The Innovator 25:

Josh Rosenberg

Co-founder/CEO

Day One

"I find that travel is the best way to disconnect and to find inspiration around each and every corner, in every conversation and in every bite."

For breaking away from an established, respected firm and within three years building a portfolio that includes American Express, Starwood Hotels, Plenti, Comcast, Under Armour and YouTube, among others. The caliber of work garnered Rosenberg's firm a nod as the Holmes Report's New Agency of the Year amid particularly strong competition. And for setting the groundwork to become a major creative player with work that includes a splashy digital campaign that brought together Jay Z, SXSW, American Express and Twitter.

Describe what you do.
I connect the dots. I set the vision for the agency and ensure that our clients and teams are telling stories that stop people in their scrolls.

Where are you from/hometown?
New Rochelle, NY

Where are you based now?
NYC

In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?
Creative storytelling & content. With the proliferation of mobile and the way that platforms have changed the news distribution model, now more than ever, we have the opportunity to reach our audiences wherever they are and engage them with creative stories that connect to their interests.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry's level of innovation?
About the same as other marketing disciplines

What is most important for the PR industry to do to foster more innovation?
Disrupt the agency business model

How do you define innovation?
Pushing the boundaries and trying something that's never been done before -- a first-ever.

Most innovative PR/comms campaign you've seen in the last 12 months?
The White House — they truly have cracked the code of creative storytelling and effortlessly push their key messages in ways that are native to each platform from Medium, to Snapchat to Instagram. The stories they tell are authentic, behind-the-scenes and additive to what you may find elsewhere.

What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?
Taco Bell, Netflix, T-Mobile, Delta, Casper, Outdoor Voices

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider 'innovative.'
Leading the PR agency team that hacked SXSW with Amex and Jay-Z... we skipped the traditional sponsorship placements in favor of a social-first experience that drove earned media and word of mouth and ended up stealing the show in Austin and beyond.

Something — not PR/marketing related — that is innovative.
The Quartz news app.

Please give our readers an idea of something that can inspire innovation — this can be a book/movie/podcast/activity/article.
Travel -- I find that travel is the best way to disconnect and to find inspiration around each and every corner, in every conversation and in every bite.

Least favorite time of day?
Dusk -- the coffee's worn off and it's too early for dessert.

Most innovative place in the world? This could be a city, a venue, a neighborhood, etc.
Berlin -- the juxtaposition of the old, the new and the next.

#FirstSevenJobs
1. Inventory clerk at toy store
2. Lifeguard
3. Camp counselor
4. Sally Jesse Raphael Intern
5. CNN Intern
6. Warner Brothers Intern
7. Cone, Inc. Assistant AE