0

sydney

Sydney Russakov is a product manager & advisor focusing on creation & video

● currently open to remote or local work in the los angeles ca area

strategy

after nearly a decade of battle scars from the tech industry, i know how to build an impactful strategy. i love ambiguity -- let me spearhead your next 0-1 venture.

communication

from boardroom presentations to clear and impactful written messages, i excel at communicating with C-suite executives and my team alike.

leadership

i've cultivated strong leadership skills that resonate with a variety of personalities. my human-centered approach highlights collaboration and empowerment (while keeping it real).

domain expertise

with 8 years in the social and creator spaces, i hold a level of domain expertise and intuition that is hard to find. if you're looking for someone with a hyper-refined product sense for creators, i am your girl.

mentorship

sharing knowledge is one of the joys of product. whether within a team or through external networks, i'm committed to empowering the next generation of PMs. my inbox is always open.

a/b testing

testing and iterative development is at the heart of my product process. i work cross-functionally to concoct well-designed experiments that help us to move intelligently fast.

FAANG, startups & more

linkedin, posting for pages

0-1 strategy

2019


Transformed stagnant company pages into vibrant hubs of organic engagement, driving +55% growth.

universe, churn catching

startups

2023


Engineered a creative solution to user churn, flipping "delete" into "reimagine," resulting in doubled site creation and heightened user satisfaction.

disney, streaming redesign

design thinking

2018


Unleashed DisneyLife's potential pre-Disney+ with a user-driven redesign, shaping a globally resonant experience.

Let's work together

tea is always welcome

i'm a sucker for hot water

I find myself continually drawn to the intersection of entertainment and technology, creators, and social. I like to nerd-out on the “democratization of content creation” (yes, really) and will never turn down a conversation about the ethics of social media.

Whether it’s advising the next big startup or joining one myself, I’m motivated by smart companies built by even smarter and kinder people. If that sounds like you, my inbox is always open.

As a kid, I was hugely into three things: my cats, hockey, and computers. Cats taught me to respect boundaries, hockey taught me how to be myself in a male-dominated sport, and computers taught me… that computers are fun. As I got to college, I still loved my cats, stopped playing hockey (injury), but hadn’t yet realized that working with computers was going to be part of my career. After the support of a couple amazing professors my senior year and a chance introduction, I found myself strolling onto the Disney lot to work on a mysterious new product.

It took no more than two months for me to absolutely fall in love with product management. The problems to solve and the diverse set of people to solve them with make this job one I didn’t even know I was dreaming of as a kid.

product management

(c) 2024 all rights reserved sydney russakov

sydney russakov  is a product lead working across streaming, social media & creator tools for companies like disney, linkedin, and evernote. she's involved in and an advocate for several efforts including women in tech, education, and animal rights.