I'm just a boy, standing in front of a company, asking them to hire him.

Show&Tell - Head of Product

2020-2022

  • Led development and go-to-market strategy of the Virtual Screening Platform, an alpha SaaS product, successfully bringing it to market with 350% growth, 500+ events, and over $300k revenue in Y1.

  • Oversaw company's technology development, managed a Utah-based third-party dev team to implement the vision on-time and on-budget.

  • Worked closely with the development team to prioritize and manage product features and bug fixes, including development of add a donation to ticket cost' feature which increased average virtual screening revenue by 50%.

  • Translated customer service needs into educational materials and product improvements.

  • Led live training workshops for filmmakers.

  • Oversaw CRM workflow, filmmaker onboarding, and payment processes

Tugg - Head of Product & Department Head

2013 - 2020

  • Directed product development across three different products - (1) Cinema-On-Demand, (2) Tugg Edu, and (3) Educational VOD.

  • Expanded business into new vertical with Tugg Edu; Generated $1 million in revenue in Y1.

  • Led Tugg Edu's go-to-market strategy by defining value proposition, navigating legal complexities, building high-revenue partnerships, and providing white-glove customer service to top tier customers.

  • Built and launched Tugg EVOD, educational streaming add-on product delivery system, resulting in 35% business expansion.

Tugg - Director of Partner Success

2011 - 2013

  • Beta-tested and refined the MVP and financial model for Tugg's core product, Cinema-On-Demand, the film industry's premier crowdsourcing platform that lets audiences choose the films that play in their local theaters.

  • Initially led customer onboarding, partner sales, event logistics, and promoter success, then hired leaders in each area.

  • Licensed and negotiated agreements for more than 1,000 films for content library.

  • Onboarded 85% of US-based theaters to host screenings via the platform.

  • Helped grow the company from four employees to 25, leading the hiring process, creating educational materials, and nurturing a positive and effective working environment.

Education

Brown University

2006-2010

  • B.A. Literary Arts with honors

  • B.A. Psychology

Other work experience

Both Are True - Founder

2022-Current

  • 0 to 5000+ subscriber growth since starting in mid 2022.

  • ~40% open rate, 8% click-thru rate, average of 58 comments per post.

The DONUT - Managing editor

2022-Current

  • Manage flagship suite of products, including The Daily DONUT and Positive DONUT newsletters, as well as a suite of text-message news products.

  • Maintained consistent, engaging, and funny delivery of The Daily Donut to a rapidly growing audience (25% growth to 100k+ since I began eight months ago).

  • Write clear, concise, and engaging short-form articles covering daily news, interviews, and overarching trends.

  • Manage a team of journalists and creatives to ensure all content was on-brand, consistent in terms of style, quality, and tone of voice, and optimized for user experience.

Distance

2018

  • Created, produced, wrote, and acted in Distance, an 11-episode digital series about a couple in a long distance relationship.

  • Premiered at SXSW; played at New York TV Fest and Seriesfest, won the Virgin Produced Choice Award, and nominated for a Gotham Award in the Breakthrough Series category.

  • Raised 50k microbudget 40% raised via crowdfunding, 60% via investors.

  • Received critical praise from:

Critical praise for Distance

"They’re a couple in a long-distance relationship; he’s in New York, she’s in Los Angeles, and they’re trying to make it work. The first five episodes each have two versions — one from Sam’s perspective and one from Emily’s — until the sixth and final episode brings the couple together geographically, where they can interact sans FaceTime."

"Sweet and relatable for anyone who’s tried an LDR, Distance is exemplary in its attempt to reinvigorate the unpackaged, guerilla form that started the digital video revolution. It’s a reminder that, while one form of digital has matured, there’s still so much for creators to explore in the space that sits outside of traditionally packaged stories."

"In the meantime, there is the lovely, artful Distance, and all its innumerable possibilities, hinting at what modes of storytelling there may yet be untapped, even in this glut of Peak TV."

Actor, Comedian, Improviser

2010-2023

  • Acted most recently in KIMI from Steven Soderbergh and BABYLON from Damien Chazelle. Full acting resume here.

  • Made several Twitter comedy videos that went low-key viral.

  • Performed Improv at UCB, Second City, iO West, in LA.

Campus Liquors

2010

  • Co-Creator, Co-Director, Co-Writer

  • Created a concept for Campus Liquors, a sitcom showing what college is actually about through

  • the eyes of two liquor store employees.

  • Developed a Group Independent Study Project Course entitled “Big Picture, Small Screen: Understanding the TV Sitcom” as a way to understand, develop, and produce a full season of a TV show

  • Won the Brown Television pilot competition.

Kind words

Pablo Gonzalez

Tugg Co-Founder & CEO

One of Alex’s superpowers at Tugg was his ability to communicate. His ability to interact with both internal team members and external partners was exceptional. He routinely resolved complex technical issues for customers and then reported back to myself and the developers with both the problem and potential solutions, ensuring the platform was continually improved....In conclusion, it is without hesitation that I recommend Alex Dobrenko for any professional opportunities that may come his way. His exceptional work ethic, dedication, leadership abilities, and customer-centric approach make him an outstanding candidate. Given the chance, I would eagerly rehire Alex and have full confidence in his ability to contribute significantly to any organization.

Brian Parsons

Head of Biz Dev / Partnerships

Alex and I were colleagues for over eight years, starting as the first employees at Tugg, a startup in the entertainment technology industry. During that time, Alex helped pioneer a first-of-its-kind ticketing system for cinemas, leading product direction, sales and go-to-market (GTM) activities for our growing teams. His role saw him serving as a spokesman for the company, traveling to events and conferences to engage with partners, customers, and prospects....Alex had an incredible ability to listen to what filmmakers were looking for and create on-the-fly solutions for how our platform could fulfill their needs. And when we couldn’t do what was requested, Alex never lied to filmmakers and said that our platform could; instead, he honestly explained that although we couldn’t currently meet their needs, he had a few ideas for quick updates to the platform that would work. He’d come back to Tugg and fight to get those changes made, keeping all partners aware the whole way.

Nate Seiberling

Strategic Operations Manager

The fastest on-the-job learner I’ve ever worked with, Alex could quickly ramp up his knowledge to earn a seat at the table with the product, engineering, promoter, and logistics teams. While taking care that his core responsibilities were effectively covered, he made himself available to assist other departments. From developing strategy to getting his hands dirty with data entry, no task was too big or small for Alex, and he managed to achieve the desired result faster than anyone on the team while bringing a smile to the faces of those around him.Alex's humor and positive energy are assets that are challenging to describe. He’s one of those people who manages to bring up anyone who’s down and who can keep the energy flowing when the team is on a roll. When you’re on his team, you know he has your back personally and professionally. I would highly endorse Alex for his ability to add to team culture while accelerating business growth and executing strategic goals.