The Mogul Mind of Michael Jackson: Conversation with Rodney Saulsberry

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    Rodney Saulsberry is an author, voice actor, singer, and creative strategist with decades of experience across entertainment and media. He is known for his work in animation, film, television, and music, as well as for coaching creatives on career longevity and professional growth. He is also the author of The Mogul Mind of Michael Jackson: How the King of Pop Created His Music and Publishing Empire, part of The Mogul Mind series, which examines how iconic creators turned talent into ownership and long-term influence.

In this conversation, Rodney explains why the principles behind Michael Jackson’s success can resonate far beyond the music industry—even for professionals who create and present ideas.

Geetesh: Rodney, your Mogul Mind series explores how iconic figures moved beyond success to build influence and ownership. What is the central idea behind this series, and why did you choose Michael Jackson as one of the individuals to examine in depth?

Rodney: The central idea behind The Mogul Mind series is to shine a light on personalities in entertainment, business, sports, and social media who moved beyond success and built real influence through ownership. Many of these individuals reached extraordinary financial heights — in some cases hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars — and I wanted to explore the strategies and mindset that helped them get there.

I believe that understanding how these individuals think about business, ownership, and long-term leverage can benefit readers from many different professions. Whether you are a boss or an employee, the concepts used by these successful people can help you become more successful in your own field.

Michael Jackson was actually the first person I thought of when I conceived this series. At one time he owned half of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Think about that. In 1985 he purchased ATV Music Publishing for $40 million, and about a decade later he merged it with Sony’s catalog to form Sony/ATV Music Publishing. At that point Michael Jackson was receiving a share of the revenue from one of the most powerful music publishing companies in the world. Who does that? Very few people in entertainment history have ever accomplished something like that.

Geetesh: In The Mogul Mind of Michael Jackson, you show how his understanding of authorship, publishing, and long-term ownership transformed his career. What lessons can presenters and consultants apply from Michael Jackson’s business mindset, when creating and delivering their own ideas and content?

Rodney: I think the biggest takeaway from Michael Jackson’s success was his early understanding that content is king — but ownership of that content is even more important.

If you are a presenter, you should own the content you are presenting. If you are a trainer, you should use content that you own to train others. And if you are a consultant, you should advise the people you consult with to maintain ownership of their intellectual property as well.

For many years — and even after his death — Michael Jackson’s ownership of some of the biggest songs in music history not only cemented his mogul legacy, but it also continues to allow his estate to generate billions for his surviving heirs. That is the power of ownership.

Geetesh: After readers finish this book, what shift in thinking do you hope they experience about success, ownership, and the way they approach their creative or professional work?

Rodney: I hope readers begin thinking like a boss — someone who takes control of their own destiny.

When creators produce work, they should pay very close attention to the contracts they sign. Writers who collaborate with other writers should make sure that the splits are fair. And creators should try as much as possible to maintain ownership of their publishing and intellectual property.

When you look at the two superstars that have been featured so far in my Mogul Mind Series, the common denominator is ownership. Michael Jackson set the precedent decades ago when he acquired half of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. And Taylor Swift later demonstrated that same mogul mindset when she re-recorded her masters, to regain control of her catalog.

These are the attributes of a true mogul mindset, and I look forward to bringing readers more stories of moguls in future books in the series.

Stay tuned.

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The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.