To wrap up the summer, Rose went on the record with Roy Ben-Yoseph, Brightspot’s Senior Vice President, Product & Corporate Practice. Their conversation touched on several different topics, from the many different hats that he wears at Brightspot to what he’s learned about technology during his 20-plus years in the industry.
How long have you been working at Brightspot? What first brought you here?
I have been at Brightspot just over eight years. I previously worked with David Gang and Lisa Beaudoin at AOL and have known them for almost 21 years! We kept in touch and eventually I got smart and decided to come here and join them.
Can you tell me more about your role at Brightspot and the many hats you wear?
I work on several fronts. At its core, my role is about managing our relationships with our customers to make sure we know what they want us to do, that we do it right, and that they are happy. This naturally leads to growing the relationship. If we take good care of our customers, there will be additional opportunities for more projects.
I also work with other people like Meredith Rodkey, VP of Product, and Sandeep Hulsandra, head of the company’s Media Practice, to bring in new customers through various sales activities.
Lastly, the third part of my job is working with our very talented product managers to implement the solutions we’ve agreed to build. Different things to do, but always interesting.
What do you find challenging about your role and the projects you work on?
If you think back on challenging projects, once they are done and the customer is happy, you sometimes forget difficulties because the ultimate success overshadows those struggles that happened in the moment.
There are a couple of scenarios that challenge all of us on a day-to-day basis. The first is project size. We’ve had several really big projects where we’ve had to manage so many different moving parts and people. The other challenges arise when we make a mistake and try to do right by the customer, while communicating transparently to ensure their satisfaction.
How do you think the Brightspot CMS best benefits our customers?
There is no question that Brightspot provides a great publishing experience and has a great team behind it, but when I talk to new prospects about Brightspot I stress that it is our platform. We developed it and we are continuing to evolve it to meet the changing business landscape. We listen to our customers and improve the platform based on their needs. The ongoing evolution of Brightspot, I think, is the best part about it.
You’ve worked in the online tech industry for over 20 years from AOL to The College Board and now Brightspot. What have you learned about technology in that time?
At its base, the technology is the same, but it has just gotten better and better. When technology improves, it is always because of the people behind it. That is what makes Brightspot so special. You need great people to make great technology.
I saw that you have an interesting education background with both an MBA and JD. How has your career benefited from the combination of your business and legal education?
Business makes sense because of what I do every day. My legal education helped me think in a certain way. Because I have been working for so many years, I look at my education as having built a foundation for how I do things. If I had to give advice, it would simply be to get an education. Any education. Even if you diverge from that area of focus, the skills you develop will help you no matter what career path you choose.
Besides the people, what is your favorite part about working at Brightspot?
It is the product. As someone who is out selling the product and trying to get new business, it is so good to know that I am talking about selling something that I feel confident standing behind. Also, I know I’m not allowed to say the people, but I have to include them! We have really hardworking and intelligent people at Brightspot.
What are your favorite activities or hobbies to do outside of the office?
I live vicariously through my kids and I am very much into their soccer. One of the fun hobbies I’ve taken up during the pandemic is Lego building.
If you could travel anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?
Many people know that my family goes on a lot of Disney Cruises. For us, it’s about going somewhere fun and relaxing. Eventually, I really want to take a long trip and visit a bunch of countries in Europe. There is so much history to see. I haven’t had an opportunity to explore there as much as I would like.
