MIO TAKAHASHI
Los Angeles,CA
Summary
SUMMARY
Results-driven Program Manager with over 14 years of experience managing both technical and non-technical teams across various industries, including Media & Entertainment. Proven expertise in planning, executing, and overseeing projects from inception to completion, while ensuring adherence to best practices and principles. Adept at managing distributed teams and stakeholders, optimizing workflows, and ensuring successful project outcomes through continuous assessment and adaptation of work systems. Seasoned Scrum Master with extensive experience in both Agile and Waterfall methodologies. Exceptional skills in risk management, team coaching, and performance monitoring, ensuring high-quality delivery and continuous improvement. PMP Certified.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Executive Creative Director
Heal
03.2024 - Current
- Project Planning & Execution: Lead the planning, execution, and oversight of all creative projects in Workfront, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and project goals, resulting in a 25% increase in project efficiency.
- Risk Management: Monitor and manage project risks, trade-offs, and dependencies to ensure successful project outcomes, identifying potential blockers and implementing solutions to remove them, reducing project delays by 30%.
- Team Leadership: Coach and mentor the creative team, fostering adherence to best practices and principles, and leading regular team rituals such as stand-ups, planning, and retrospectives.
- Performance Monitoring: Track and provide transparency to metrics to monitor team performance and progress, ensuring high-quality results and guiding continuous improvement efforts. Improved team productivity by 20%.
Creative Operations & Brand Strategy
Freelance
06.2023 - 03.2024
- Brand Strategy & Messaging: Developed innovative brand strategies and high-level messaging for startups, securing funding for 4 projects and executing flawless video and photo shoots that aligned with client objectives.
- Workflow Optimization: Improved collaboration and productivity within Adobe Experience Manager, Notion, and Marketo, boosting efficiency by 25% through identifying and addressing process bottlenecks.
- Performance Reporting: Regularly presented clear and concise performance reports to executive leadership, highlighting key metrics, achievements, and areas for improvement, leading to a 20% increase in streamlined project approvals.
- Scope Agreements & Budget Negotiations: Negotiated scope agreements and shared points of view with clients to explain where and why contingency reserves were critical to successfully deliver projects using both Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
Creative Producer
Apple TV
08.2022 - 12.2022
- Strategic Program Management & Governance: Led end-to-end paid digital ad production for 20+ international shows and brand redesign initiatives, refining project governance and handling projects with an agile approach to adapt to shifting timelines and priorities.
- Operational Efficiency & Cost Reduction: Reduced costs by 20% through a new trial Agency of Record partnership. Boosted team capacity from 500 to 5000 digital assets per month by automating ad production, reducing labor hours by 20%.
- Vendor & Stakeholder Management: Managed 4+ creative vendors and a TV+ localization team, using BOX, Keynote, and Slack for internal and external creative reviews and approvals. Created a stakeholder register and engagement matrix, managing meeting schedules and documentation.
- Agile Collaboration & Performance Optimization: Worked closely with the ad production team and OMD, ensuring creative ad specs accuracy and managing shifting flight dates and new asset requirements. Conducted retrospectives with ad production and vendors post-production to discuss learnings and brainstorm workflow improvements.
Producer, @SpotifyPodcasts
Hi5.agency
03.2021 - 05.2022
- Program Management & New Business: Directed a team of 10+ creatives through 35+ new projects and ongoing social work, managing integrated paid marketing campaigns for high-profile Spotify exclusivity deals, including Joe Rogan 2.0 Refresh, Armchair Expert, and Call Her Daddy.
- Workflow Optimization & Resource Management: Collaborated with the COO and team leads to streamline resourcing and incoming project setup in Basecamp, boosting efficiency by 20%. Improved social post-scheduling and content management workflows in Basecamp, Airtable, Emplifi, and Productive, saving $500K.
- Agile Content Production & Strategic Collaboration: Managed production and project scopes for all Instagram, X, Meta, and TikTok posts for new releases on Spotify Podcasts, Parcast, Gimlet. Handled social editorial posts tied to sweeping cultural events like AAPI Stop Asian Hate Month. Produced special posts in real-time to capitalize on viral trending moments like Julia Fox's “Uncut Gems”. Ensured all social post assets were approved, on-brand, errorless, and delivered on time.
Director of Creative Production, Gaming
Liquid Advertising
07.2017 - 02.2021
- Creative Project & Production Management: Led production on 15+ diverse creative projects per week, ranging from experiential events, integrated campaigns, to CG animation. Applied top-down and bottom-up oversight throughout each project lifecycle for top gaming clients such as Blizzard, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco.
- Resource Expansion & Performance: Identified resourcing needs and created new roles expanding the team size by 175%. Conducted retrospectives with Creative Directors, tracked and reported on KPIs to monitor team performance and identify areas for continuous improvement.
- Quality Upgrade & Client Satisfaction: Upgraded QA and QC protocols by adding more resources, which reduced defects by 20% and significantly improved client satisfaction, leading to a 30% increase in repeat business.
- Macro Process Overhaul: Led a macro process overhaul with executives to streamline processes, and shared “integrated best practices” with staff. Standardized workflows in Jira, Wrike, Notion, Workfront, for project plans, roadmaps and reporting accelerating delivery rate by 20%.
Creative Supervisor, FOX
360i
07.2016 - 07.2017
- Workflow Optimization: Created and deployed streamlined workflows across all media teams for paid digital asset creation, improving process efficiency by 20%.
- Integrated Tracking: Developed a client-facing all-inclusive tracker and directed digital event activations, ensuring seamless execution and brand strategy adherence.
- Collaboration & Reporting: Transformed collaboration across 10 interdisciplinary media teams, improving reporting accuracy by 25%, and partnered with IT and Ops teams to ensure timely project delivery, achieving a 95% on-time errorless delivery rate.
Digital Project Manager
FOX Broadcasting Company
09.2015 - 06.2016
- Media Planning & Production: Managed media planning and ad production for 10+ TV shows with a $20M budget, ensuring timely and budget-conscious campaign completions.
- Agency Transition: Played a pivotal role in restructuring company and agency activities, facilitating smooth agency transition and optimizing resource allocation and project delivery.
Digital Marketing Project Manager
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
10.2014 - 09.2015
- Digital Campaign Execution: Planned and executed 30+ paid digital campaigns for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, Focus Features, and Studio Ghibli, driving engagement and brand visibility across various platforms.
- Vendor Management: Managed vendors and multiple agencies for creative asset production and media planning, streamlining communication processes for a 30% boost in efficiency.
Digital Media Planner, NBC TV
Ignited
01.2013 - 10.2014
- Strategic Media Planning: Developed, presented, and executed digital media plans on behalf of NBC TV, managing a $30M+ total media budget.
- Efficiency Improvement: Revamped digital media plan format that automated the integration of detailed vendor media proposals, reducing LOE by 30%.
Assistant Media Planner, Finance
HAVAS Digital
05.2011 - 12.2012
- Campaign Management: Monitored marketing ad campaign trends and identified growth opportunities for 8 key finance accounts, including Fidelity Investments and BBVA Compass Bank, increasing client satisfaction by 15%.
- Optimization & Troubleshooting: Managed 20+ daily digital campaign tasks in Atlas, DFA, and Pointroll, improving campaign outcomes by 20% through strategic planning.
Assistant Digital Media Planner
Paramount Pictures, MEC Global
07.2010 - 05.2011
- Analytics & Optimization: Monitored analytics dashboards and optimized digital ad campaigns in Atlas and DFA for 17+ tentpole theatrical releases, increasing campaign performance by 20%.
- Efficiency Improvement: Successfully launched multiple digital media campaigns, increasing efficiency by 15% through working closely with partners and frequent consistent stakeholder communication.
Skills
- Project/Program Management
- Agile & Waterfall Methodologies
- Team Coaching & Mentoring
- Risk Management & Mitigation
- Workflow Optimization
- Performance Monitoring & Metrics
- Resource Allocation & Capacity Planning
- Stakeholder Communication
- Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
- Remote Team Management
Creative Portfolio
- Link: mariasapproach.com/portfolio-miomaria/one
- Password: sWC@m5G5RbTTeaf
Key Achievements
- Project Execution & Risk Management: Successfully managed end-to-end paid digital ad production for 20+ international shows at Apple TV+, ensuring timely delivery by identifying and eliminating blockers, and managing risks and dependencies.
- Workflow Optimization & Team Management: At Liquid Advertising, expanded team size by 175% and enhanced quality assurance protocols, resulting in a 20% increase in operational efficiency and balanced workloads.
- Agile Implementation & Performance Monitoring: Led Agile transformation at hi5.agency, introducing Scrum rituals and performance metrics that increased team productivity by 25% and improved project outcomes.
- Remote Team Coordination: Effectively managed distributed teams across different time zones, ensuring seamless collaboration and communication, and successful project delivery at various organizations.
Certification
- PMP - Project Management Professional, issued March 2024
- PgMP - Program Management Professional, est. July 2024
Additional Information
- Guinness World Record 2017, “World's Largest Game Diorama”, World of Warcraft “Battle for Lordearon” 3D Diorama
- PromaxGames 2018 Gold “Best Buzz Generating Tactic”, Overwatch Payload Tour
- PromaxGames 2018 Silver “Best Cool Sh t”, “Best Buzz Generating Tactic”, Overwatch Happy Hero Days Campaign
- PromaxGames 2018 Silver “Bet Promo Trailer for Mobile”, Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia “Golden Saucer” Trailer
- Clio Entertainment Silver Award 2021, Borderlands 3 “Let's Make Some Mayhem” Digital/Mobile Campaign
EDUCATION
Boston University 2010
College of Communication
Timeline
Executive Creative Director
Heal
03.2024 - Current
Creative Operations & Brand Strategy
Freelance
06.2023 - 03.2024
Creative Producer
Apple TV
08.2022 - 12.2022
Producer, @SpotifyPodcasts
Hi5.agency
03.2021 - 05.2022
Director of Creative Production, Gaming
Liquid Advertising
07.2017 - 02.2021
Creative Supervisor, FOX
360i
07.2016 - 07.2017
Digital Project Manager
FOX Broadcasting Company
09.2015 - 06.2016
Digital Marketing Project Manager
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
10.2014 - 09.2015
Digital Media Planner, NBC TV
Ignited
01.2013 - 10.2014
Assistant Media Planner, Finance
HAVAS Digital
05.2011 - 12.2012
Assistant Digital Media Planner
Paramount Pictures, MEC Global
07.2010 - 05.2011
- PMP - Project Management Professional, issued March 2024
- PgMP - Program Management Professional, est. July 2024
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