Jen Salke is exiting Amazon MGM Studios and moving to a production deal, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins has just announced in a memo to staff. She won’t be replaced; instead, head of film Courtenay Valenti and head of TV Vernon Sanders will now report directly to Hopkins.
Speculation has increased in recent months regarding the status of Salke at Amazon, which she first joined in 2018 after a lengthy stint at NBC (and before that, 20th Century Fox). Both Hopkins and Salke said it was ultimately her decision to make the change. As part of Salke’s exit, she plans to launch her new shingle via a first-look TV and film deal at Amazon MGM Studios.
“As I’ve been considering my next chapter, I’ve always been searching for that moment where I was positive that our work had set up Amazon MGM Studios for even more success in the long term,” Salke said in a statement. “When I look at the teams we’ve put in place, our amazing leaders, and the incredible slate of films and shows we’ve got in the pipeline, I realized now is that moment. I’m looking forward to continuing doing what I love, cultivating talent, supporting their vision, and bringing compelling stories to audiences around the world.”
Meanwhile, with Valenti and Sanders now both reporting to Hopkins, they will now operate as distinct film and TV studios under the Amazon MGM banner. Sue Kroll, however, will continue to oversee global marketing across both film and TV, also reporting to Hopkins.
“We’ve decided to flatten our leadership structure a bit and not fill the head of studios role,” Hopkins wrote in his memo. “In line with Amazon’s recent work to streamline reporting lines and accelerate decision making, we felt this was the best direction for our studio, which will now operate as distinct film and television studios.”
Beyond that change, Hopkins also added that there’s more to come in terms of a larger reorg at the studio: “We will be taking a couple of weeks to have thoughtful conversations with Jen’s directs and others to finalize the ideal long-term structure for the Amazon MGM Studios organization as a whole, and we’ll have more to share on that work soon,” he said.
Salke has shepherded a number of successes during her term, including hit Prime Video shows “Reacher” and the romantic actioner “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, which earned 16 Emmy nominations. Genre fare like “The Boys” franchise and its spinoffs as well as “Fallout,” the Jonathan Nolan-led adaptation of the enduring video game franchise, have also played well; both shows broke into the outstanding drama series category at the Emmys.
Prior to Salke’s arrival, Prime Video focused almost exclusively on niche, indie-style TV fare; she brought a broader sensibility that led to some of its bigger hits. The news of Salke’s departure coincidentally came the same day that Nielsen’s latest weekly streaming ratings (for the week of Feb. 24 to March 2) showed Prime Video’s mainstream actioner “Reacher” taking the No. 1 slot, the second time that show had done so.
On the movies side, the studio won with romcoms like “The Idea of You,” starring Anne Hathaway, and “Red White & Royal Blue,” as well as the “Road House” remake, which is set to spawn a sequel. The black comedy “Saltburn” was an acquisition title, but the sexy psychological thriller made waves on Prime Video.
However, far pricier gambles included “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” dramas, which cost a staggering $700 million to make, as well as the Russo Brothers’ international spy series “Citadel” (the first season cost $250 million) and the Dwayne Johnson’s Christmas action movie “Red One” (also $250 million). Mixed results for some of those projects has led to talk of Amazon rethinking some of its strategy and being more selective with its spending.
News of Salke’s departure comes a month after Amazon MGM Studios gained creative control over the iconic James Bond franchise from longtime stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Earlier this week, Amy Pascal and David Heyman were confirmed to come aboard to produce the studio’s upcoming Bond film.
Amazon’s film strategy shifted radically during Salke’s tenure. The executive initially prioritized indie Sundance fare like “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “Late Night” and “The Report” before pivoting to more star-driven pieces like “Being the Ricardos” and “The Tomorrow War.” The latter was a Chris Pratt action film that represented one of the label’s rare flagship hits (at least, according to vague viewership data released by Prime Video at the time). However, despite the star power, Amazon’s film offerings often struggled to get the kind of awards attention that Netflix received.
The company’s mission changed once again following the acquisition of MGM in 2022, where film properties like Bond, Pink Panther and the Rocky franchises came under Amazon’s purview. “Creed III” was a big box office success for the newly-merged studio and other properties have born fruit, like “Legally Blonde,” which is getting a prequel series, and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” with studio star Michael B. Jordan directing a remake.
Then, in the 18 months prior to Salke’s exit, the studio pledged to commit billions in the coming years to producing films meant for movie theaters. That task will now fall to Sue Kroll and Courtenay Valenti, two Warner Bros. veterans, who will run the film division. In past years, the trio attended the Academy Awards as a group, but this year, Salke attended solo, while Kroll and Valenti posed for executive photos together.
Salke first joined in February 2018 after a lengthy search at Amazon to replace previous studios head Roy Price, who had been forced out amid sexual harassment allegations. Price’s key lieutenants also soon left, allowing Salke to build her own team — including her NBC colleague Sanders. She had spent six years as NBC Entertainment president, developing hit shows like “This Is Us” and Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” trilogy; she first joined the Peacock network in 2011; before that, she spent nine years in development at 20th Century Fox TV, overseeing hits like “Modern Family,” “Glee,” “Prison Break” and “Bones.”
Here’s what Hopkins wrote:
Dear Team,
Since joining Amazon in 2018, Jen Salke has been a driving force in Amazon MGM Studios’ evolution into what it is today: a world-class producer of award-winning films and series viewed by hundreds of millions of our customers around the world. Original films and series served as the foundation of Prime Video’s growth into one of the world’s leading entertainment destinations, and Jen’s leadership is an undisputed driver of the success we’ve had in this space over the years.
Having accomplished so much as an executive, Jen has decided that her next challenge and chapter will be on the production side, with the aim of getting even closer to the global creative community — which she’s been such a vital member of over the course of her career. As a result, Jen will step down from her role as Head of Amazon MGM Studios in order to start a new production entity, and we’re so pleased that she’ll continue to make her home right here on our lot via an overall first-look deal across both film and TV.
In Jen’s words:
“Since I joined in 2018, we set out together to create a new type of global studio that fostered an environment for the world’s most creative talent to do their very best work. Along the way, we expanded internationally, built out a film business and hired and developed an incredible team. As I’ve been considering my next chapter, I’ve always been searching for that moment where I was positive that our work had set up Amazon MGM Studios for even more success in the long term. When I look at the teams we’ve put in place, our amazing leaders, and the incredible slate of films and shows we’ve got in the pipeline, I realized now is that moment. I’m looking forward to continuing doing what I love, cultivating talent, supporting their vision, and bringing compelling stories to audiences around the world.”
I can’t say enough to express my thanks to Jen for her partnership. Starting with my personal Day 1 in 2020, her vision, creativity and industry relationships were (and are) so apparent that I had no doubt our work together could be transformative not only to Amazon, but also to the industry as a whole. The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, Red One, Maxton Hall, The Idea of You, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Saltburn, Road House, Beast Games, Culpa Mia/Tuya and others speak to the hits under her leadership that have stirred cultural conversation and delivered incredible storytelling to worldwide audiences…and that list covers only the past 18 months. In addition, her leadership is evidenced by the senior team she’s hired and developed…a team that I know will step up in a big way going forward.
Speaking of that team, we will be taking a couple of weeks to have thoughtful conversations with Jen’s directs and others to finalize the ideal long-term structure for the Amazon MGM Studios organization as a whole, and we’ll have more to share on that work soon.
One thing I did want to call out is the fact that – following Jen’s decision to step away – we’ve decided to flatten our leadership structure a bit and not fill the head of studios role. In line with Amazon’s recent work to streamline reporting lines and accelerate decision making, we felt this was the best direction for our studio, which will now operate as distinct film and television studios. To that end, Courtenay Valenti (Head of Film) and Vernon Sanders (Head of TV) will now report directly to me, while Sue Kroll will also continue in her role leading global marketing across both film and TV.
I’m immensely proud of the momentum our team at studios has built over past 12-18 months, executing against our strategic plan and developing a fantastic slate of original shows and films that position us for even more success ahead.
Please join me in once again thanking Jen and wishing her the best on this next adventure…thankfully, she won’t be far away and we still have much to do together.
Matt Donnelly contributed to this report.
From Variety US