Andrew Phelps (original) (raw)
Hi, I’m Andrew.
Call me for a change.
I am a product maker, strategy partner, and coach for visionary leaders who are transforming their businesses.
Throughout my career in journalism and tech, I learned that disruption is not a detour. It is the permanent state of things. I learned how to bust through politics and groupthink to make big things happen.
Today I work with journalists, tech executives, and nonprofit leaders to drive lasting change for some of the world’s biggest brands. I can help you turn a blank whiteboard into a tangible strategy—or an amazing product.
Ready to start starting? Let’s talk.
Clients & experience
What could we build together?
Build a product
I join your existing team—or assemble a cast of stars—for a time-limited development sprint. We can turn a whiteboard sketch into working prototype in as little as 12 weeks.
How it works:
- Study the needs of your business and the opportunity space
- Talk to real people to understand the problems we’re trying to solve
- Lead a creative process focused on making things to look at and react to
- Talk to more real people to validate our solutions to their problems
- Articulate the vision to internal stakeholders
Want to make something? Let’s talk.
Build a strategy
I embed with your team as an adviser, facilitator, and truth-teller. We’ll bust through the stakeholder drama and make real plans.
How it works:
- 1:1 time with key leaders to download the prologue, pain points, and politics
- Deep dive on roles and responsibilities (the No. 1 point of failure for projects)
- Structured, cross-functional strategy sprints designed to build alignment and clarity
- Planning for multiple possible scenarios, instead of the one we only hope for
- Synthesize the story and articulate the vision
Want to strategize? Let’s talk.
People have said nice things
“Andrew’s expertise in mobile storytelling was transformative for CNN. He guided us to rethink how we could leverage our strengths in video journalism and create an entirely new product. Andrew’s vision and leadership left a lasting impact on our strategy and user experience.”
Alex MacCallum
EVP, Digital Products & Services
CNN
“Andrew’s ability to dig deep, synthesize complex information, and deconstruct problems to unearth fresh and innovative solutions is a rare and invaluable talent. His persistence, optimism, and positive energy can elevate any project.”
Lorelle Atkinson
VP, Communications & Marketing
The Aspen Institute
“Andrew’s ingenuity and enthusiasm is infectious. With an innate ability to propel big, aspirational, creative ideas into reality, he rallies others to join him on the journey. He looks beyond what is required to uncover what is possible.”
Jim Quindlen
Executive Director, Product Design
The Atlantic
“Andrew asked the questions we didn’t think about. He pushed us. He guided us to come up with the solutions for current and future issues. The combination of Andrew’s experience, resourcefulness, diplomacy, and emotional intelligence makes him the perfect partner.”
Kate Berry
Chief Creative Officer
Domino & Saveur
“Andrew was pivotal in allowing me to hit the ground running by mentoring and coaching product managers, building our POD team playbook, assessing and recommending roadmap solutions, and providing leadership advice as we navigated fast growth.”
Tuvinh Vuong
Head of Product
The Trevor Project
More about Andrew
As a journalist, I used the power of storytelling to build audiences. As a product manager, I studied user needs to build apps that millions of people love to use. As an executive leader, I learned to build happy, healthy teams.
- At The New York Times: I co-authored the “Innovation Report” and went on to reimagine the NYTimes apps for the mobile-first era.
- At The Atlantic: I scaled the product and design team to keep pace with extraordinary subscription growth and led development of the beloved mobile app and digital redesign.
- At Apple: I partnered with more than 60 publishers to build Apple News+ and a new subscription model for news.
Now, as a solo consultant, I am using everything I’ve learned in the real world to help people unlock real transformation.