Michael DeFreest

Research & Insights Professional

Bellevue, Washington, United States

About

Consumer Insights and User/Market Research leader with 15+ years of experience driving product and marketing decisions across gaming, entertainment, retail, and consumer brands. Proven partner to executive and cross-functional teams, owning end-to-end research strategy, and implementing high-impact insight programs that reduce risk, unlock growth, and improve customer experiences. Deep expertise translating human behavior into clear, actionable business recommendations. Moving organizations from ‘interesting data’ to ‘confident decisions’

Experience

  • Amazon (Full-time · 3 yrs 9 mos)
    • Senior Insights Manager - Amazon Transportation Services (ATS)
      May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    • Research & Insights Lead - Amazon Game Studios (AGS)
      Oct 2022 - Apr 2026 · 3 yrs 7 mos

      • Directed end-to-end research strategy for marketing and business development, informing audience identification, product positioning, acquisition funnel optimization, and competitive strategy across multiple titles and business initiatives • Delivered an average of 50+ bespoke research engagements annually, translating primary and secondary research into actionable insights that influenced product direction, marketing investment decisions, and launch readiness • Built foundational AI-powered research knowledge systems to centralize insights, improve discoverability, and scale learning across all Amazon business units engaging with the gaming industry • Led and managed a two-person research team, overseeing prioritization on a seven-figure annual budget, managing vendor partnerships, and supporting professional development while also acting as a senior IC on high-stakes projects

  • Independent Consultant at Level Cap Consulting
    Jan 2026 - Present · 6 mos

    Engaged with a small, targeted client set. Providing short, ad-hoc advisory work: Business plans, white papers, strategy documents, and game evaluations

  • Principal User Researcher at 2K
    Sep 2017 - Oct 2022 · 5 yrs 2 mos

    • Served as primary research partner for globally recognized franchises including BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, Mafia, and XCOM, supporting product optimization from early concept through live operations • Instituted and championed a “developer-first” research model, embedding insights into creative and production workflows and increasing adoption and trust in user research across studios • Established standardized playtest planning, budgeting, and survey frameworks used across a dozen+ independent studios, improving consistency, speed, and decision confidence • Acted as a senior mentor and thought partner to researchers and designers, elevating research quality and storytelling across the organization

  • Consumer Insights Manager at Red Lobster
    Jun 2015 - Sep 2017 · 2 yrs 4 mos

    • Directed research programs for one of the world’s largest restaurant brands during a period of transformation and turnaround, informing menu innovation, promotional strategy, brand positioning, and in-restaurant experience across 700+ locations • Delivered insights that contributed to six consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales growth and measurable improvements in brand health metrics • Managed large-scale quantitative and qualitative research initiatives in partnership with external vendors, balancing strategic depth with speed and cost efficiency • Owned the Guest Satisfaction Survey (GSS), analyzing 40,000+ responses per month to identify systemic issues and prioritize operational and experience improvements

  • Consumer Insights Senior Analyst at Kabam
    Apr 2013 - May 2015 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    • Provided research support for one of the largest and most successful mobile and web-based game companies of its time, including marquee titles with Marvel, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Fast & Furious, and The Godfather, along with original IP such as Kingdoms of Camelot and Dragons of Atlantis • Served as principal researcher and internal consultant for Marvel Contest of Champions, a title that achieved 200M+ downloads and $2B+ in lifetime revenue, and the first and only breakout success in the fighting genre on mobile • Led player segmentation, concept testing, feature optimization, usability playtesting, and live-ops consumer satisfaction research across all titles • Synthesized complex datasets into compelling narratives that influenced product priorities, monetization strategy, and player experience improvements