Meet Anne Fishkin | Sr. Team Lead at Amazon and Sr. Director of Marketing and Special Events at Absence of Proof

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anne Fishkin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anne, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I was younger, I was all about the ‘grind’. The ‘girl boss’ mentality was a real phenomenon for me. I didn’t think I’d be taken seriously if I wasn’t the first one in and the last one out, and to be fair, that holds true in corporate culture. Over time, and after reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I realized that there are ways to quantify urgent vs non urgent, important vs non important and that helped me maximize my time in a more efficient way so I had more room for play and to prioritize my short term and long term goals. I have always believed in the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality but now realize that in order to speed up, we have to slow down. I highly support time off to recharge and I feel zero guilt taking off work to invest quality time with my friends, family and to experience all the beauty our world has to offer. I will not be checking emails or slack when I’m OOO, and if it’s a true emergency, I will answer and be there. It’s important to fully be present and not just on a vacation – it’s every day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career has been vast and exciting. I identify as a writer, an event manager, a marketing manager, a co-professor and advertising expert. I’ve been in media for 10+ years (working at ABC, FOX, Hulu,
Disney and now Amazon) while simultaneously holding positions in the food/beverage industry, now most recently as the Sr. Director of Marketing and Events at Absence of Proof.

I started off wanting to work at broadcast station as a newscaster, but after realizing the lifestyle didn’t align with my long term goals I decided to pivot to advertising sales. I had an itch to tap into my creative juices and my love for food and beverages, which is when I started my Instagram “eatingsantabarbara’ (now it’s ‘eating_venice) and Santa Barbara magazine discovered me and asked me to start writing. I loved this part of my life – I was selling by day, writing by night and even picked up pouring at a local winery back in my drinking days.

Living in Santa Barbara was easy, but I was young and I knew I needed to challenge myself while I had the energy – and was determined to get to Los Angeles. I knew no one in media – I physically drove down to Netflix, Hulu and Paramont and dropped off my resume at the front desk and sent notes to people on LinkedIn. Hulu called me, I got an interview, and I got the job. I stopped writing at Santa Barbara magazine, but then quickly got eager to be connected with the food/beverage space in LA and was introduced to LA Weekly’s main food editor and began freelancing for LA Weekly covering restaurant openings, events, and so much more.

Working at Hulu was a blast – it was like working at a start up – Huluween’s, Offsites, great clients and growing reach and scale. There came a point where I was ready for a new challenge- enter Amazon. I joined Amazon in 2020 and have grown my career across Home, Kitchen, and Sports categories as a Sr. Account Executive.

My success is rooted in my ability to navigate highly complex business structures and I do so with a people-first mentality. Some of my proudest work at Amazon has been prioritizing DEI through hosting quarterly International Amazon Ad Panels spanning topics of mental health, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ support through my role as WW DEI Chair at Amazon and also acting as a co-chair of Amazon’s DEI Monthly ads newsletter.

I have a passion for supporting higher education – as the Chair for San Diego State University (SDSU) for Education Alliance , I’ve facilitated 16 courses, spoke at 6 career fairs, and reached over 1,000 prospective students.

LA Weekly let go all of their freelancer’s in 2022 which was convenient, as that was when I was itching to get involved in more food/beverage opportunities.

I met Elizabeth Gascoigne at Amazon in 2022 over coffee in New York and was excited to hear that she too, did not drink and was building a non-alcoholic event company. Fast forward to March when she decided to expand to LA and asked if I’d lead her LA chapter. Since then, I have curated, lead and produced 20+ events in the Los Angeles area for Absence of Proof (AoP) this past year. I’ve generated millions of impressions for AoP’s LA social
chapter and reached 7.5k persons through her community events focusing on celebrating a sober curious lifestyle.

My inclusive events range from yin yoga with non-alcoholic nightcaps, to acoustic concerts and collaborations with mental health awareness brand- Season Of, mixology classes with The New Bar and Saje, Self-Care Saturdays with Little Lunch and writing workshops with sound healing with Reanna Holt (artist).

These impactful moments have been coupled with my love for fitness and health (running 4 marathons.. so far) but more importantly my love and passion for people.

As any road less traveled, is not ‘easy’ but it is exciting and challenging. I’ve learned how to put on my data-analytical Amazon thinking cap to tackle brand questions and find solutions, and I’ve learned how to be creative and build authentic experiences to connect with the sober curious community. I’ve learned how to listen better, how to be a better person by putting people before work always.

I’ve learned that anyone can do whatever they want -it is truly a mind game. You have to tell yourself you can, and you will. It takes work, it takes energy, it takes connection, but above all it takes believing in the magic that you hold. If you don’t do it, who will?

Take an idea, run with it, try it out, pivot, learn, grow and hold those around you with love and compassion. Everyone’s going through something, be there to support each other and know that we are all connected. Your wins, are everyone’s wins.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love hosting – this is such a fun question! Here’s how I’d spend a fun weekend in LA:

Friday – “Westside” day
– Beach run in El Segundo/MDR Pier area, finishing in Venice
– Brunch at Great White (breakfast burrito is a must)
– Beach + relax day in Venice + shopping on Abbott Kinney
– Drinks at Roosterfish (they have a lot of great non alc cocktail options!)
– Dinner at Felix (order the focaccia)
– MUST DO: Salt & Straw ice cream on AK – vegan choco chip, olive oil + chocolate malted cookie dough are all winners
– In Bed by 10pm

Saturday “East side” day
– Big Brunch at Republique
– Go to Shiloh Teahouse for morning writing and conversation
– Hit up the Broad for an art moment
– Afternoon in WeHo – thrift shopping at Wasteland
– Drinks at Stay (non alcoholic bar in Chinatown)
– Dinner at Night + Market WeHo (fried chicken sandy + all of the noodle dishes)
– In bed by 12p

Sunday “Malibu” day
– Bike to the Mar Vista Farmers Market – eat at the Arepa Stand (get The Hills w/ Egg)
– Drive to Palisades, hike Los Leones (basic but its so good)
– Late Lunch at Malibu Farm (it’s a vibe, come on don’t fight me on this one)
– Nap at home
– Dinner – order in pizza from Pizzana + make a salad w. your farmers market veggies
– Binge Watch Prime Video
– Asleep by 10pm

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have been blessed with so many beautiful mentors! Sandy Herron and Gail Kvisted are two of my favorite cheerleaders that have known me since college and always spark joy, love, creativity, and guidance during my career and life journey. Organization wise, I owe a lot of my leadership training to the Junior League of Los Angeles – I will always support this organization and their ability to uplift women leaders and support local communities. I want to thank Elizabeth Gascoigne for starting an impactful company that’s changed my life (Absence of Proof). Last but certainly not least – my husband, my sisters, my family and friends. It takes a village, and they are truly my rocks in life providing joy, a sounding board and unconditional love and support.

Instagram: annefishkin

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annefishkin/

Other: TikTok- @annefishkin

IMDb- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6609657/

Image Credits
Noah Sink (n.sink)