Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Michael Engleman, the CMO at SHOWTIME. In the interview, he shared his love for storytelling, his appreciation for integrity, and lessons he’s learned from his seven year old son.

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Q1 | Is there any advice you would like to share?

Engleman shared that if there's something that you feel needs to change, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. He added that career paths are rarely linear and almost always come with some form of failure or setback. “You're not on a climb up a hill. There are valleys, and you need to be prepared for them. One would be the real exception to have a career that did not have failures and setbacks and you got to bake that in.” 

Q2 | What is your superpower?

Engleman shared that he’s skilled at “making complicated things simple.” 

He is able to communicate complicated concepts in a digestible way in order to make the right impact. He also shared that, as a CMO, he often uses his love for storytelling and language to make complex marketing functions into something that is simple for consumers.

Q3 | What values are important to you?

Engleman values integrity, as well as caring about human decency. He explained that it is important to care about people you work with and their well being. He harped on the importance of having integrity and being honorable. 

Engleman added that he appreciates well rounded people. “I like people who are deeply interested in what they do, but not at the exclusion of everything else in the world. I think that makes people more innovative, creative, and motivated, and makes for a richer work experience.”

Q4 | Tell us about an impactful campaign.

One of Engleman’s biggest learning experiences in his career was working on the Syfy Channel rebrand. He was fascinated by the insights his team gained from the rebrand based on the regional and global reception. He learned a lot about all the different marketing functions, like the branding experience, global marketing, storytelling, and more while working on the campaign. 

Q5 | What media inspires you?

Engleman is a huge fan of any form of entertainment such as movies, television, and music. He recently watched The Beatles Documentary with his seven-year-old son and was so inspired by his reaction. 

“It was just so fascinating to see how riveted he was in this canon of music for the very first time, and it meant so much to me, and still does.” Entertainment reminds him that he can find inspiration from so many creative people that he’s able to work with every day. “I have proximity to people who are thoroughbred creative thinkers, and watching the creative process and watching how people develop content and do it at such a high level has always been so inspiring. Watching creative people do creative is inspiring.”

For more marketing leadership advice, and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Michael Engleman, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

Watch the full interview to the right.