Hi Entertainment & Media Club! I'm thrilled to engage with you, as E&MC was an important part of my education and career path. My name is Janine Roffle, and I am currently the Head of Strategic Programs for Amazon Associates at Amazon. (Amazon Associates is our affiliate marketing program and has played a critical role in the rise of commerce content). My team helps connect with and reward creators (such as media publishers and social media influencers) for inspiring their audience to engage with Amazon subscriptions, services, and registries such as Prime Video, Amazon Music, Audible, Amazon Wedding Registry, Amazon Baby Registry, and Subscribe & Save. You could say I've made it to my dream job, really! Growing up, music and entertainment were always an important part of my family and personal life; an outlet for inspiration, enjoyment, and healing; and a reason to dance (I am a ballroom and salsa dancer outside of my work life). Recently, the pandemic and lockdowns reinforced the importance of music, TV, movies, audio - and overall, storytelling - as a critical part of life that sparks joy and gets all of us through both the ups and downs of life. Now, I lead a team that helps connect creators and customers with original content and other stories through Amazon's entertainment services (and more!).
I have been with Amazon for over nine years, and I have not once stopped learning. Every day brings a new opportunity to expand my horizons, my network, my perspective, and my ideas. Since all Amazonians are expected to be owners, I've also been empowered to make ideas come to life and charter my own career path from day 1, when I joined Amazon after graduating with a Ross BBA. I have experienced six different roles at Amazon, in three different teams, two different cities (Seattle and NYC, plus remote), taken a personal leave of absence to explore my passion (dance!), expanded my role and scope, and become a people manager, all while working with amazing people that inspire and challenge me every day. At Amazon Associates specifically, I'm also able to work with external creators who are creative, innovative, and pushing the boundaries of the entertainment and media industries, empower creators to build small (and large) businesses, and I get to see my team's work come to life in the outside world on a daily basis.
The Ross Network has been with me throughout my career journey. Starting at the Entertainment & Media Club, I had the opportunity to meet with several Michigan alums who held prominent roles in the entertainment industry in LA through an offsite experience. Ultimately a Ross BBA undergrad alum referred me to his company - Amazon - and prepped me for the Amazon interview process, helping me land my first role. The Ross Network greeted me in my cross-country move to Seattle where we watched the football games from afar each weekend (Go Blue!). And as I've explored multiple new industries within my journey at Amazon, I've tapped into the Ross Network countless times to learn about new industries, expand my network, get mentorship advice, and more. Now as a hiring manager myself, the Ross Network is one of my key resources to interview and hire employees who will raise the bar for Amazon.
My career journey into Entertainment & Media has been a winding one, from the Entertainment & Media Club to where I am now leading a team who lives and breathes entertainment and digital media. I did not become a music agent as I had originally envisioned in undergrad. Instead, I chose a company with a vast breadth of opportunities and businesses, where I could try new roles and industries, focus on learning the skills I wanted to acquire, and chart my own path. I learned through my journey to trust yourself and your own path - even if it's not linear or expected. Go out and learn about the entertainment and media space by leveraging the resources around you - your Ross Network especially - to meet leaders in the industry, find internships, find mentors, friends, and spark ideas. Don't put yourself into a box. Instead – through trying, doing, and learning – follow the opportunity that you gravitate to most, and know that it won't be your last. If you trust yourself and focus on learning, you will create your own career path.