Tara was the second television hire at Amazon when she joined in 2012. When she was approached about the role "it felt very experimental," which intrigued her.

She equates her early Amazon days to working for a startup. Tara says, “We were tasked with launching pilots in a year without any development on the slate. In my second or third week, the open submission process launched. In summation, it was chaos."

Yet, this “chaotic” freedom to create is exactly what has kept Tara involved in Studios. She says, “Amazon has given me the autonomy to launch a kids’ brand which doesn’t have to abide by the same rules and templates as other production companies. They encourage us to take risks and think outside of the box. It’s been refreshing and rewarding.”

Tara is passionate about Amazon’s diversity and its inclusion of female leaders. She also admires how Amazon is helping families "flourish." “The ease of shopping on Amazon gives customers the gift of time,” Tara explains. As a mother of two kids, Lucas (12) and Laurel (10), Tara’s work in Kids Programming is often informed by her own family. Tara’s daughter is obsessed with the Amazon original, Just Add Magic.”

Outside of Amazon, she is proud to support the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Read more about Tara’s work for Amazon Studios in Variety and in MM.LaFleur, or listen to her interview with MIPTrends Producers’ Talks.

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Alma mater: University of Southern California

Favorite book(s): The Giving Tree

Favorite movie(s) and TV show(s): My favorites include some oldies like Breaking Away, The Point, My Bodyguard and Stand By Me

First Amazon purchase: Probably a book, but it’s hard to recall. I buy everything on Amazon.