Chris Melissinos - AWS - Nobody builds anything great by themselves

Your Career, Unscripted

Chris Melissinos is the Principal Evangelist for Video Games and Immersive Technologies at AWS, where he helps influence the next generation of game technology and offerings from AWS while also acting as a developer advocate, ensuring that the needs of game developers are met. Prior to AWS, he was the Chief Gaming Officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc., creator of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s “The Art of Video Games” exhibition, Executive Director of Media and Entertainment for Verizon, and a founding board member of the Video Game History Foundation.

Honored to have interviewed Chris on this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted!

Listen to learn about…

• The different chapters of Chris’s career—from making copies for the sales team at Sun Microsystems, Inc., to leading games and immersive technology at AWS
• How he got his foot in the door being an assistant, and used his time to propel his career forward
• The bold moment early in his career when he brought an idea straight to the CEO, was told the company was going in another direction, and pushed back—explaining why they were making a mistake. A month later, he was called to corporate to be the games person at Sun Microsystems, Inc. He later exited the company after 16 years as the Chief Gaming Officer and Chief Evangelist for the company
• How he’s learned to push to the limit—without overstepping it
• Why he believes video games are a reflection of society, artists, and ourselves
• A personal challenge in his career that has required real work to overcome
• His advice for breaking into the games industry today

What I appreciated most about this conversation was Chris’s commitment to learning, his drive to make the games industry better for artists, and the stories that shaped his path.

Thank you, Chris, for giving me the opportunity to share some of your story and wisdom!

Follow me @janebernhard for more career stories and advice! janebernhard.com