Rose Hulse, CEO and founder of ScreenHits TV
In our regular series, very important people remember their less than important first jobs
Hi, Rose! Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Rose Hulse, and I’m CEO and founder of ScreenHits TV, a media tech company that allows consumers a new way to take control of their TV viewing experience and save money in this new streaming age.
What was your #MyFirstMcJob?
Working at Baskin-Robbins over the summer before starting university. I gained about 10 pounds but I loved it.
How did you get the job?
I lived in Santa Monica, and all my friends would hang out in the Santa Monica mall after school. I wanted a job, but needed my parents’ permission and they said no! So I woke up on my 18th birthday and found the first place that was hiring.
What did you have to do?
Scoop ice cream, chat with customers, close down the till. Basic stuff, but what I did learn was working with the end user. When I started business school, it was always like: it’s great to start at the very top. But actually knowing what your end customer cares is the most important thing. I really got to know what they liked and what they hated. The frontline workers know more about the customers than anybody else and should be listened to more.
What were the perks of the job?
An ice cream a day. I would come home every Sunday for family lunch, and eventually my mother said: “Stop bringing all this ice cream home. We’re all getting fat!”
Did anything funny happen?
It was actually quite gross, I have to say. Sorry, Baskin-Robbins, but at the time, they were not hygienic. I remember saying: “There’s mould in this strawberry ice cream,” and being told, “Oh, just scrape it off.” The last day I worked there, there were cockroaches running all over the pecan ice cream. I thought: “I can’t serve this.”
Are you in contact with anyone you used to work with?
No. It was the last 90s, early 00s, so a long time ago!
What skills did you learn that you might still use today?
Having standards. It doesn’t matter what job or position you have, you should take pride in everything you do. If you find the company doesn’t take that same pride or have the same respect, then you need to move on. Listening to customer feedback is very important. It is so easy to ignore the people on the frontline, but they are the face of your company, the ones talking to your customers who know exactly what is and what’s not working. Their opinions can sometimes be as valuable than the marketing director, sitting in a fancy office who never goes and visits the store.
Why is alumni important?
I was fortunate to have a very strong network from my parents. Then university was great in building social friendships at that wonderful stage in life. Tapping in an alumni network can be extremely useful. For example, you may be looking to do business with someone and discover that they went to the same university as you, which can make that initial cold call or email that much easier. Alumni networks can be a really great door opener.
What would happen if you went back and did a shift at Baskin-Robbins?
If it was the same one, I would have all the ice cream removed. I would get in pest control, notify the government, the health board and have it closed down. And then I would open up a new ice cream shop with my own brands of gelato ice cream.
If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice, what would you say?
I would just say: “Today’s your 18th birthday. You have a choice. You can go out to a nightclub with your friends and dress fabulous and, and do everything that 18-year-olds do. Or you can get up, go look for a job and scoop ice cream for the next three months before university. Definitely go scoop ice cream. Don’t think twice about it.”
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/roseadkins
Launched in 2012, award-winning ScreenHits TV, allows users to organise their existing streaming services, such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Bloomberg, Paramount +, HBO Max, ITV X, BBC iPlayer, Lionsgate Plus, Euronews, AVOD, Live Channels and more into one easy to use app. The app is currently available in 59 markets and in 36 languages with over 1,000 premium streaming catalogues and fast channels. With ScreenHits TV, consumers can now easily see what is trending across all their TV streaming applications; their watch history and recommended content via its “TV Friends” social function, without needing to switch between each one — in one simple, easy to use interface.
