Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Marquez.
Hi Andrea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a border child. I grew up at the border of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. I think that a large reason I’m a storyteller is because I am a border child, and ever since I was little, I felt like I had three identities: American, Mexican, and border. This forced me to see the world in different ways and adapt based on my surroundings. I am a storyteller at heart, having been involved in all types of performance art like acting, dancing, and singing, and I did this since I was 2 years old. When I graduated from high school, I moved to New York for college, and it was the typical story where everyone who is the best from their hometowns move to a big city, thinking they’ll also be the best there. I studied Political Science, International Law, and Theatre at Columbia University. I excelled at the first two, but it was the third that really pushed me in more ways than I can imagine. Theatre was hard. They demanded so much from you, and the arts are very jealous, so it was an eye-opener for me to see how much more I needed to try just to stand out a little bit. That opened many doors for me. I interned with Marc Anthony at A&E, Lifetime and History Channel, Backstage magazine, and the Hollywood Reporter. Again, the same thing kept coming up… I was a storyteller at heart. No matter what I was doing. And it helped that all my professors encouraged me to do something along the lines of writing or performing when I graduated. I went on to do my Masters in Journalism and Legal Studies at Harvard after graduating and continued to try out acting, writing, singing, dancing, production, set design, costume design; you name it; I tried it all in theatre, TV, and film. All of that led me to apply to different jobs that got me to Amazon right now as a Senior Story Producer and Podcast Host of Amazon’s This is Small Business. This was major for me because it was the first time I worked on content with such a large platform. Many people ask me how I got the job since Amazon is known for having an intense application process, and I always say: I’ve basically been preparing for this my whole life.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In the grande scheme of things, I don’t think I faced too many struggles. Especially when I hear what a lot of my colleagues and friends have gone through due to racism and sexism. Did I have to try really hard and work really hard and not take any opportunity for granted? Yes. Absolutely. I did work my butt off and continue to do so, but I think the only greatest challenge for me has been to, along with my family, navigate having a mother with cancer. Not something I love to talk about because it is still very real and something we deal with every day, but beyond that, I have been able to deal with struggles that have come my way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Senior Story Producer at Amazon and host two Amazon podcasts: This is Small Business, and This is Small Business Next Generation (launching on June 13th). I specialize in all-format storytelling. My background is in production for theatre, film, and tv, but now my core attention has been drawn to podcasting. I started a podcast for one of the broadcasting companies I worked in called Hispanic Communications Network (La Red Hispana) in DC. The podcast I started is called LatinEQUIS. And it did so well that I caught the attention of a lot of people in the podcasting and Latinx community. I think what also helped is that I started the podcast pre-COVID before everyone had a podcast. I’m proud that I was able to get it as far as it did and even win an award without a budget and mostly on my own as a side project to my actual job. I’m proud of that and the podcasts I lead now at Amazon. They’re the first podcasts under Amazon Retail and so I was the first to do something like this at Amazon. I’m actually the only of my kind at Amazon with my specific job title.
What matters most to you? Why?
This is probably a cheesy response, but my family and loved ones. Nothing is so important (at least in my field of work) that it can’t wait for you to pause and cherish a moment with your family, and I think it took me a while to understand that. My mother’s diagnosis was a huge wake-up call. I’m also very passionate about continuing to educate myself and offer my support and time to help further equality as well as helping displaced children at the border as a child advocate. In general, volunteering time and money, when I can, to help those who need it the most is usually a good way to live life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andreamarquezhere.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreamhere/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-veronica-marquez/
- Other: https://www.smallbusiness.amazon/podcast
Image Credits
Gerardo Nava
