A Prolific Year

I awoke this morning with an idea to write a post aligning with this Labor Day weekend. First off, can you believe the summer of 2016 is ending? 2ndly, I’m floored a year has flown by as I celebrate my 1st anniversary at Amazon Studios. A year of creative directing the key art, social and digital marketing for Amazon Original Series streaming on Amazon Prime. I've had the pleasure to collaborate with Creative Agencies and Photographers who are at the top of their game producing bar raising marketing content. Images below are a few selects from 100's of assets we create for each title. It’s astonishing what we’ve accomplished in one year. I can honestly say that I’ve genuinely enjoyed putting my heart and soul into each and every project. I'm proud to share this work and the shows with everyone. They are each little gifts granting us a few hours of downtime to be entertained, taking us on a journey to feel and think in new ways — or simply just check out from your life routine.

Yes, some of our shows use profanity and are sexually explicit as my mom and a few of my North Carolina friends have pointed out :). Sometimes strong language is good to tap into core and raw emotions evoking a release and the beauty to go deeper, opening us all up to live and love more freely. Amazon original shows are authentic and created by people willing to reflect their personal journey into a 6-10 episode scripted series. They are honest with themselves and are passionate about making a positive impact on lives in the current state of our world. Yes, we also have beautifully produced unscripted series and pushing the boundaries to ignite young minds to be inspired kids shows. I recently learned we have highly regarded thought-leaders working with the development execs and show runners of the kids shows. One of their goals outside of being entertaining, is to integrate story-lines that ignite higher levels of learning and development.

I’ve created marketing materials launching or supporting approx. 250 original shows over the span of my 20+ years working in this fun business. Before Amazon, I was personally excited to create for 10% of the shows. At Amazon, I’m at 100%, which is marvelous. This reflection helps to digest the 24/7 schedule and start-up mode our team has endured. With that said, WE ARE HIRING. There are more shows on the way, and I would like to see our growing team enjoy a work/life balance so we can continue to create w/o burn out. Positions will be posted over the next few weeks here > https://www.amazon.jobs/. If you know someone who has lived and breathed a job for at least 5 years that is posted and would like to work at Amazon Studios located in Santa Monica, email me > valjmadden@gmail.com. Include a brief intro letter describing why you are perfect for the position, include a resume or link to a website. Do note; you will work long hours, do tasks you haven’t done for years, wear many hats, thrive in a start-up business and constant change culture. You’re not afraid to fail or be perfect. You are hungry to raise the bar, be collaborative, get work done efficiently and quickly, and lastly, MUST love what you do. I cannot guarantee you will get through the interview process, but I may be able to get you in the door. In closing, this year would not have been such a success without the support of my inner circle of friends, family and loved ones. You know who you are, and I’m internally and now externally grateful for your connection, understanding, and love. I know it will only get better.