A Minnesota native who has spent time in Boston, Denver and L.A., BEN GROSSMAN is enjoying his new digs in Northern California. Since being hired as Twitter Media Head of Global Operations in November, Grossman has quickly grown accustomed to life at the company's HQs. "The food is just incredible. It honestly rivals any restaurant in San Francisco. And, we have two video game arcades," he said. Grossman, a former staffer at THE DAILY and most recently Editor-In-Chief at Broadcasting & Cable, spoke with us this week about shifting roles from media to tech, why he wants to hire his own replacement, and how he keeps tabs on his teams in the Twin Cities.
A typical day at the office...
One week I’m at the White House meeting with staffers from the President and First Lady about their strategies, and the next week I am talking to television partners back in Hollywood about the upcoming fall season and what we’re going to do together. We have specific teams that work with partners in sports, TV, politics, music and journalism. We work with them to get them putting the best content on Twitter possible.
What I'm looking for in a job candidate...
I’m really big on hiring someone who I think can replace me one day. I think you look for someone who is smarter than you, potentially more talented than you, and you bring them in, give them some direction and stay out of their way.
Best advice I've ever received...
It was from the late, great U.S. and MLS coach GLENN MYERNICK. He was one of the most influential people to me in my life, both personally and professionally. He constantly was putting out the model, "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time."
Media diet mainstays...
The online sports sections of the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press back in the Twin Cities, to read about how badly my Twins got killed last night. On the television front, boy do I love the out-of-market packages. I give DirecTV a lot of money each year for my Gophers and my Timberwolves.
Apps outside of Twitter...
I use radio apps quite a bit because I’m a runner, and I love sports radio when I run. A lot of it is back home from Minneapolis, or London where I used to work.
How I unwind...
I have two little kids at home and I’m married to a former sportswriter. So you’ll find us quite a bit at a Giants game, an Earthquakes game, or in the backyard playing a probably too-competitive game.
On my TV...
"ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK" on NetFlix -- you need to check it out, it's a great show. NetFlix, in what they've done quality-wise with just a few shows, to be able to get hits is pretty impressive.
