HawkeStar Spotlight March: Riya Jindal, Partnerships Manager

Hawke Media recognizes and awards employees that embody our culture, values, and mission at their core. 

Today we feature Partnerships Manager and in-house superwoman, Riya Jindal, for her March 2021 HawkeStar victory.

Q: Riya you are obviously fabulous. Congrats on your nomination. What does being a Hawke Star mean to you?

A: Wow, thank you! It means a lot, it is nice to be recognized especially having worked at Hawke through the pandemic. It is so nice to know that I was able to give back to the organization the way that made an impact.

Q: Walk me through your background a little bit? How did you get to be so amazing? No need to be humble…

A: I lived in California until I turned ten, and then I finished high school in India. I came back to the US for college and actually went to film school. I didn’t expect to end up in Partnerships at all, but in school, I did love connecting musicians and filmmakers together and I was often the producer, so it ended up being a more natural fit than I would have expected. I really like driving relationships, which is why I am good at what I do here at Hawke!

Q: Now that you’ve won HawkeStar, what is next for Riya? What else would you like to accomplish?

A; I am really committed to making sure our partnership channel doubles in the next year. We want to make sure we are a resource, and add value to the partnership network at large. I want to find ways to make things more efficient, utilizing the relationships we’ve created over the past year. 

Q: Riya, you are a standout in a sea of talented people. What advice would you give to someone new to the company that wants to take home the award next? Who do they have to bribe? What do they have to do?

A: They have to bribe you, obviously. No, I think it is really important to be a sponge. When I first started, I sat in on every call and took notes on everything. Even stuff I didn’t understand, I wrote down and took the time to look it up so I could understand. I tried not to take for granted the amount of information around me, so the one thing I’d say is to be passionate about learning. 

Q: You are obviously a power at Partnerships. What goes into making successful relationships?

A: The only thing that goes into successful relationships is understanding what drives value for someone else and providing it. Following through is everything, and if you can bring a certain amount of authenticity to it people will really get that you’re passionate about helping them, and they’ll want to help you too. From there, the cycle just goes on and on.

Thank you, Riya for all that you do! We’re grateful to have you on the team and excited to watch you take us to new heights.