My Background Steven Mason is The Brand Mason. Over the past 22 years, I've been a marketing executive at --- and consultant to --- public and private Internet security/networking, enterprise software, B2B platform, e-Business firms, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms. With undergraduate studies in electrical engineering and computer science at Tufts University, graduate studies in psychology at Harvard University, and certification in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, I bring to my clients an uncommon blend of in-depth technical, communication, and change management skills. I am a frequent writer and speaker; I was also the editor of the Official Internet Dictionary: A Comprehensive Reference for Professionals, as well as the author of the “Internet Privacy and Security” column in The Internet Lawyer. I have been an Academic Consultant for the Summer Institute for the Gifted program at UC Berkeley, a Lecturer at Northeastern University's State-of-the-Art School, where I created and taught the course Compiler Design & Usage (as well as Introduction to C Programming), and an Instructor at the Berkeley Extension School, where I teach Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage for Editors (formerly Practical Grammar for Editors & Writers) and Basic Financial Mathematics Using Excel. My Personality I grew up in NJ and do have street smarts, but I fortunately have a lot more self control than Tony Soprano. I'm not a fan of bureaucracy, committees or groupthink. Teams that succeed elicit outstanding contributions from all members and are led by an individual capable of making decisions and executing plans. I solve my clients' problems with direct, incisive analysis, out-of-the-box thinking, and skepticism of so-called “conventional wisdom” and time-consuming, bureaucratically-based approaches. What I'm Great At and Love To Do - Creative direction (concepts for ads, marketing campaigns, etc.) - Copywriting (brochure, websites, print ads, white papers, proposals, anything) - Naming and taglines - Branding & positioning - Corporate strategy - Auditing existing marketing plans - Creating, writing, editing, critiquing business or marketing plans - Managing external vendors (designers, printers, PR agencies, ad agencies, etc.) - Negotiating and drafting complex contracts - Making decisions - Speaking and presenting - Work with attorneys (seriously!) What I'm Lousy At or Don't Like To Do - Graphic design (including PowerPoint layouts) - Writing PRDs - Sitting still through interminable meetings - Not challenging the consensus - Anything that's not intellectually stimulating and that doesn't fully engage my mind - Work with government officials - Plan without acting What Do I Know? My interests include: literature, poetry, history, psychology, philosophy, religion, music, cosmology, mathematics, medicine, law, economics, sports, orthography (a fancy word that essentially means "spelling"), financial instruments such as futures and options, marketing, biotechnology & genetics, negotiation, software, branding, nutrition and various and sundry other subjects worthy of rumination, cogitation, expostulation and contemplation. I've also taught university-level courses in computer science, financial mathematics, C programming, and English grammar (see below). INDUSTRIES I have extensive experience in all of these industries: Technology - Software Services (including SaaS) - Mobile Devices & Services, including Text-to-Speech - Enterprise Software - Internet Privacy & Security - Event Management & Monitoring - Software Consulting - Relational Databases, including Structured & Unstructured Data - Medical Devices Natural & Organic Foods & Beverages - Gourmet Brownies - Raw Food Bars - High-antioxidant Acai Drinks - Coffee - Pet Products Globally sold CPG products Other Business Services - Commercial Real Estate - Forensic Accounting - Payroll Audit Services - Management Consulting - Econometrics - Art