From Perspective to Practice: Michael Rosen on Leadership, Creativity, and Why Origin Feels Different

When Origin CRO Michael Rosen sat down with The Seat podcast, the conversation quickly moved beyond titles and career milestones. What emerged instead was a candid look at how decades of experience across media, marketing, and revenue leadership have shaped his philosophy - and why that philosophy now feels at home at Origin.

Michael’s career path isn’t the traditional “seller-to-CRO” trajectory. In fact, he openly shares that he never set out to be in sales at all. His early years were rooted in marketing, brand building, and operational problem-solving, starting at Showtime and later evolving through pivotal roles at Bloomberg, WeatherBug, and beyond. That unconventional background ultimately became his differentiator: leading revenue organizations with a marketer’s mindset.

At Bloomberg, a defining moment came when Michael was asked to run global ad sales - despite never having formally led a sales organization before. The reason? Leadership trusted that an outside perspective, grounded in brand, customer experience, and storytelling, could unlock new growth.

That experience reshaped how Michael thinks about leadership: not as command-and-control, but as collaboration, vulnerability, and shared learning.

Those principles show up repeatedly throughout the conversation. Michael emphasizes the importance of honesty, empathy, and self-awareness - especially in high-pressure, revenue-driving roles. He talks openly about asking for feedback as a new leader, surrounding himself with people who challenge him, and recognizing how even small actions can impact trust. For him, effective leadership isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about creating the conditions for others to succeed.

That mindset directly informs why Origin resonated when the opportunity arose.

As Michael explains, Origin sits at the intersection of creativity, technology, and performance - taking beautifully crafted TV spots and using best-in-class dynamic creative solutions to help them work harder across markets, moments, and audiences. But what ultimately drew him in wasn’t just the product. It was the people.

Origin’s founders, leadership team, and growing roster of advisors reflect the same values Michael has prioritized throughout his career: smart, honest, empathetic operators who care deeply about doing right by clients and by each other. In a small but ambitious organization, those values aren’t aspirational - they’re operational.

At Origin, Michael brings his belief that revenue leadership is about more than pipeline and numbers. It’s about brand, trust, and empowering teams with the tools and perspective they need to win on their own. As he puts it, his leadership “superpower” is caring deeply paired with a willingness to be vulnerable and keep learning.

In a fast-evolving CTV landscape, that blend of creative rigor, human insight, and principled leadership is exactly what sets Origin apart - and why Michael Rosen’s voice feels so aligned with where the company is headed next.

To listen to the podcast - click here.

If you find this topic interesting and would like to know more, you can schedule a consultation with one of Origin's CTV specialists by clicking here.

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ABOUT ORIGIN 

Origin is a multi-award winning provider of creative solutions and services for media buyers, creative teams and brands who want to transform conventional CTV ad creatives into powerful, personal and provocative advertising experiences.

With unparalleled creative capabilities and proprietary ad serving technology, Origin’s unique suite of dynamic ad overlays and native CTV ad extensions allows advertisers to engage distracted audiences and achieve the results they need.

Founded by media veterans Stephen Strong and Fred Godfrey, Origin is driven by the belief that winning viewers today requires breaking free from how it was done yesterday.

Learn more at: originmedia.tv