program manager, growth & community
i work across adoption, feedback, events, and advocacy for B2B software, mostly finding better ways to help customers get value from the product.
simone parenti
i work on growth and community at Autodesk. outside work, i build small products and make videos about tech.
- 70k YouTube Creators Italia subscribers
- 50k Total War Discord members
- 40k+ YouTube Product Community Discord members
- 17k MamaSkin organic downloads
- $3k+ MamaSkin MRR
a bit about me
- i work on growth and community at Autodesk.
- before that: Google, YouTube, games, SaaS, and a lot of online communities.
- i built MamaSkin to make pregnancy skincare checks quick and straightforward.
- i’m interested in communities that are genuinely useful to the people in them.
- i make short videos about getting into tech without already speaking its language.
a few opinions
on community
i like communities when they help someone solve a real problem. a feed of company announcements isn’t a community.
on distribution
i’ve seen plenty of good work go nowhere because nobody knew it existed. making something is only half the job.
on AI
i use it to build entire workflows, automations, agents, and products. it’s become part of how i work, not just a faster way to do the same things.
on building without an engineering background
i’m not an engineer. that hasn’t stopped me from making products, testing them, and getting them in front of people.
work
senior community manager
launched Dentally's first self-serve customer community. led a 10-person cross-functional squad, onboarded 300+ dental practices in 90 days, and built an advocate programme for customer feedback.
pregnancy-safe skincare app
built and launched MamaSkin, an iOS and Android app for pregnancy-safe skincare checks. it now covers 115,000+ products and 9,000+ brands, with 17,000 organic downloads, 100+ reviews, a 4.5 global rating, and $3k+ MRR.
market lead - customer channels and creator programmes
worked on customer marketing, creator education, official communities, and support programs, including YouTube Creators Italia, Product Expert programs, and the YouTube Product Community Discord.
Total War community growth
launched and scaled the official Total War Discord to 50k members. also worked on the Total War YouTube channel, moderation, launches, and community feedback.
Twitch and creator programmes
built the SlitherineTV Twitch community from zero, programmed recurring shows, and managed relationships with 20+ creators.
more work, in brief
70,000 subscribers
launched and managed the Italian creator education channel: content, scripts, filming, approvals, and promo.
500,000+ subscribers
managed the official channel with the video team across publishing, packaging, and community engagement.
creator issue triage
managed Italy's official YouTube support community and coached 15 Product Experts.
admin relations and crisis work
worked with subreddit admins, sourced UGC, handled incidents, and monitored launch issues around Warhammer III.
4h30m YouTube monetization course
created a 26-module course on YouTube monetization from actual creator and community work.
7M+ TikTok views
short-form career advice for people trying to understand tech roles, interviews, and company language.
PR and marketing internship
early games-industry work in Milan across PR, marketing, and launches.
marketing internship
early startup experience in Shanghai.
advisory
i sometimes help people move into tech, especially from non-technical backgrounds. we work out which roles make sense, how to explain your experience, and what to practise before an interview.
career transition advisory
60 minutes to work out what fits, what to ignore, and what to do next.
CV and LinkedIn review
we’ll make your experience easier for recruiters and hiring managers to understand.
interview practice and feedback
practise your answers, cut the vague wording, and get ready for behavioural interviews.
what people said
from people who have managed me, worked with me, or booked an advisory session.
"Incredibly talented and skilled and a pleasure to manage."Felicitas Manthe - Change and Delivery Manager @ Google
"Takes full ownership of the projects he works on."Melisa Serebrinsky - Supplier Enablement PgM @ Google
"Dedication, attention to detail, and effective leadership."Mayya El Fajri-Goldfinch - Social Comms Manager @ YouTube
"One of the most engaging community managers I've had the privilege to collaborate with."Dr. Eric Duan - Head of Community
more advisory feedback, translated
"Professional, attentive, and proactive between sessions."
"Easy to talk to, quick, direct, and very useful for interviews."
"Practical, tactful, empathetic, and concrete."
"Prepared, available, and useful for getting closer to tech."
"Flexible, fast by email, and very helpful for Amazon interview prep."
"He understood what I needed and adapted quickly."