Suggestions
Cody Musser
Product | Leading Agency Design & Dev Projects @ Studio
Professional Background
Cody Musser is a versatile professional with extensive experience in the fields of product management, innovation, and design. His recent projects encompass collaborations with prominent brands such as QVC, Somewhere Good, Black Rifle Coffee, Creatively, Alkeme, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Bodewell, Buffy, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, showcasing his ability to work across diverse industries.
Formerly, Cody held the prestigious position of President at Jakt, an innovation and product design studio known for its creativity and forward-thinking approach. He also served as Product Lead at NYC-based FounderTherapy, where he contributed to the development of innovative concepts. As CPO at the non-profit Organize.org, he focused on leveraging technology to facilitate organization and advocacy for social causes. Additionally, Cody was Head of Design at Stage.gg, an esports data startup, where he played a crucial role in shaping the user experience in the rapidly evolving gaming industry.
His entrepreneurial spirit is highlighted through his tenure as Head of Product at Librify, a digital platform aimed at enhancing the e-reading experience, and his involvement in launching successful startups such as Bookish and Pikimal. Cody’s experience extends to founding the boutique social media agency GrubSpy, further demonstrating his commitment to fostering community and engagement across various platforms.
Throughout his career, Cody has honed his expertise in user experience, product validation, leadership, and design across a multitude of technologies and industries, including recommendation engines, ecommerce platforms, mobile applications, secure-data systems, and two-sided marketplaces. His proficiency covers a wide range of tech enablers, including APIs and crowdfunding technology, emphasizing his capacity to adapt and lead in dynamic environments.
Education and Achievements
Cody Musser studied Advertising and Public Relations at Point Park University. Although he did not complete a formal degree, his practical education and extensive hands-on experience have equipped him with a unique skill set that complements his professional endeavors. His educational background, paired with his comprehensive work experience, embodies a self-starter attitude that has been critical to his success.
Cody’s rich professional history also encompasses roles that include advertising, marketing management, leadership, editorial work, content marketing, copywriting, growth hacking, and public relations. He has a keen understanding of community management and events, showcasing his ability to connect with audiences on multiple levels.
His problem-solving skills are impactful, especially in assisting organizations to navigate complex challenges. Cody’s passion for industries such as esports, gaming, virtual reality, publishing, and fitness equips him with a multifaceted perspective, enabling him to spearhead innovative solutions that cater to the needs of the market.
Achievements
Cody Musser’s career reflects a track record of successful projects and leadership roles that have contributed significantly to the organizations he has been part of. He has successfully led initiatives that bridge the gap between technology and user experience, making strides in areas like ecommerce, data analytics, and social media engagement.
His work at Jakt and other companies demonstrates his ability to innovate within technology-driven sectors. Cody's foresight in fostering collaboration between product and design teams ensures that end-user needs are prioritized, leading to superior product offerings. He has an exceptional ability to cultivate strong relationships with stakeholders, clients, and team members, creating an environment conducive to creativity and excellence.
As an advocate for problem-solving within complex and intricate scenarios, Cody enjoys the satisfaction of tackling significant challenges, often creating impactful solutions within the esports, gaming, virtual reality, publishing, and fitness industries. His commitment to continuous improvement and growth reflects his dedication to both professional and personal development.
Achievements
Highlights
There's very few situations where I agree with FREE WORK, but this is one.
⬇ Agencies and free work ⬇
Agencies are often tasked with providing free work, and it's almost always wrong to do it. What should you avoid?
- Pitch work.
- Out of scope work.
- Free work to save or try to keep bad clients and relationships.
But... when does it make sense?
When some well-sized free work is an opportunity to flex your creative muscles, to keep team engagement high, and to explore new and compelling ideas.
In this, if you're doing work, you should look for opportunities that allow your team to explore an idea, design, concept or product that has always been intriguing, and there is clear excitement for working on.
No work should be free forever, but I've no issue with teams saying.. hey, this is fun -- let's work on this a bit. It's going to be fun, and it's going to help us when we tackle the next thing. Good work SHOULD have room for a little bit of fun -- and when done correctly, I believe the organizational benefit is net positive.

