:
• Provided all initial creative, IA, UI and UX functions for a variety of clients
• Hired and managed a team of 3 designers and developers and several freelancers -
Creative Director
Caribiner International
(Events Services industry)
December 1998 — April 2000 (1 year 5 months)
Led the creative and visual efforts of the Atlanta Digital Media Group, including:
• Managed a team of 10 designers and developers.
• Led all creative efforts for the 3M Volition lead generation tool. The total amount of leads generated exceeded expected performance by over 300% with an increased quality-of-lead ratio shown
• Our work directly influenced the Atlanta office being designated the Caribiner “Center for Creative Excellence”
Don Synstelien’s Education
-
Dallas Institute of Art at Omaha
associates , advertising and commercial art , 1986 — 1988
Additional Information
Don Synstelien’s Websites:
Don Synstelien’s Interests:
Web 2.0, Philosophy, Fencing, Motorcycling, Objects of great beauty.
Don Synstelien’s Groups:
Published Work
• Co-Authored 'The Site Speaks for itself' for Glasshaus publishing, a book on usability
• Co-Authored Director Studio 8.5 for Friends of Ed Publishing
• Wrote the introduction for the book, In Your Face, The Best of Interactive Interface Design. Also included in the book as a featured interactive designer
• Wrote the introduction for the book Typography on the Web
• My type has been included and featured in a wide range of published books including The Adobe Type Magic Series, Emotional-Digital and Faces on the Edge amongst several others
Speaking Events
• Widgetcon 11/2007
• Keynoted Widgets Live, 11/2006
• Mix06, 03/2006
• TypeCon2001 8/2001
-
On Startups - The Community For Entrepreneurs -
Web 2.0 -
UX Professionals -
Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association -
Facebook Developer Garage -
Advertising Professionals -
Mobile Content -
Social Media Marketing -
iPhone Developers - www.iPhoneintouch.com -
Social Media Mafia -
OpenSocial -
User Experience Group -
Information Architect, IA -
Digital Media VIP -
Marketing in Social Networks -
Fox Interactive Media -
MySpace: current employees and alumni -
Grow VC - Venture Capital 2.0 - Member Group -
Fox Networks Group - Social Networking -
Halo Entreprenuers
Don Synstelien’s Honors:
• Winner Two 2005 Addy Awards
• Winner 2003 Best of Show and 1 Gold Addy Award
• Finalist in the 2001 Amsterdam Flash Forward Film Festival in the E-Commerce Division for the SynFonts Type Viewer
• Winner of the 1999 ShowSouth Gold Award, Interactive Division
• Winner of the 1996 Optima Silver Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement
• My personal Web site won several web-based awards including AOL "member homepage" in 1996 for it's innovative layout and ease of use
• Founding member of Typeright. An online advocacy group for type copyright protection. Winner 1997 Publish Impact Award
Don Synstelien’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
