Jim Edlin - Resume
Work History
Tides Network, San Francisco, CA
Consultant, May, 2008 - present; Business Applications Architect, 2003 - May 2008; Technologist-in-Residence, 1998 - 2003;
Support network of nonprofit organizations (including Tides Foundation, Tides Center, Tides Shared Spaces, and others) in defining, choosing, adopting, and implementing technology solutions to advance its mission of "actively promoting change toward a healthy and just society." Acted as CTO for development and launch of eGrants internet donation-processing system (later Groundspring.org, now merged into NetworkForGood.org); also developed other e-commerce sites. Led design and development of extranets for Tides Foundation donors and Tides Center projects, including online reports derived from financial systems-of-record.
The HyperMedia Group, Inc., Emeryville, CA,
Co-CEO, 1992 - 1997; Partner, 1987 - 1992
Co-founded and co-led interactive media custom development company that grew from 3 founders to staff of 50+ and $3.4 million revenues and ranked among Bay Area's 25 fastest-growing private companies (1996, SF Business Times). HMG was acquired in 1998 by Wilson Learning Worldwide.
Co-led company through evolution from developing HyperCard stacks for Macintosh computers, then multimedia CD-ROMs for Mac, Windows and UNIX, to leading-edge Web sites. Provided management oversight for 200+ interactive media development project for clients such as Equitable Life, Microsoft, Simon & Schuster, and Wells Fargo, yielding work honored with dozens of industry awards such as New Media magazine's Invision.
Responsibilities from 1992-97 included directing sales, marketing, finance, administration and strategic planning; directing user interface design of projects; and collaborating on general management of company. From 1987-92 responsibilities included project management, information and interface design, programming, and shared management of business. Also co-author of ConvertIt! software and principal author of the HIFF (Hypermedia Interchange File Format) specification it depended upon.
AddressMate Software, El Cerrito, CA
Partner, 1991 - 1995
Co-founded company to develop and market AddressMate and AddressMate for Windows utility software for addressing envelopes. Created product concept and provided direction in product design and general business matters, but not involved day-to-day. Assets acquired in 1995 by, and software now marketed by, Dymo/CoStar, Inc.
Bruce & James Program Publishers, Inc., Dublin, OH and San Francisco, CA
President, 1981 - 1986
Co-founded and co-led developer/publisher of "mass market" PC productivity software. Designed and directed development of reviewer-acclaimed Wordvision word processing software and line-extensions, and supervised design and manufacturing of unique product packaging. Negotiated US distribution agreement with Simon & Schuster and international licensing/private-labeling agreement with IBM, both yielding large advance payments.
PC Magazine, San Francisco, CA
Editor / co-founder, 1980 - 1981; Contributor / Consultant, 1982 - 1985
Shared responsibility for creating, developing, marketing, and publishing first major computer magazine focused on IBM Personal Computers. Edited initial issues. Continued as columnist and consultant after sale to Ziff-Davis.
Jim Edlin Company, Chicago, IL / MicroMarketing Consultants, San Francisco, CA
Principal, 1977 - 1980
Founded marketing communications agency in Chicago specializing in emerging personal computer business. Relocated to Bay Area in 1979. Clients included Personal Computing magazine and Exidy, Inc.
Campbell-Mithun, Inc., Chicago, IL
Copy Supervisor, 1975 - 1977; Copywriter, 1973 - 1975
Supervised writers and wrote broadcast and print advertising for national franchise, retail and package goods clients.
Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, IL
Copywriter, 1972 - 1973
Wrote broadcast and print advertising for national package goods, franchise and services clients.
WHMI Radio - Howell, MI
Talk show host/writer/producer, 1971 - 1972
Hosted daily interview and phone-in program; wrote and produced local commercials and promotions.
Illinois Bell Telephone Co., Chicago, IL
Employee communications editor, 1970 - 1971; Public relations writer, 1969 - 1970
Reported, wrote, edited and produced daily management newsletter and employee audiotex service. Wrote and produced materials for public relations projects.
Education
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies (masters-level program for working professionals), Certificate, 1974
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
College of Communication Arts, BA (cum laude) 1968
Publication and Speaking
Software
AddressMate for Windows, AddressMate Software/Co*Star, 1994 (contributor)
AddressMate, AddressMate Software, 1992 (contributor)
ConvertIt!, Heizer Software, 1990 (joint author)
Wordvision and WordVision PowerPacks, Bruce & James, Inc., 1981-1983 (joint author)
Books
Using HyperCard, Que, 1988 (joint author)
Digital Deli, Workman Publishing, 1985 (contributing author)
Periodicals
Computer Retailing (former columnist and contributing editor)
CHIP (Germany)
Computer Careers News
Computer Dealer
ComputerWorld
Data Communications
InfoWorld (former columnist and contributing editor)
MacWeek
Micro-Digest (Europe)
New Media Age
PC Magazine
Telephony
WP News
Speaking, etc.
Guest Lecturer: Golden Gate University; Stanford University; University of San Francisco
Conference Speaker/Panelist: COMDEX; Macworld Expo; Multimedia Expo; New Media in the 90s; PC Expo; Web 2.0 Conference - Ignite
Awards Judge: New Media INVISION Awards
Technology Skills
Programming / Scripting / Web
Cold Fusion / CFML — advanced
Javascript — intermediate
Ruby on Rails — basic
PHP — basic
ASP — basic
HTML — advanced
CSS — intermediate
Database
ANSI SQL — intermediate
MS SQL Server 2000/2005 — intermediate
MySQL — intermediate
Oracle 9i — basic
MS Access — basic
Filemaker — basic
Tools / Infrastructure
Subversion — intermediate
CVS — basic
Apache — intermediate
Windows IIS — intermediate
Eclipse / Aptana — intermediate
Dreamweaver — basic
HomeSite+ — advanced
General / Productivity
Photoshop — intermediate
MS Word — advanced
MS Excel — intermediate
MS PowerPoint — intermediate
MS Visio — basic