Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke steps down and shifts into production deal

Jennifer Salke is stepping down as head of Amazon MGM Studios after eight years and moving to a first-look TV and film production deal.

Jennifer Salke

The news was announced in an internal memo from Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins on Thursday.

Salke’s position is not being refilled, with head of TV Vernon Sanders and head of film Courtenay Valenti now reporting directly to Hopkins.

In his memo, Hopkins said Amazon MGM Studios had decided to “flatten our leadership structure a bit and not fill the head of studios role,” adding that he would be taking a couple of weeks to have “thoughtful conversations” with those who report directly to Salke and others to “finalise the ideal long-term structure for the Amazon MGM Studios organisation as a whole.”

Salke joined Amazon in 2018 after spending six years as president of NBC Entertainment and before that was with 20th Century Fox. Following the close of Amazon’s US$8.45bn takeover of MGM in 2022, Salke assumed the top studio post overseeing the combined TV and film operation.

However, rumours have persisted for at least a couple of years that Salke’s job could be at risk in the wake of inconsistent viewership performances for some mega-budget projects, including spy drama Citadel and its biggest swing to date, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In mid-2023, Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy began scrutinising studio spending as budgets started to increase significantly, according to a report from Bloomberg at the time.

There have also been suggestions that Salke did not work well with former longtime James Bond franchise stewards Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Last month, Amazon revealed it had gained “creative control” of the franchise through a deal with Wilson and Broccoli.

Her tenure has also been characterised by some notable TV hits, including sci-fi drama Fallout, The Boys, Reacher and young-adult titles such as coming-of-age drama The Summer I Turned Pretty.

“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,” said Salke.

“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 realised now is that moment.”

Hopkins said: “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.”