Map & Fire

Map & Fire is a Los Angeles based research and brand consultancy. We help you own a unique space in your market with a mix of research, positioning, and messaging – so you can connect with more customers and grow with confidence.

View happy client testimonials at: https://mapandfire.com

Founder, Brand Strategist

HelloAdvisr LLC

Strategy Advisor

TVGla

• Led a team of 14 producers and was responsible for defining the department's vision and planning, managing overall budget, conducting individual reviews, setting goals and providing guidance on all project work.

• Provided strategic insights and oversaw production efforts for the agency's two largest Digital Agency of Record accounts, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, along with a wide array of campaigns for companies including Sony, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Hard Rock Cafe, Cinemax, A&E, History Channel, Dreamworks and Gruppo Campari.

• Unified and facilitated cross-training of a production department that had been historically split between a team of digital banner producers and web/app-focused producers. In addition, established dedicated production support for the company's quickly expanding social department.

• Worked to build strong relationships with all team members by providing personal support, empowering them to take on deeper responsibilities and challenging them to work on projects outside their immediate areas of expertise.

• Improved overall efficiency and expertise of the department through process refinement, mentorship and the introduction of improved project management and communication tools.

Executive Producer

• Played a key role in building the strategy and relationship that led to the agency's first major Digital Agency of Record account with Wheel of Fortune.

• Beyond production responsibilities, provided additional insight and value by helping to guide UX decisions, as well as input on creative and technical implementations.

• Led over 75 projects for clients such as Google, Sony, Universal Pictures, Mattel, and FOX. 

• Managed and oversaw between $1.5 - 2MM of project revenue annually, consistently delivering work under projected budgets.

Senior Producer

Better You

• Founding partner in startup, responsible for full UX, product management, and technical life cycle of project.

• Wrote business requirements, defined user experience, user flows, and created interactive wireframes for the entire site.

• Designed graphical UI elements for site and prototyped frontend experience.

• Managed developers to build out front and back end coding on a LAMP platform.

Co-Founder, Head of Product Development

Bird Branch

• Worked in a variety of roles including brand strategist, UX designer, creative lead, and developer on over 150 projects.

• Collaborated with a wide assortment of clients on projects ranging from the entertainment industry to consumer products to health care both in project lead and contractor roles.

• Extensive experience with both UI and graphic design.

• Developed front and backend code solutions utilizing existing frameworks as well as fully custom implementations. 

• Responsible for managing project budgets, tracking progress, and coordinating work both with clients and additional resources.

Founder, Strategy, UX, and Design Consultant

G4 Media

Senior Web Developer

Avacus Corporation

Web Developer

O'Neil Data

Unigraphics Solutions

Software Developer

Win with a brand built on research, not guesses | Founder Map & Fire 🔥, SmokeLadder | Contributor at Foundr Magazine

I use a mix of research, positioning, and messaging to help founders and marketing leaders connect with more customers and grow with confidence. 

My writing on strategy and research has been featured in Foundr Magazine and AdWeek. 

More about my background:

I've spent the last 20 years dreaming up and then bringing to life multiple startups as well as a wide range of digital projects. With every twist and turn of that journey there’s been a consistent thread of weaving together strategic problem solving, creative expression, and a curiosity to better understand how people think and make decisions. 

In the businesses I created or co-founded, my primary focus has always been on strategy and user experience. For others, I've worn lots of hats from Executive Producer, to Designer, to Copywriter, to Developer. I've also enjoyed an unofficial Account Services role where I carefully honed the craft of client therapy.

Over the years, I've collaborated with countless passionate small businesses along with several Fortune 500 brands including Google, Sony, Universal Pictures, Mattel, FOX, Dreamworks, CBS, A&E, Home Depot, Roland Keyboards, G4 TV, and the LA Times. 

When not doing mental gymnastics, I like spending time with my amazing wife and son, hiking, surfing, and watching things that make me laugh.

Clay Ostrom

The Lubrizol Corporation

Sr. Director SAP

Jabil

Achieve a promotion to a position of increased authority, leadership, and authority with responsibility for leading a newly restructured IT organization to maximize business performance. 
•	Merge 3 different divisions into 1 cohesive team following the organization’s 6 month restructuring to improve project management goals and ensure timely deliverables. 
•	Supervise a team of 250+ Full-Time Employees & Consultants to design, improve, and deliver 100+ homegrown & SaaS customized application development, enhancements, manufacturing, testing, quality, and engineering systems globally. 
•	Serve as key liaison for the Global Manufacturing Operations team & IT team, effectively resolving emerging issues. 
•	Lead 8 direct reports, featuring Managers, Senior Managers, & Directors. 
•	Oversee Microsoft.net platform application developments to deliver customized solutions that address evolving business needs.
•	Manage DevOps activities to improve application development and troubleshooting.
•	Direct operations for a Project Management Office (PMO) with 16 Project Managers & Program Managers. 
•	Assess numerous Low Code Application Platforms (LCAPs) to drive key decision-making initiatives by collaborating with Mendix to achieve successful integration across current applications. 
•	Develop and launch a Mendix COE to deliver infrastructure governance, technical leadership, and organizational alignment to facilitate Mendix & Jabil while supporting developers utilizing Mendix.

Sr. Director - Factory Enablement Team

Played an important role as a key member of the Factory of the Future (FoF) Digital Transformation team by organizing, leading, and implementing all information technology operations, featuring application deployments for this high-tech manufacturing organization. Championed a global IT organization while steering an IT management team that launched business & IT initiatives to enhance application development. 
•	Partnered with executive leadership to determine organizational needs and implement effective strategies supporting the company’s mission and vision.
•	Delivered exceptional value to key business functions, featuring operations and project lifecycle development while sharing ownership over business strategy & outcomes.
•	Established operational processes to achieve world-class quality for all diverse applications, including SAP, Azure, & AWS.
•	Built a trustworthy relationship with EPAM & key partners to innovate and design a Managed Services team comprised of 45+ consultants across global locations, featuring Ukraine & Belarus, to secure resources.
•	Acted as key liaison between the EMS VP of materials & the Jabil SVP of Quality to provide timely updates on project status, offer detailed feedback to address technical issues, and discover new opportunities.
•	As the senior IT leader, leveraged strategic leadership skills across all organizations to effective resolve issues and propel technical competencies.
•	Internationally traveled to global mega-sites to engage with site leadership through direction, governance, and collaboration on strategy and projects to enhance processes, achieve project goals, determine initiative progress through communications, and minimize risks.  
•	Managed the team to design, develop, deploy, and effectively integrate all SAP technical solutions and deliver custom quality applications for the EMS Division generating $17B+ in annual revenue.

IT Director – Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) Package Application Team

Strategically selected to serve in a new leadership role by managing an SAP S/4 pilot program featuring Integrated Business Planning (IBP) Ariba for direct procurement, Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), and an internal shop floor system. Negotiated, attained approval, and managed a $15M operational project budget.
•	Negotiated deals and gained approval to secure 10+ individual SAP contracts to support the pilot program.
•	Hired 80+ full-time, external consultants to function as high-performing pilot program resources.
•	Developed the organizational structure & processes aligned with the FoF organizational structure and major goals.
•	Worked directly with the PMO by leading all design workshops to strengthen business processes.
•	Organized the Executive & Operational Steering Committee and provided comprehensive updates to achieve project goals.
•	Supervised 80 Full-Time IT professionals & consultants in the matrixed organization while championing innovative applications to satisfy divisional & organizational demands. Steered the team to accomplish large &strategic initiatives in the EMS Division, a customer-focused logistics project comprised of extensive SAP customizations, and promoted EDI enablement for both customers & suppliers while maximizing organizational efficiency.
•	Pushed the program forward while building strategic, scalable solutions to overcome emerging challenges by redesigning SAPs.

IT Director – Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) Factory and Future Lead

Successfully performed in the highest level among the architects and technical leads. Additionally, I spearheaded a high performing team responsible for championing SAP. Additionally, I led the SAP design team implementing and utilizing SAP technologies and solutions to champion organizational needs.
➥Owned all SAP workstreams, processes, procedures, integration, and more while leading all decision-making for SAP technology.

➥Applied peer research to identify remarkable discoveries enabling a project to conserve $1M in efficiencies while additionally supporting numerous projects to develop solutions to complex problems.

Sr. IT Manager – SAP Center of Excellence Design Team

IT Manager – SAP Center of Excellence Functional Team Senior Project Manager – SAP Implementation • SAP Implementation Specialist – SAP Center of Excellence • St. Petersburg Site Inventory Analyst & Site SME Inventory Control

Jabil - Various IT roles 

●	Accomplished IT leader offering 10+ years of extensive leadership expertise in organizing, leading, and delivering world-class technology excellence by propelling complex IT initiatives across a global, diverse, fast-paced, and ever-changing environment. 
●	Offers a solid history of successfully engaging across all business & technical levels to design effective processes and launch innovative methodologies to push the enterprise forward.
●	Excels at developing, leading, and empowering powerful teams by cultivating strategic relationships, actively communicating project goals, controlling multi-million-dollar budgets, and eliminating obstacles.
●	Exceeds expectations by upholding key stakeholders’ vision and mission while tracking individual and team performance to drive organizational efficiency.
●	Visionary leader dedicated to improving business operations by aligning diverse needs with strategic results, scalable solutions, and distinguished offerings. 

Core Competencies

 
●	Enterprise Application Development
●	Strategic Leadership
●	ERP Solutions
●	Project Management 
●	Relationship Building
●	Process Improvements
●	Stakeholder Relations
●	Product Development
●	System Integrations
●	Complex IT Systems 
●	Global Operations 
●	Digital Transformations

taplio

The Battle

Clay Ostrom

Jerry Pahl

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