Randall Rothenberg

Response to Skype chat:

“People really matter.” This was Randall Rothenberg’s answer when asked if there was anything that he had wished he learned when he was younger. Rothenberg said that your personal expertise doesn’t count for as much as your whole team’s expertise. Working as a team player is so important in today’s world and inspiring your team members, and being inspired by them, will lead you to the most success.

After viewing the Skype chat with Randall Rothenberg, I really was inspired by his drive to be successful and his positive attitude. He started as a fact checker at New York Magazine in 1978 and has dabbled in the field of freelance writing, editorial work, and has even written two books. He said that his experience was not “linear” and just like everyone else, he had to overcome some obstacles to be where he is today.

When he was working at the New York Times he was given the responsibility of writing an advertising column that the same man had worked on for the past twenty-three years and when he had passed away, it was assigned to Rothenberg. He called this one of his “Mikey moments,” referencing to “he’ll eat anything.” Although Rothenberg said this was a laugh, I think that that shows great character and the fact that he can accomplish success in so many different areas, shows that he is truly a hard worker and people admire this about him.

Rothenberg also touched on the idea that advertising is experiencing a huge change because of the Internet. It is easier to make ads for magazines and television because they can be reproduced without a lot of reformatting, but the interactive world makes advertising much more challenging now. Rothenberg’s words not only held my attention, but also inspired me to step into the field of advertising because it is constantly evolving and I know I would enjoy stepping into this interactive world of media and share my creativity.