Proven Professional Experience.
With over 15 years in the EdTech industry, Todd's blend of corporate and startup expertise has shaped his understanding of what essential soft skills are needed to perform at a high level as an employee, contractor, or consultant.
At the start of his career, Todd worked as an artist and animator at Simon & Schuster's educational software division, Computer Curriculum Corporation, where he spent three years. He spent an additional four years, at Adobe Systems, as a quality engineer on the Adobe Illustrator team, conducting white box quality testing, launching the first community marketing website for any Adobe product, and pushing tool limits by creating intricate real-world vector art.
Transitioning into freelance Project Management and taking on PM roles at ETA Media Inc., Todd successfully managed projects for renowned companies such as Mattel, Disney Interactive, and National Geographic.
Returning to the Familiar: EdTech
After spending over five years in corporate America following his initial venture into educational software at Simon & Schuster, Todd returned to EdTech development. He managed the development and re-launch of Edison Learning’s flagship high school and middle school products, which included an immersive virtual campus with customizable student avatars.
Other projects involved an online lesson editor with access to OER repositories for graphics used in custom course creation and an Oculus-based VR training module for high school students. This module allowed students to walk through a virtual crime scene, tag evidence, or be a witness to a crime in a 360-degree video, providing a report based on their memory.
Todd also served as the Project Manager and producer for over 1000 course videos for companies like RedBird Learning (acquired by McGraw Hill), Agora Cyber school, Edison Learning, certify-ed.com , and many others.
Over the past seven years, Todd has led the development of the MindSage Durable Skills (soft skills) training program, drawing from actual corporate soft skills training concepts and employing innovative educational approaches.
Start Ups: The Ups and Downs
Todd served as the CEO of the Norwegian startup Web & Circus AS, where, in a little under two years, he oversaw the day-to-day development of an MMO, Animated TV Pilot, and additional marketing transmedia. This included comic books and music videos, all centered around a proprietary IP called Zoovolution.
During the fifth month of development, the M&A Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers Oslo proposed a $10 million acquisition deal for Zoovolution. Despite the offer, startup investors, seeking more than a 5X return, opted to retain ownership of the company and the project.
Nearly 18 months later, in August 2011, stock markets sharply fell, causing a drop in stock prices on exchanges across the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. The company lost it’s remaining funding.
Todd is passionate about assisting students in developing the non-academic skills (durable skills) essential for success, skills not currently taught in schools. Witnessing numerous college interns with degrees but lacking practical or durable skills, he aims to shift the focus and emphasis of education toward helping students cultivate essential traits, qualities, mindsets, habits, and attitudes. Attributes he believes will empower students to pursue any passion and career they desire successfully.
Todd has over 15 years of experience in transformative education within large organizations and is a seasoned speaker for audiences of any size. He regularly speaks to groups of 10, 100, or several thousand. He has served as the program director and lead trainer at MindSageAcademy.com for the last four years.
Contact him for speaking engagements at your next durable skills/soft skills training event. Todd can be reached at : toddm@etamedia.com