Sacha J.

Laustsen
42R Prospect Street, Marblehead, MA
617.905.2864, sachajl@yahoo.com

Summary
Passion for accessible educational technologies, combined with extensive experience producing
interactive content for the educational publishing industry. Enthusiasm for working with others—
technical, creative, or otherwise—toward a set of common goals. Talent for identifying market
opportunities and reacting with purposeful tenacity.

Professional Experience
1999-Present Thomson Higher Education/Thomson Learning Boston, MA
2006-Present Product Manager: Mobile Content, Ebooks, Thomson Higher Education
Responsible for the development of market-driven media product lines and line extensions for digital and
mobile content, e.g. e-Books, Audio (iPod and MP3), to be sold into both traditional adoption-based markets
and direct-to-consumer markets. Responsible for life-cycle management of products from content development
and customer functionality to strategic marketing.

2005-2006 Managing Technology Project Manager, World Languages

Responsible for recruiting, managing, and training the Media Assistant for World Languages. Responsible for
managing and producing all aspects of interactive media projects for the World Languages list including
defining project plans, hiring/managing vendors, contractors, authors, and freelancers as well as resource
management, communications, sales, marketing, and training.

Achievements:
• Product Managed the launch of iLrn Spanish from concept to campus. Responsible for overseeing all
aspects of the feature set development, user interface, instructor and student workflows, content
production, and customer support site.
• Presented iLrn Spanish to Thomson Investors at the annual Thomson CEO Exchange hosted by Dick
Harrington.
• Managed technology for a $24 million list with the highest growth rate (12%) in the Humanities
specialization of Thomson Higher Education in 2005.

2004-2005 Senior Technology Project Manager, World Languages, Spanish

Responsible for managing and producing all aspects of interactive media projects for the Spanish list including
defining project plans, hiring/managing vendors, contractors, authors, and freelancers as well as resource
management, communications, sales, marketing, and training.
Achievements:
• 2005 Codie Award Finalist, Best Educational Solution for Productivity/Creativity for Atajo, 4.0
Tutorial and Writing Assistant for Spanish

2002-2004 Technology Project Manager, World Languages

Responsible for managing and producing all aspects of interactive media projects for the World Languages list
including defining project plans, hiring/managing vendors, contractors, authors, and freelances as well as
resource management, communications, sales, marketing, and training.
Achievements:
• Facilitated collaboration with members of the editorial and marketing teams to identify market needs,
analyze competition, and define project scope and goals. Worked in close contact with key members
of production and manufacturing to successfully publish dozens of high-profile technology tools.
• Hired and managed vendors, freelancers, contractors, and internal resources for as many as 30
products at one time such as interactive websites, online tutorials, CD-ROMs, online courses, videos,
DVDs, and e-texts.
 • Managed production of the Tú Dirás Video, a Telly award winning Spanish video program filmed in
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Responsible for annual project plate budgets totaling upwards of $2,000,000.
• Coordinated workflows by providing detailed project schedules for all key team members detailing
resources, milestones, budgets, and deadlines.
• Facilitated technology training initiatives to coach marketing representatives and sales reps on how to
drive sales of multimedia products. Frequently hosted technology focus groups, facilitated in-service
trainings, and administered online marketing surveys to gather market needs for key business
development.
• Thomson Learning Higher Education Technology Project Manager of the year in 2003.

2000 – 2002 Media Producer, World Languages, English, ESL

Achievements:
• Pioneered development of products combining multiple highly acclaimed interactive platforms
including multimedia CD-ROM interactivities; mark-up engines; interactive texts with animated
examples, audio and video; and on-line course management tools.
• Developed and implemented modular, templatized, XML-based, interactive CD-ROM authoring
system credited with significantly reducing development time and cost. Later pioneered migration of
authoring environment online for language software products.
• Designed digital and print graphic assets for CD-ROM interfaces, DVD menus, video graphics, and
silkscreen/sticker labels.

1999 - 2000 Technology Associate for Foreign Language

Managed and Produced a list of technology products associated with the Heinle Foreign Language List such as
Interactive Multimedia CD-ROMs, videos, and WebCT & Blackboard courses.

Education
1995- 1999 Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA
Bachelor of Arts, French for International Business, Dean’s List

1998 Université de Nancy Nancy, France

Study abroad program for one semester in the Lorraine region of France with full course load.

1999 China Textile University Shanghai, China

Mandarin certificate program in Shanghai, China.

2004 New England Institute of Art Boston, MA

Certificate, Digital Graphic Design

Complete list of program and OS proficiencies available upon request.