// INTRO

Hi, I’m Caitlyn, but my colleagues call me C.G. 👋

black and white photo of caitlyn Shaw smiling

I’m a deep generalist with a wealth of tactical, strategic, and leadership experience in the media and technology industries. I like to build and market products, features, and experiences that are accessible, beautiful, and performant.

// INTERESTS

  • Digital Media

  • eCommerce

  • Product-Led Growth

  • Growth Marketing

  • Data Analysis, Modeling, & Storytelling

  • Generative AI

  • User/Consumer Research

  • Web Accessibility

  • Data Storytelling

//MY DATA STORYTELLING JOURNEY

My love for data storytelling started at a young age when my family was selected to be a Nielsen family. I grew fascinated by the idea that our household’s viewing habits would represent those of a “typical American family,” and that networks and advertisers would use our viewing data to shape future TV programming. At the same time that we became a Nielsen family, I was taking a Statistics course and actually learned how to clean and interpret datasets similar to the ones my family’s data would appear in.

I channeled this love of language, persuasive writing, and storytelling into a double-major B.A. in English and Theology with a Classics/Philosophy core, and a MA in English after that with a concentration in the intersection of Theology/Philosophy and Literature. The best way to get to know someone is to understand what they believe, and why, and for much of early America, a key influencing ideology has been religion. I have found it fascinating to compare religious texts to secular texts to suss out similarities and influencing factors, finding a thread and pulling it until that “aha” moment and the rush that accompanies it. I’ve published papers and presented research at conferences in this vein, and have loved the dialogue that follows after sharing my ideas with the world for conversation and feedback.

While I ultimately turned away from the Academic track, I continue to bring strong training in research, data analysis, persuasive writing, and data storytelling to my day-to-day — it just looks more like data visualization and deck-building than it does churning out 30-page papers. To this day, I’m energized when combing through quantitative and qualitative datasets to form a strong product marketing or positioning narrative, using strong data analysis skills and consumer psychology knowledge, to create insights, personas, and messaging that lead to deal-winning positioning.

Are you a data storytelling nerd? Reach out to me on LinkedIn, and let’s get a virtual coffee!

// WORK

I’m the Director of Growth Strategy & Development at Gear Patrol and DPReview. I’ve worked with the amazing team at Gear Patrol for over seven years, starting on the editorial side of the business and moving through roles in social media, aud dev, consumer marketing, and product marketing.

In my current role co-leading the Product and Technology team across both sites, my charter is to build impactful products and features that solve problems and meet our audience and revenue goals. My latest big projects were the acquisition of DPReview from Amazon, followed by the complete rebuild and replatforming of Gear Patrol.

My time at Gear Patrol was interspersed by a one-year sprint at New York Magazine’s The Strategist, where I worked on ecommerce audience development and launched the brand’s first IRL pop-up, I Found It At the Strategist.

Prior to that, I worked at one of the country’s oldest literary journals, Crazyhorse, digitizing archives, hosting authors for readings and events, and using social media to grow our network of contributors, subscribers, and fans.

// CURRENT PASSION PROJECTS

Catskills Barn

My partner and I are developing a 5-acre plot in the Catskills, named Catskills Barn. Phase one, set to be complete in Summer 2024, includes a small 2-bed, 2-bath cabin using cutting-edge building technology such as prefab SIP panels and climate-focused passive house principles. Phase two, completion date TBD, will include a larger house that connects to the guest house.

eCommerce Shops

I’m an eCommerce nerd, so in my free time, I run an Etsy shop called Cosa Italiana featuring designs that pay homage to Italian- and Italian-American culture. It’s small, but mighty (and profitable!). I also do custom orders for girls nights, bachelorettes, baby showers, birthdays, and more.

Hobbies

When I’m not working on The Barn, you can find me spending time with my puppy, working on my swing at the driving range, attending dance rehearsal with Danceworks New York City, or working on my debut novel.

// EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  • M.A. - English, the College of Charleston

  • Study Abroad - SCIO Oxford Summer Programme, Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford

  • Latest Continuing Education Courses:

    • Deque University: Designing an Accessible User Experience

    • HarvardX: Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract

    • UVA Darden School of Business: Digital Product Management

    • McKinsey Product Academy

    • Hearst Data University: Performance Marketing, Data Privacy and Targeting

    • Google Analytics Certified

  • Mailchimp Customer Advisory Board Member, 2023

  • 2023 Mailchimp Marketing Success Conference - Igniting Brand Brilliance: Success Beyond the Sale

// FAVORITE BOOKS, NEWSLETTERS, AND PODCASTS

  • Books: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

  • Newsletters: Web Smith’s 2PM, Scott Galloway’s No Mercy / No Malice, Ben Thompson’s Stratechery, Digiday

  • Podcasts: The Daily, The Rebooting, Peopls vs. Algorithms, Pivot, Smartless, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing