How LaShaun Skillings is
re-inventing live sports advertising at Amazon Ads
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Behind Amazon’s live sports—Thursday Night Football, NASCAR streaming, and NBA—there’s a talented team enabling and executing advertising globally, led by LaShaun Skillings.
LaShaun’s career has taken her from engineering and telecom, through the earliest days of internet advertising, to 13 years at Amazon. Here she shares what excites her about live sports and why self-advocacy matters more than ever.
Hi, LaShaun. Can you tell us a bit about your career before Amazon?
I’ve done a little bit of everything. My academic training was in engineering and international relations, and I started my career doing technical writing for telecom companies and defense agencies. At some point, I decided to pursue an MBA, so I left my company to study at Columbia Business School.
After graduating, I joined Monster.com in its leadership development program. That was my first real taste of internet advertising, back when people were still debating whether Facebook or MySpace would win. I then went to Yahoo and other organizations before a former manager suggested Amazon. I googled “Adzinia”—which was how people referred to Amazon Ads back then—and applied online, and the rest is history.
So you were in digital advertising almost from the beginning?
Yes - and honestly, at first, I didn’t even know what “internet advertising” really meant. But I stuck with it, and over the years built a career in advertising that’s really been shaped by relationships. Former managers remembered me, enjoyed working with me, and invited me into new roles. That’s how I moved across the industry and eventually landed here.
You’ve clearly made the most of your opportunities. How did you do it?
I think a lot of it comes down to the effort you put into your own development. People say I’m a bit old school, and I am. Since I joined Amazon, I've always set high standards for myself and my work ethic. I wanted to build credibility from the start, and for me, that meant being focused, no-nonsense, and delivering.
Over time, that credibility carried forward. As I moved from tactical work into more strategic roles, it was also about relationships, with both leaders and my teams. If you’re fair and thoughtful, if you advocate for your people and drive accountability, that gets noticed. I’ve even had employees tell me that others in the business recommended me as a great manager to work for. That’s rewarding, and it keeps me sharp because I surround myself with great talent. Opportunities tend to follow when leadership can see that.
But I’ll add this: Self-advocacy is also important. Even if it doesn’t come naturally, putting your name out there makes people aware that you want to grow. That matters.
Not everyone finds it easy to advocate for themselves. As a manager, how do you help people with that?
I’ve had my reports tell me directly, “This just isn’t my thing. I’m not the first to raise my hand.” And I respect that, but I also create space for them. Sometimes it’s as simple as inviting [them to share] their perspectives in a meeting, saying, “I’d really value your take on this because you’re strong in [X]. What do you think?”
It’s a small gesture, but it builds confidence. And when their peers see a manager opening that door, they often follow suit. Suddenly, others are supporting that person’s contributions, saying things like “That was a really good point.” It creates a ripple effect for quieter voices to get heard.
Good management is about making that space, especially in a place like Amazon where things move fast. It’s easy for the loudest ideas to dominate, but the best leaders find ways to bring everyone into the conversation.
Can you tell us exactly what the live sports operations team does?
We’re essentially building a broadcast business inside a digital advertising space. We’re competing with linear broadcasters who’ve been doing this for decades, and we’re doing it in a much faster-moving, digital-first environment. My team partners with our sales team to bring advertiser campaigns to life on live sports streams, so think Thursday Night Football, NASCAR, and now the NBA.
That includes everything-campaign setup, creative delivery, ensuring compliance with advertising policies, and making sure competing brands don’t run back-to-back in the same break. We also drive adoption of new creative formats like interactive video ads (IVA), which let viewers engage directly with brands they enjoy.
Thursday Night Football on Prime is a huge deal. What has that meant for advertisers?
Thursday Night Football is a flagship product for Amazon Ads, on top of being a flagship experience for Prime members. Live sports create an incredible opportunity for advertisers; they can reach millions of engaged fans in real time, with the flexibility and innovation of digital. The NBA coming to Prime Video is another milestone, and it’s exciting to be at the heart of making it work.
And finally, what excites you most about the work you’re doing right now?
The scale and the impact. Live sports on Prime Video is a premium experience for our customers, and the advertising that underpins it is a key product for Amazon Ads. To be the person leading the global operations behind that is exciting and challenging, and it feels like we’re shaping the future of both sports and advertising.