Jen Salke, the pinnacle of Amazon MGM Studios, is stepping down from her function and can deal with beginning a brand new manufacturing entity, Prime Video head Mike Hopkins mentioned in an inner memo despatched to employees and obtained by IndieWire.
Salke has been the first voice at Amazon MGM since becoming a member of in 2018 and has been behind the event and acquisition of exhibits and movies like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Saltburn,” “The Rings of Energy,” “Fallout,” “Reacher,” “Pink One,” and lots of extra.
No successor has been named into the function as of but. Hopkins in his memo mentioned the crew will take a “couple of weeks” to talk with Salke’s direct studies and decide the long-term construction on the studio. Movie chief Courtenay Valenti and TV chief Vernon Sanders will report back to Hopkins, and advertising chief Sue Kroll will proceed in her function.
Salke’s new manufacturing entity will nonetheless be primarily based on the Amazon MGM Studios lot, and she or he’ll have an general first look deal for TV and movie.
“Since I joined in 2018, we set out collectively to create a brand new sort of worldwide studio that fostered an atmosphere for the world’s most artistic expertise to do their easiest work,” Salke added in a press release. “Alongside the best way, we expanded internationally, constructed out a movie enterprise and employed and developed an unbelievable crew. As I’ve been contemplating my subsequent chapter, I’ve all the time been trying to find that second the place I used to be optimistic that our work had arrange Amazon MGM Studios for much more success in the long run. Once I have a look at the groups we’ve put in place, our wonderful leaders, and the unbelievable slate of movies and exhibits we’ve acquired within the pipeline, I noticed now could be that second. I’m trying ahead to persevering with doing what I like, cultivating expertise, supporting their imaginative and prescient, and bringing compelling tales to audiences world wide.”
The information comes simply as Amazon MGM finalized a cope with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson by which the 2 would cede management over the James Bond franchise to Amazon MGM, opening the door for producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman to step in and steer the path of what’s the studio’s greatest IP. No Bond follow-up movie has been produced since Amazon acquired MGM for $8.5 billion in 2022.
Salke, previously the NBC Leisure president, took over in 2018 for Roy Worth after he was ousted for sexual harassment allegations. In her time with Amazon, she oversaw Amazon’s greatest and most expensive collection in “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy,” for which the primary season was produced for a reported $465 million, the most important manufacturing value for a single season of TV in historical past. She had been behind different expensive bombs like “Citadel” but in addition led the studio to mega hits like “Fallout” and awards darlings like “Jury Responsibility.” Whereas the free transport perks of Amazon Prime stay the largest cause for why most individuals subscribe, the standard of content material on Prime Video had more and more change into a serious driver.
Salke’s expertise had been in TV, so following the acquisition of MGM, her crew introduced in former Warner Bros. government Courtenay Valenti to guide the movie crew and make a devoted push for theatrical, of which the studio hopes to launch as many as 16 movies a 12 months and will probably be touting their full slate of their debut at CinemaCon subsequent week. Amazon additionally inside the final 12 months made Prime Video customers default to having advertisements and eradicated Freevee within the course of.
Learn the complete memo beneath:
Pricey Group,
Since becoming a member of Amazon in 2018, Jen Salke has been a driving drive in Amazon MGM Studios’ evolution into what it’s at present: a world-class producer of award-winning movies and collection considered by lots of of hundreds of thousands of our clients world wide. Authentic movies and collection served as the inspiration of Prime Video’s development into one of many world’s main leisure locations, and Jen’s management is an undisputed driver of the success we’ve had on this house through the years.
Having achieved a lot as an government, Jen has determined that her subsequent problem and chapter will probably be on the manufacturing facet, with the intention of getting even nearer to the worldwide artistic group — which she’s been such an important member of over the course of her profession. Because of this, Jen will step down from her function as Head of Amazon MGM Studios with the intention to begin a brand new manufacturing entity, and we’re so happy that she’ll proceed to make her residence proper right here on our lot through an general first-look deal throughout each movie and TV.
In Jen’s phrases:
“Since I joined in 2018, we set out collectively to create a brand new sort of worldwide studio that fostered an atmosphere for the world’s most artistic expertise to do their easiest work. Alongside the best way, we expanded internationally, constructed out a movie enterprise and employed and developed an unbelievable crew. As I’ve been contemplating my subsequent chapter, I’ve all the time been trying to find that second the place I used to be optimistic that our work had arrange Amazon MGM Studios for much more success in the long run. Once I have a look at the groups we’ve put in place, our wonderful leaders, and the unbelievable slate of movies and exhibits we’ve acquired within the pipeline, I noticed now could be that second. I’m trying ahead to persevering with doing what I like, cultivating expertise, supporting their imaginative and prescient, and bringing compelling tales to audiences world wide.”
I can’t say sufficient to specific my because of Jen for her partnership. Beginning with my private Day 1 in 2020, her imaginative and prescient, creativity and trade relationships had been (and are) so obvious that I had little question our work collectively may very well be transformative not solely to Amazon, but in addition to the trade as a complete. The Rings of Energy, Fallout, Reacher, Pink One, Maxton Corridor, The Concept of You, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Saltburn, Street Home, Beast Video games, Culpa Mia/Tuya and others communicate to the hits underneath her management which have stirred cultural dialog and delivered unbelievable storytelling to worldwide audiences…and that checklist covers solely the previous 18 months. As well as, her management is evidenced by the senior crew she’s employed and developed…a crew that I do know will step up in a giant means going ahead.
Talking of that crew, we will probably be taking a few weeks to have considerate conversations with Jen’s directs and others to finalize the perfect long-term construction for the Amazon MGM Studios group as a complete, and we’ll have extra to share on that work quickly.
One factor I did wish to name out is the truth that – following Jen’s resolution to step away – we’ve determined to flatten our management construction a bit and never fill the pinnacle of studios function. In step with Amazon’s current work to streamline reporting strains and speed up resolution making, we felt this was one of the best path for our studio, which can now function as distinct movie and tv studios. To that finish, Courtenay Valenti (Head of Movie) and Vernon Sanders (Head of TV) will now report on to me, whereas Sue Kroll will even proceed in her function main international advertising throughout each movie and TV.
I’m immensely happy with the momentum our crew at studios has constructed over previous 12-18 months, executing towards our strategic plan and creating a improbable slate of unique exhibits and movies that place us for much more success forward.
Please be part of me in as soon as once more thanking Jen and wishing her one of the best on this subsequent journey…fortunately, she received’t be distant and we nonetheless have a lot to do collectively.
-Mike