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Hi, I'm JD Prater

Marketing leader for challengers and builders

I build integrated brand and demand marketing systems that drive growth, improve ROI, and scale with the business.

About

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I’m a VP of Marketing who operates like a business leader. I work best in fast-moving environments where clarity matters, tradeoffs are real, and strategy only counts if it turns into results. My focus is on building integrated brand and demand marketing systems that scale with the business and drive durable growth.

I specialize in finding the crux of a company’s value—the one idea that actually matters—and translating it into clear positioning, claims, and messaging that guide decisions across product, marketing, and sales. When this foundation is right, teams align faster, execution improves, and marketing becomes a lever for growth rather than a source of noise.

I’m a builder by nature. I’ve gone from zero to one multiple times: defining go-to-market strategy, building and leading high-performing teams, shaping annual plans, and creating repeatable systems that turn strategy into momentum—not just decks or campaigns.

As a strategist, I balance big-picture thinking with operational rigor. I partner closely with cross-functional teams to set direction, make tradeoffs explicit, and allocate effort where it will matter most. I take ownership of outcomes and the metrics that measure them, with an emphasis on long-term performance, not short-term theatrics.

Alongside my role, I advise marketers and founders on design positioning and go-to-market systems that improve focus, execution, and growth as the business scales.

Experience

Marketing Leadership

Driving clarity, alignment, and systems for cross-functional teams across early-stage startups, growth-stage tech, and hyped markets.

Product & GTM Strategy

Championing product positioning, narrative differentiation, and go-to-market playbooks that scale with the business.

Brand as Infrastructure

Translating brand clarity into durable advantage and operational leverage.

Growth & Systems Execution

Turning strategic diagnosis into repeatable, scalable systems — not just campaigns.

Organizational Impact

Advising leadership teams to make better decisions faster and move confidently when stakes are high.

SEE FULL CV →

Consulting and advising

How I work with teams

Teams bring me in when things are complex, high-stakes, or stalled. When there’s pressure to move fast—but moving faster without clarity would make things worse. I help teams get clear on what matters, surface the right decisions, force the necessary tradeoffs, and build the systems needed to execute with confidence.

If your marketing is active, well-intentioned, and still not translating into sustained momentum, this is the moment I’m most useful.
Short, focused advisory engagements
Analyzing where marketing systems break down
Strategic diagnosis and direction-setting
Embedded work with leadership teams
Ongoing thought partnership during moments of change

Interests

gravel cycling
Surfing into the sunset in Carcavelos, Portugal
coffee
Beautiful tonal blue basketball court in Miami
Sunset over a beach with a small stream curving toward the ocean and a person running near the water.
Bryn's colourful skateboard
Paddleboarding off the beach of Barcelona
An ambient James Blake festival performance
Two clownfish swimming around Malaysian coral

Fun facts

Grew up on a small farm
Father of 2 kids
Worked on Masters in Cairo
Love DIY home projects

Hobbies

Cycling (cyclocross and gravel)
Surfing the Santa Cruz waves
Hiking in the coastal Redwoods & Rocky Mountains
Working crosswords & puzzles