Amazon settled on a new corporate structure for its expanded content operations, placing most of MGM under Amazon Studios president Jennifer Salke while also promoting veteran Chris Brearton at MGM.
Salik will oversee all aspects of MGM’s television programming, film, distribution and marketing. Briarton will oversee MGM Unscripted Television, the MGM+ streaming service, and will also serve as Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Prime Video and Studios. Salk and Breerton report to Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Studios and MGM.
The moves were expected after months of speculation about how MGM might be integrated into Amazon orbit. Hopkins confirmed the new hierarchy in a note to employees late Tuesday.
“Jane’s impressive reputation in the creative community has earned her the respect of Hollywood’s top talent throughout the industry,” Hopkins wrote. “With Jen now overseeing both studios – along with distribution and all creative marketing – creators will have a single point of entry for the opportunity to showcase their content across all of our platforms. Serving the creative community in this way will streamline and enhance the creative process, expand our growing content stability, and enhance Jane’s commitment to being a home for talent.”
Amazon closed its deal to acquire MGM for $8.5 billion in March. The film’s studio leadership team of Michael De Luca and Pam Abdi departed weeks after the deal. Mark Burnett, the popular producer who also runs MGM Television, confirmed his departure on Monday, paving the way for the move in with Salek and Britton.
Salik plans to hire a film executive to lead film development and production. She will continue in this role and “support the MGM Films team as we continue to integrate,” Salk wrote in the note. Among other changes, Warner Bros. veteran Sue Kroll will be taking over. who was hired last month to lead marketing for Amazon Studios, TV and movie marketing for MGM. Vernon Sanders, who oversees television at Amazon, will add supervision of MGM’s scripted television.
Salik hinted that the confusion would come in a lengthy interview with A diverse Cover story last month. MGM is expected to continue producing content for third-party buyers, as well as serving a growing number of Amazon platforms, including ad-supported player Freevee and MGM+ (formerly Epix premium cable).
Brearton joined MGM in 2018 after representing the studio for years as an attorney with Latham & Watkins. Salik has been at the helm of Amazon Studios since 2018.
Here’s the full memoir sent by Mike Hopkins, Gene Salke, and Chris Brerton on Tuesday night:
Hello team,
Almost nine months ago when we acquired MGM, we said we were going to take a measured, measured approach to the integration process. It was important to take the time to make sure the right people were working in the right jobs to maximize collaboration, creativity and innovation. We have made several important decisions during this time, and we have now completed the groundwork of creating our organizational structure. Excited to share right away, Jennifer Salke will become President of Amazon and MGM Studios, adding oversight of MGM’s scripted TV shows and films, distribution, and creative marketing. Additionally, I’d like to welcome Chris Breerton, who will assume the new role of Vice President, PVS Corporate Strategy, MGM+ and MGM Alternative Television.
Jen’s outstanding reputation in the creative community has earned her the respect of Hollywood’s top talents across the industry. With Jen now overseeing both studios – along with distribution and all creative marketing – creators will have a single point of entry for the opportunity to showcase their content across all of our platforms. Serving the creative community in this way will streamline and enhance the creative process, expand our growing stability of content, and reinforce Jane’s commitment to being a home for talent.
Chris Brearton has been running MGM’s business and leading its merger into Prime Video and Amazon Studios. In his new role, he will lead the business planning and corporate strategy for PVS. He will also oversee MGM+ and MGM Alternative, where he will be responsible for accelerating the rebranding and driving growth of the MGM+ premium service, while also working closely with MGM’s veteran Unscripted TV team to continue their legacy of megahits, such as Survivor, Shark Tank and Audio. Briarton will report to me and join my senior leadership team, effective immediately.
I appreciate all the work on this integration and believe we are now in a better position to achieve our ambitious vision with the best leaders at the helm. In the process, I’ve continued to provide great entertainment for customers all over the world. We have released three MGM movie titles for direct-to-streaming (DTS) releases on PV including Thirteen Lives, Anything Is Possible, and Samaritan, and the critically acclaimed theatrical releases of Till and Bones & All. Join us in celebrating the 007 franchise’s 60th anniversary in October 2022.
We have new high-quality storytelling to bring to our customers in the coming weeks with Women Talking, Boys in the Boat, and Creed III, with more development coming to Prime Video. In addition to the launches, we’ve lit up Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal and The Underdogs with Snoop Dogg. In partnership with MGM Television, we’ve greenlighted and begun production on Shelter (based on the best-selling thriller novel by Harlan Coben), The Consultant (starring Christoph Waltz), and A Road to a Million (a reality competition series featuring local locations from the films 007).
I appreciate all of the work you’ve collectively done this year, and I look forward to all we can do together as we build the next phase of this rich legacy of amazing content. You’ll be hearing from Jen and Chris soon about their vision and goals for their organization. Thank you all for your patience and commitment throughout this process.
Mike
Here is Salik’s note:
Team,
Mike just shared some news about our organizational structure, and I wanted to say how proud I am to be named President of Amazon and MGM Studios. It is an honor to lead a team of such extremely talented people. We have such an exciting opportunity ahead of us as we continue to build best-in-class studios and entertain more people around the world.
With my further oversight of MGM’s TV shows, films, distribution and creative marketing, I have some news to share with my leadership team. Vernon Sanders will continue to run Amazon TV and will now direct MGM scripted TV with Lindsay Sloan and Rola Bauer. Julie Rapaport will continue to manage the AOM team as well as oversee the MGM film team as we continue integration. Dan Scharf will add supervision of BA and MGM’s business operations as well as acting, music and production. Newly appointed Amazon Studios Chief Marketing Officer Sue Kroll will add MGM to her remit, and MGM Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Bruno will report to Sue. Brad Bell’s content licensing powers will now include MGM, with Chris Oettinger, MGM’s president of worldwide distribution and acquisitions, now reporting to Brad. And Eric Loomis, President of Theatrical Distribution for United Artists Releasing, will report directly to me. I want to thank all of you for your patience as we integrate the talented teams at MGM. And we’ll have more announcements to share over the next few months.
These are dynamic times for all of us in the entertainment industry. And here at Amazon and MGM Studios, we have the best leaders, creators, and talent in the business. I am proud to be a part of this amazing organization and look forward to all that we can – and will – do together.
Gene
Here is Brerton’s note:
Team,
I realize we’ve all gone through a tremendous amount of change over the past few months. With the merger now complete, I’m excited to have the opportunity to harness and benefit from all that Amazon can offer our business.
We are now ready to embark on this journey together. With Michael Wright leading as President of MGM+, Brian Edwards and Barry Posnick as Presidents of Unscripted Television, and Ted Lim overseeing corporate strategy and development, we continue to build on the legacy of MGM Studios. I have great confidence in our team, along with the resources of Amazon and the leadership of Mike Hopkins and Gene Salk, as we continue to create great content for global audiences.
Chris
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