Jasen Bell is a Director of Content Acquisition at Audible, focused on bringing a catalog of immersive audio storytelling to 11 new marketplaces around the world, in local languages. As part of our employee-led Impact Group Pride@Audible, he helps foster a sense of belonging while befriending colleagues across the company, and his work ensures that more customers around the globe have access to a catalog of listens they’ll love.

What is life like at the hub you are aligned to?

I work from our Newark headquarters, and I’m thankful for the Audible programs that enabled me to move here and make it my own neighborhood. It makes me sincerely appreciate the many efforts Audible champions to bolster economic development and investment in Newark.

How does the work you do affect Audible listeners or your colleagues worldwide?

My work helps bring audio content to listeners in the new marketplaces where we will launch Audible experiences, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

What was your first Audible listen? What inspired you to check it out?  

The Audible Original comedy Hot White Heist. It was also my first exposure to a multi-cast production, with talent I loved fully bringing the story to life. It blew my mind how immersive the soundscape was, and the energy among the cast as they worked off of each other, like they would in other, in-person entertainment formats.

Can you share a bit about your career journey at Audible?

I started my journey at Audible as a Director of International Strategy and Expansion. I had great experiences and opportunities to define the roadmap for expansion of Audible’s services, including helping to strategize our service for Brazil. This led me to move into the Content team, where I can have more direct impact on our growth.

How do you draw inspiration from culture and technology?

I support content acquisition in multiple languages that I do not speak, and for geographies and cultures that are not native to me. I see this as an opportunity to listen without bias. I actively seek out data points to learn about cultural influences and trends among the customer populations I serve. I study the pace at which these countries have adopted technological advancements, in order to evaluate the potential growth of audio entertainment there.

Other than the people, what do you love most about the culture here?

The willingness to experiment and move quickly to test and learn. There are very few times when the answer is clear and easy, but we consistently hypothesize, experiment and improve. 

What’s one quality people interested in working in your team need to be successful here?

My team’s work thrives on our People Principles, “Imagine and Invent Before They Ask” and “Articulate the Possible and Move Fast to Make it Real.” We pursue new opportunities where audio entertainment is sometimes totally nascent, requiring a vision of future market maturity, and there’s often little infrastructure or existing supports to build on.

What advice would you have for a candidate considering Audible?

Think of it as joining a late-stage startup. There’s tons of opportunity to make an impact, but it will sometimes require taking initiative.

Have you ever participated in one of Audible’s employee-led Impact Groups?

I was previously a co-lead of our Pride@Audible Impact Group. I initially joined as a new employee, as a way to meet a broader range of colleagues outside of my direct role and work. It continues to be a fantastic avenue to meet new colleagues across the business that I might otherwise not have an opportunity to interact with.

Why do you think it’s important to have Impact Groups like Pride@Audible?

Impact Groups help foster a sense of community that is not always visible. Pride@, especially, is a group that requires a bit of vulnerability — you’re sharing something about yourself that people might not otherwise guess from appearance alone. Yet I know that when I meet other employees in Pride@, there’s a familiar, shared experience.  

During the Pride parade last year with Audible, I had a fantastic opportunity to talk with Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), whom I have long been a fan of — and I enjoyed his narration of the Audible Original Murder at the Patel Motel. We had a conversation about why he did that project, getting into the challenge of seeing LGBTQIA+ representation in characters and stories, especially outside of stereotypical tropes, and it made me proud of Audible’s commitment to telling authentic stories. 

What are you currently listening to?

Dead Wake by Erik Larson. I’m in one of the many book clubs at Audible, and being exposed to new content and genres has encouraged me to explore, especially more non-fiction content. This title bridges my interest in action-adventure and non-fiction through a dramatized retelling of the sinking of the Lusitania, one of the major actions drawing the U.S. into World War I.   

See open Content & Audible Studios roles at Audible