Episode Description:
In this episode of The Seat, Ray Erickson sits down with Julian Mintz, VP of Ad Sales at Albertson Media Collective, to explore the leadership lessons behind a career built on curiosity, reinvention, and always staying one step ahead of the industry.
Together, they discuss why you should work for the job you want before you have the title, why relationships remain the most valuable currency in sales, how to scale high-performing teams without sacrificing culture, and what today's sellers need to do to stand out in an AI-driven world.
Whether you're an aspiring sales leader, experienced executive, or simply thinking about your next career move, this conversation offers practical advice on leadership, resilience, and betting on what's next.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
02:30 - Following the Puck
07:45 - Falling Into Sales
11:10 - Working Before the Title
15:10 - Developing Leaders
19:30 - Mentors & Humanity
23:10 - Building Roku
30:30 - Albertsons Media Collective
38:00 - Selling in the AI Era
45:40 - Lightning Round
Themes Discussed:
Keywords:
Julian Mintz, Ray Erickson, The Seat Podcast, Albertsons Media Collective, Roku, Connected TV, CTV, Retail Media, Sales Leadership, Leadership, Career Growth, Mentorship, AI, Modern Selling, Team Building, Sales Strategy, Commerce Media, Advertising, Marketing, Executive Leadership
Julian's Bio:
Julian Mintz is the Vice President of Ad Sales at Albertsons Media Collective, Albertsons Companies’ in-house retail media network. With deep expertise in leveraging first-party data, measurement, mixed media strategies, and custom content curation, Julian is instrumental in driving revenue growth for clients while elevating the value of The Collective as a trusted retail media partner.
Prior to joining The Collective, Julian was responsible for building and leading teams that drove partnerships with major Fortune 100 brands spanning all major verticals at Roku. During his tenure, Julian played a critical role in scaling Roku’s advertising solutions by integrating data-driven strategies with emerging media platforms to deliver measurable results for clients. Julian also has experience in sales with a variety of digital media and tech companies.
With a proven track record of success, Julian is passionate about empowering brands to connect with consumers through innovative solutions that drive growth and impact while shaping the future of retail media.
Ray's Bio:
Ray Erickson is the host of The Seat, a podcast featuring 1:1 conversations with revenue leaders across media, marketing, and advertising, exploring the early days, mentors, setbacks, and defining moments that shaped how they lead today. By day, Ray serves as VP of Sales at Cluep, where he leads the East Coast sales team, partnering with brands and agencies to leverage AI-powered audience intelligence across the open web. With more than 20 years of experience spanning ad tech, CTV, streaming, data, and digital media, he has built and scaled revenue organizations at companies including Samsung Ads, A Parent Media Company (Victory+), Conversant, and Intuit. He created The Seat to sharpen his own leadership edge while paying it forward to the next generation of aspiring sales leaders.
Social Links:
Instagram: @theseat.pod
TikTok: @theseat.pod
LinkedIn: The Seat Podcast (LinkedIn Page)
Host: Ray Erickson (LinkedIn)
Website: www.theseatpodcast.com
Listen:
Apple Podcasts / Spotify / iHeart / Pandora / Acast / YouTube
","author_name":"Ray Erickson"}