Brian McConnell is a results-oriented design leader, adept at building cross-functional partnerships, managing change, and driving innovation. He brings an entrepreneurial mindset to the enterprise, and scaling experience to startups.
- 24 years experience
- 40+ products built
- 13 years managing teams
- 26 largest team
Experience
Disney Streaming / MLB Advanced Media
Senior Director, Product Design
April 2018 - August 2023
I joined Disney through its acquisition of BAMTech to launch its new streaming businesses.
- Launched Disney+ & ESPN+ propelling them from 0 – 126M subscribers in two years by building a Growth Design program, collaborating cross-functionally, advising Disney leadership on design strategy, and designing for multiple time horizons.
- Launched & grew STAR+ to 11.5M subscribers in two years by designing a fan-centric sports experience.
- Saved $80M+ p/a in operational costs with a suite of 40+ Enterprise SaaS tools for content, data, commerce, and developer productivity.
- Reduced designer attrition 50% and recruiting timelines 80% by co-authoring a career framework, performance evaluation playbook, and hiring & onboarding processes.
- Developed and mentored leadership at the Director, Manager, and Lead Designer positions.
Director, Product Design
September 2015 - April 2018
I joined MLB Advanced Media as they began a transformation from an in-house team to a $4B acquisition exit for ownership.
- Scaled a design team of 2 up to 26 designers & researchers across the US and EU through recruiting, culture development, and mentoring new design leaders.
- Led the design of 6 new streaming services for global entertainment brands.
- Drove feature innovation and reduced development costs through rigorous UX Research, cross-functional partnerships, new prototyping technology, and designing efficient resource management models.
- Founded teams for Growth Design, UX Research, and Enterprise SAAS Design.
Disney Projects
- Disney+
- Disney+ GroupWatch
- hulu
- ESPN+
- Disney StreamEngine
MLBAM Projects
- MLB.tv
- NHL.tv / NHL.com
- Eurosport Player
- MLS LIVE
- PGA Tour Live
- [Confidential]
Voxnest / BlogTalkRadio
Sr. Director, Product & UX
September 2010 - April 2015
- Managed a cross-functional team of 7 people including engineers, UX designers, and Content Designers.
- Boosted ad revenue 37% YoY by building a patented monetization platform with programmatic integration and targeted ad-serving capability. Patent: US20170195373A1
- Grew subscription revenue 42% YoY by designing robust creator tools with advanced engagement analytics, script writing education, and advanced audio processing.
Director of UX Design
December 2010 - December 2013
- Increased Daily Active Users YoY +95% by designing a mobile listening experience and refreshed podcast cover artwork.
- Implemented a global redesign, instituted user-centered design practices, hired and managed design contractors, and defined the standards of quality.
- UX lead on the launch of Cinchcast, an enterprise conferencing & webinar product.
BUZZD City Guide
Director of UX
August 2009 - August 2010
Led the design of Buzzd’s mobile city guide. Utilized user-centered practices, directed brand redesign, project managed agile development process.
- Increased overall user activity 200+% by redesigning the browse locations UI.
- Increased adoption 20% by optimizing the onboarding UX getting users to a success state faster.
- Doubled application speed (cut load times 50%) by indexing the location database, and optimizing the image pipeline to be mobile friendly.
Edelman Digital
Technical Director
April 2007 - October 2008
Managed a team of 4 web developers. Led engineering efforts for client projects, business development, UX design, software architecture design, and mentored junior developers.
Motionbox
Senior User Interface Developer
March 2006 - April 2007
Motionbox created a novel UI for editing and sharing short clips of video. I prototyped and developed new interfaces in Flash and HTML.
Kageki Group
Founder & Principal
Jan 2000 - Dec 2005
Founded & led a 4-person digital agency mostly serving music industry clients.
- Managed the finances, daily operations, program management, and business development for the firm.
- Saved a client $100k/pa in operational costs by rebuilding their content supply chain.
- Increased sales 100% for three record labels by revitalizing their web presence and fan engagement.
- Founded a social network for music fans earning a six-figure revenue from advertising, event ticketing, and referral programs.
Cambridge Technology Partners
UX Design Technologist
October 1999 - April 2000
Designed & built advanced interfaces and interactive installations.
Notable Clients
Ford, Walmart, GMAC
Xceed / Reset
UX Design Technologist
September 1998 - October 1999
Developed interactive applications and websites.
Notable Clients
CBS News, Warner Brothers Pictures, Interscope Records, HBO
Additional Experience
Odd Jobs
TACO CHEF
Launched a popup taco stand in Brooklyn called "Unicorn Tacos" serving classic Mexico City style tacos with modern-american fillings.
PADI DIVEMASTER
Led diving excursions in Grand Cayman
STAGE LIGHTING TECH
Lighting tech at legendary nightclub Filter 14 née Mother
Even Jobs
AUDIO ENGINEER
Shelter Island Sound, The Plant
HOUSE-PAINTER
Flying colors
RETAIL
Sold computers at a big box store in the late 1900s
Education
New York University
Bachelor of Music (BMus)
Class of 199
Major in Music Business & Technology
Focus on post-modern composition & synthesis with Morton Subotnik, Dr. Kenneth Peacock, and Ken Walicki.
