Mark Burnett has officially stepped down from his top leadership position at MGM, a move that comes 10 months after Amazon closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of the studio.
Burnett’s departure from the MGM fold came as no surprise. The producer, known for enduring unscripted hits including CBS’s “Survivor,” NBC’s “The Voice” and ABC’s “Shark Tank,” did not work as a traditional television executive during his nine years with MGM and was not It is expected to continue to operate after the price reduction.
Moreover, as a large stockholder in MGM, Burnett benefited greatly from the Amazon deal. In the nine years since he first sold his One Three Media production banner to MGM, Burnett has raked in an estimated $1 billion.
In a note to MGM employees, Burnett said he intends to pursue new projects as a producer. He also emphasized that he worked hard to ensure that approximately 150 MGM TV employees were offered positions after the Amazon sale. MGM now operates as an independent film and television production entity under the Amazon Studios umbrella, headed by Jennifer Salke. Christopher Briarton, MGM’s chief operating officer, will work with Salik and Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
“After months of collaborative transition efforts, we have thoughtfully re-aligned our teams so that they all have the opportunity to thrive under the leadership of Mike Hopkins, Jennifer Salke and Christopher Brereton. In these days of media layoffs, I’m proud to say that everyone in the TV department has He was offered a way to continue contributing. No one was left behind.”
Here are the full memos from Burnett and Hopkins:
Dear Colleagues,
We’ve been together for a very long time, in some cases decades. We’ve created new programming and maintained our legacy with one of the highest renewal rates in global television. I get a lot of compliments on that. But we all know it’s not about me. It’s all about you.
It takes huge teams of talented people to produce more than 3,200 total hours of television including long-running hits like Survivor, The Voice, and Shark Tank and innovative series like The Bible, which together have garnered 143 Emmy nominations.
In 2014, I sold the majority of my companies to MGM and came to this 100-year studio as President of Television. Later, I sold the rest of my companies for MGM stock and became Chairman of the Board of Directors of MGM Global Television because I believed in the value of MGM.
I had a clear strategic vision to build and grow MGM’s television division with my dynamic team, which included buying big companies like Evolution and Big Fish, adding international scripted and non-scripted teams, and starting a documentary unit. We took record risks, hired great people – and the business grew.
This growth was crucial to MGM’s future, because MGM needed to maximize its value in order to attract a global broadcast partner and prepare for the next 100 years. I’m proud to be part of the team that achieved Amazon’s historic sale in 2022.
Now, after months of collaborative transition efforts, we’ve thoughtfully realigned our teams so that they all have the opportunity to thrive under the leadership of Mike Hopkins, Jennifer Salke and Christopher Briarton. In these days of media layoffs, I’m proud to say that everyone in the television division has been offered a way to continue contributing. No one is left behind.
As I step away from day-to-day management and return to independently creating and innovating, I will continue to moderate my old series and be available to all of you and Amazon for guidance and support.
Thanks team – I wouldn’t have done any of this without each and every one of you.
Mark Burnett
Here is Hopkins’ note:
Hello team –
As you just read, Mark Burnett has decided to leave Amazon and MGM to resume his work as an independent creator and producer. I wanted to follow up by thanking him for his countless contributions to our success and, on a personal level, for his partnership and advice throughout the merger process. I know you will all agree that he is one of the most creative, creative and prolific television producers in our industry, and we have been very fortunate to have him on our team.
Mark’s stepping aside of course raises both opportunities and questions about how we should organize going forward. You’ll hear more about this soon.
I am incredibly proud of the outstanding TV and film content we produce, and look forward to 2023 and beyond, when we, as a fully integrated team, continue to build on this legacy. We thank you for all your commitment and dedication as we head towards a dynamic and successful future together.
Mike
(Pictured: Mark Burnett and Christopher Brereton)
More is coming
[ad_2]
