Career

From hands-on designer to design leader.

I started as a designer and front-end developer, moved through creative direction, and went on to lead design organizations. That path is why I can run a team and still open the file.

The path
2004
Creative Director
Microsoft / Sybari
2005
Designer
Berwald Creative
2006
Senior Designer
Razorshark
2006
Creative Director
Freelance
2008
Lead Designer
Newsday
Grew into
UX & Design Director
Newsday
2022
Head of Product Design
MNTN
Experience

Twenty-plus years, in order.

March 2022 – Present
MNTNNow
Austin, TX · Remote
Head of Product Design
  • Scaled and led the product design organization from 2 to 12+, supporting a multi-product adtech platform and improving delivery velocity, quality, and cross-functional alignment.
  • Drove product-led growth across onboarding, activation, and engagement, increasing platform engagement by 22%.
  • Led 0→1 product innovation, including AI-powered features that improved campaign workflows and surfaced actionable insights.
  • Built and implemented a scalable design system that increased design-to-engineering efficiency by 30%.
  • Partnered with Product, Engineering, and GTM leadership to define product strategy, and reduced iteration cycles by 23%.
February 2008 – March 2022
Newsday Media Group
Melville, NY
UX & Design Director

I joined as Lead Designer, Interactive and Front-End Development Coordinator, owning the front-end display logic of the company websites, editorial multimedia experiences, and the XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript behind them, and grew into leading the design organization.

  • Led a 20+ person multidisciplinary team across design, engineering, and QA, delivering large-scale digital publishing and content platforms.
  • Contributed to a 200% increase in digital subscription revenue through data-informed UX strategy.
  • Built internal design capabilities, reducing outsourcing costs by 56% while accelerating time to market.
  • Introduced UX research and analytics frameworks, and championed accessibility and responsive design, increasing engagement by 34%.
  • Delivered award-winning interactive experiences, including four New York Emmy Awards.
December 2006 – February 2008
Freelance Creative
Holbrook, NY
Creative Director / Senior Designer / Web Production Coordinator
  • Part of the DirecTV Holiday Web Creative Team, 2007.
  • Website and brand enhancement for BigHip, 2007.
  • Website design and development for BigBuzz Communications.
  • Creative direction and project management of multiple web projects for Vectorloft LTD.
March 2006 – December 2006
Razorshark Technologies
Holbrook, NY
Senior Designer / Web Production Coordinator
  • Managed web production of Flash and HTML-based projects.
  • Oversaw development of complex web technologies, balancing function and aesthetic.
  • Designed and implemented fully interactive graphical interfaces for the web.
August 2005 – March 2006
Berwald Creative Inc.
Centerport, NY
Designer / Web Production Coordinator
  • Created advertisements, direct mailers, and other print material from concept to production.
  • Coordinated the concept, development, and maintenance of the company website.
  • Streamlined ideas into advertising and branding concepts, and built a creative filing system for faster production.
June 2004 – November 2005
Microsoft / Sybari Software
East Northport, NY
Creative Director
  • Designed all corporate collateral and oversaw global production of web creative.
  • Established an official process for global creative requests, and provided final creative approval.
  • Conceptualized advertising concepts and built innovative sales and marketing tools.
May 2003
Marist College
Poughkeepsie, NY
Bachelor of Arts, Graphic Design
  • Concentration in Graphic Design, with a certificate in Advertising and Design.
  • Study of creative marketing and advertising concepts.
© Matthew Cassella · Northport, NY
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