// INTRO

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

black and white photo of caitlyn Shaw smiling

I’m a deep product generalist who thrives at the intersection of product, marketing, and growth partnerships. I bring over a decade of tactical, strategic, and leadership experience in the media and technology industries. I love to build and market products, features, partnerships, and experiences that are accessible, beautiful, and performant.

// INTERESTS

  • Digital Media and Advertising

  • Product Partnerships and Collaboration

  • Product-Led Growth

  • Growth Marketing

  • Data Analysis, Modeling, & Storytelling

  • Generative AI

  • User/Consumer Research

  • Web Accessibility

  • Data Storytelling

// WORK

I’m the Director of Growth Strategy & Development at Gear Patrol and DPReview, where I sit at the intersection of product, marketing, growth and partnerships strategy. 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, product marketing, product management, and growth strategy.

In my current role, I co-lead the product roadmap across both sites. My charter is to build impactful products, ad experiences, features, and partnerships that solve problems and meet our audience and revenue goals. My latest big projects include 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 panels and climate-conscious passive house principles. Phase two, completion date TBD (we need a break!), will include a second residence 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 - 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