Hilary Rosen

Hilary Rosen (born 1958) is the former head of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She was a columnist for The Washington Post and the first Washington editor-at-large and political director of The Huffington Post. She has also provided political commentary for CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC.

She worked for the RIAA for 16 years, including as CEO from 1998 to 2003. From 2010 to 2023 she was a partner and managing director at the public relations firm SKDKnickerbocker. She has been a registered lobbyist during her career, both at the RIAA and for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Rosen has been an advocate for LGBT rights since the early 1980s. She is now an independent communications consultant, board advisor and a television commentator on US and British TV.

Early life and education

Rosen was born in West Orange, New Jersey in 1958 to a Jewish family.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her father worked as an insurance agent and her mother was the city's first councilwoman.<ref name="Holson2001">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Wired">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In high school, Rosen served as student council president.<ref name=Holson2001/> She earned her bachelor's degree in international business from George Washington University in 1981.<ref name="Politico">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her parents divorced while Rosen was at college.<ref name=Wired/>

Career

In 1979, Rosen began working as a legislative assistant in the Washington, D.C. office of Governor Brendan Byrne (D-NJ),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who was a friend of Rosen's mother.<ref name=Wired/><ref name="Weiner">Template:Cite news</ref> She also worked for Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) early in her career.<ref name=CNN>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rosen worked for the lobbying firm Liz Robbins Associates in the 1980s.<ref name=Weeks>Template:Cite news</ref>

Recording Industry Association of America

In 1987, Rosen joined the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the trade organization representing the American recording industry, as its first government relations director.<ref name=Weiner/><ref name=Weeks/> In 1989, she and her colleague Jay Berman updated the Parental Advisory label and launched its public awareness campaign.<ref name=Weeks/> In 1992, she took a brief leave from the RIAA to serve as Senator Dianne Feinstein's transition director and set up the California Democratic Party's office in Washington, D.C.<ref name=CNN/><ref name=Joins>Template:Cite press release</ref>

As a registered lobbyist from 1999 to 2003,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Note: User must query the Lobbying Disclosure Act Database using "Rosen, Hilary" as the registered "Lobbyist Name".</ref> Rosen influenced the decisions made by Congress on behalf of nearly 350 companies and thousands of artists represented by the RIAA.<ref name=Weeks/> In 1995, Rosen supported artists' rights when Bob Dole, then Senate Majority Leader, criticized Time Warner and said that rap lyrics promoted violence and were degrading to women.<ref name="Harrington">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Landler">Template:Cite news</ref> She became the organization's president and chief operating officer in May 1996.<ref name=Weeks/> Rosen was a strong supporter of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which became law in 1998, to prohibit the creation of technologies used to get around copyright protections.<ref name="Evangelista">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Leave">Template:Cite news</ref> Rosen was promoted to the role of chief executive officer in 1998.<ref name=Holson2001/> In 1999, the RIAA Diamond certification was awarded for the first time, recognizing albums that have shipped more than 10 million copies.<ref name="Hiatt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rosen said the award, which was named as such because "diamonds are valuable [and] no two are alike", represented "a quantum leap" for the music industry and an expansion of the national music market.<ref name=Hiatt/>

In 2000, the American musical recording company A&M Records along with several others, through the RIAA, sued Napster on grounds of copyright infringement under the DMCA,<ref>17 U.S.C. A&M Records. Inc. v. Napster. Inc. 114 F. Supp. 2d 896 (N. D. Cal. 2000).</ref> which led to the shutting down of the pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing service. As the face of the RIAA, Rosen was vilified by proponents of free file sharing,<ref name=Wired/><ref name="Geraghty">Template:Cite journal</ref> and even traveled with security at one point because she was receiving death threats.<ref name=Holson2001/><ref name=Politico/><ref name=Weiner/> Nonetheless, Rosen encouraged partnerships between the recording industry and online music businesses,<ref name="Holson2000">Template:Cite news</ref> and consulted on the launch of digital music services such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store.<ref name="Smolowe">Template:Cite journal</ref> Rosen was recognized for advancing the industry's political efforts and appeared on lists of influential leaders, including Entertainment WeeklyTemplate:'s "Annual Power List" and National JournalTemplate:'s "Washington's Powerful Insiders".<ref name=CNN/> She was included in The Hollywood ReporterTemplate:'s list of the most powerful women in entertainment in 1998,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2000 (number 10),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Turner">Template:Cite news</ref> 2002 (number 17),<ref name="Gumbel">Template:Cite news</ref> and 2003 (number 10).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rosen resigned from the RIAA in June 2003 to spend more time with her family.<ref name=Politico/> Following her resignation, she reportedly "questioned the value of lawsuits against individual downloaders" said she had attempted to "push the industry to evolve".<ref name=Weiner/> In 2007, she said, "I won't be a George Tenet here, but it's pretty well known that I was impatient with the pace of the industry's embrace of online distribution of music. There's no substitute for speed when times are dire. The record companies had valid reasons for their caution, but that caution let the situation get out of hand."<ref name=Weiner/>

Media roles

Rosen is a Democratic strategist and political pundit.<ref name=Weiner/><ref name=CNN/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was a regular political columnist for The Washington Post, has authored articles for many national publications, and provided political commentary for CNBC and MSNBC.<ref name=Politico/><ref name=CNN/> In 2008, she became a CNN contributor, appearing on regular programming as well as special political coverage.<ref name=CNN/> Also, in 2008, Rosen became the first Washington editor-at-large and political director of The Huffington Post.<ref name=Politico/><ref name=CNN/> In 2010, she and The Huffington Post, which was editorially critical of BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,<ref name=Weiner/> reached a mutual decision to part ways when Rosen's firm, Brunswick Group, began consulting for the British oil and gas company.<ref name=Politico/><ref name=Geraghty/><ref name="Smith">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In April 2012, Rosen was criticized for saying that Ann Romney had "never worked a day in her life" when discussing Mitt Romney's reliance on his wife as an adviser on women's issues during a CNN appearance. Rosen apologized the next day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, Rosen began writing for The Washington Post as an opinion contributor.

Communications consultant

In 2006, Rosen and Jay Berman, who formerly worked at RIAA, briefly ran the firm Berman Rosen Global Strategies, consulting for tech companies such as Facebook, Viacom, and XM.<ref name=Weiner/> In 2008, she joined the public relations firm Brunswick Group to head its Washington, D.C. office.<ref name=Weiner/><ref name="Adweek">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010, Rosen became a partner and managing director at the political communications and public relations firm SKDKnickerbocker, leading the company alongside Anita Dunn.<ref name=Politico/><ref>Rosen joining SKDKnickerbocker: * Template:Cite journal * {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Pesta">Template:Cite news</ref> The firm is known for its work on progressive issues and focuses on Democrats in its political work.<ref name="Gelles">Template:Cite news</ref> The firm also is employed by TransCanada Corporation to improve their public relations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a communications consultant, Rosen attended the White House on multiple occasions during Barack Obama's presidency. At least five meetings were with the president to discuss messaging around his health care reform plans. Rosen worked for clients Starbucks, Microsoft, American Airlines, Planned Parenthood, AT&T, at SKDK and led numerous national public affairs campaigns.<ref name=Weiner/><ref name=Geraghty/> Following her 2012 comments regarding Ann Romney, Rosen was the subject of critical coverage by some media outlets, which noted White House visitor logs and speculated whether Rosen or SKDKnickerbocker employees were operating as "unofficial" or "unregistered" lobbyists.<ref name="Fang">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Slate">Template:Cite journal</ref> Rosen has advised many national candidates, and in 2012 The Wall Street Journal reported that she was consulting with Debbie Wasserman Schultz during her time as chair of the Democratic National Committee.<ref name=Weiner/><ref name=CNN/><ref name="Langley">Template:Cite news</ref> SKDKnickerbocker was selected by Edie Windsor's legal team to lead the public relations efforts behind the challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (United States v. Windsor, 2013).<ref name="Advocate">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2014, Rosen and Dunn served as senior advisors to the LGBT rights group Americans for Marriage Equality.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Planned Parenthood hired Rosen to help manage the 2015 undercover videos controversy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rosen and SKDKnickerbocker were assisting Susan G. Komen for the Cure with a public relations campaign for an environmental research initiative when the Planned Parenthood controversy arose.<ref name=Pesta/> Rosen and Dunn sold SKDK to Stagwell in October 2015 and Rosen stayed on to manage the firm while Dunn went to work for the Biden Campaign and into the Biden White House. Rosen left SKDK in 2023.

Controversies

During the campaigning leading up to the 2012 United States presidential election, Rosen criticized Ann Romney, wife of then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney, claiming that, as a stay-at-home mother, Romney "never worked a day in her life." Rosen was pressured to apologize when her remarks were condemned by the Democratic National Committee and President Obama, who stated he had "little patience for commentary about the spouses of political candidates." Michelle Obama also distanced herself from Rosen, expressing on Twitter that "every mother works hard, and every woman deserves to be respected."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rosen was criticized in December 2017 for making two tweets calling several Georgetown Hoyas fans "anti-Semitic," singling one out as a "bigot" after she noticed a photograph of a fan wearing a bacon costume. After Rosen was told that the fan in question was known as "bacon man" and wore the costume because of his last name (Bakan, pronounced "bacon"), she apologized.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 2018,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rosen admitted she bought more than 500,000 fake Twitter followers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as "an experiment," to see whether to recommend the practice to her PR clients.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LGBT advocacy

Rosen became an LGBT activist starting in 1982 when she and others demanded federal intervention to combat HIV/AIDS in the United States.<ref name=CNN/> She outed herself to members of Congress in an attempt to win HIV/AIDS funding.<ref name="Advocate"/>

In 2004, she managed the successful campaign to defeat George W. Bush's proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage.<ref name=CNN/> Her work on this campaign is profiled in John Harwood and Gerald Seib's book Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power (2008).<ref name=CNN/>

Between 2004 and 2008, Rosen was a registered lobbyist for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States. In 2008, she served as interim director for the organization.<ref name=Politico/><ref name=Weiner/> She also served on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation board.<ref name=Weeks/> The Advocate included Rosen in their "People of the Year" list in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Rosen consulted on the Hollingsworth v. Perry (originally Perry v. Schwarzenegger) series of federal court cases that legalized same-sex marriage in California.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Rosen was included in The AdvocateTemplate:'s "Out100" list for her work on the "Respect for Marriage Coalition" media campaign during the Defense of Marriage Act challenge and United States v. Windsor civil rights case.<ref name=Advocate/> She was also named one of the 25 "most powerful LGBT players" in Washington, D.C., by National Journal and ranked number 62 in OutTemplate:'s 2012 "Power List".<ref name=CNN/><ref>"The Power List": * Template:Cite journal * Template:Cite journal</ref> National Journal included Rosen in their list of the "30 Most Influential Out Washingtonians" in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Inspired by Showtime's LGBT television series The L Word, Rosen collaborated with the show's creator to establish OurChart.com, a social networking site for lesbians. Its name refers to "the chart", which was used on the show to illustrate the relationships between characters.<ref name=Politico/> The site was defunct by 2012, having been acquired by Showtime.<ref name=Weiner/>

In 1992, she helped found Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization that encourages voter turnout among young voters.<ref name=Holson2001/><ref name=CNN/>

Rosen and Tammy Haddad co-host the annual Garden Brunch prior to the White House Correspondents' Association's dinner.<ref name=Politico/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Personal life

Rosen met Elizabeth Birch in 1994. Birch was a lawyer for Apple and later became the executive director of the Human Rights Campaign.<ref name=Holson2001/> The couple adopted twins from Texas in 1999.<ref name=Leave/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> They received some criticism from conservative groups who opposed LGBT adoption.<ref name=Holson2001/> The two separated in 2006.<ref name=Politico/><ref name=Weiner/> Rosen married her partner Megan Murphy in November 2024.

Rosen has lived in Washington, D.C. since her studies at George Washington University.<ref name=Politico/> She is well-connected and has been called a "Washington insider".<ref name=Politico/><ref name=Weiner/> Al Gore and Greta van Susteren and Anderson Cooper were among guests who attended her fiftieth birthday celebration.<ref name=Weiner/>

In addition to being a Democratic strategist, Rosen has described herself as a "strong, progressive Democrat".<ref name=Holson2001/><ref name=Advocate/> She has been a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party and has hosted fundraisers for candidates, including Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).<ref name=Weeks/> She has also been a longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and supported President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race. Her stout advocacy for Biden led her to misquote and lecture former Ohio state senator Nina Turner about the meaning of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s warning as to White moderates. She later apologized for her misstep.<ref name=News>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She has made many personal financial contributions to politicians and groups such as the LPACGay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Kennedy for Senate 2000.<ref name=Weeks/>

External links

• SKDKick.com
• Template:C-SPAN
• Washington Post bio "Who is Hilary Rosen?" December 4, 2012
• Wired Magazine "Hating Hilary" from 2002.