Jeff Frost set to exit as president of Sony Pictures Television Studios

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Studios’ president Jeff Frost is set to depart the company in September.

Jeff Frost

Frost, who joined SPT in 2008 as executive VP of US business affairs, was elevated to president of the studio in 2017 after outgoing TV presidents Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht left for Apple.

SPT Studios has not yet named a replacement and it is understood that a hiring process is now underway. Frost will work until September in order to help with the transition.

Frost has overseen SPT Studios as it has forged its own path as the largest independent studio not affiliated with a major global streaming service. His departure comes following a busy year for SPT, during which it produced more than 50 series.

“Five years ago, the conventional wisdom was that [SPT] Studios could not survive without a major distribution platform that would televise [SPT Studios] content,” Frost wrote in an internal memo announcing his upcoming departure.

“Well, thanks to the tenacious and tireless efforts of this prodigious team, not only did SPTS survive, we thrived! This studio has never been more successful or prolific. In the last year, SPTS hit an all-time high in the number of series being produced and is now considered the preeminent independent television studio in the business.”

SPT’s slate includes Better Call Saul, The Blacklist, The Boys, Atypical, Cobra Kai, The Afterparty, The Good Doctor, The Goldbergs, Wheel of Time, Woke, S.W.A.T. and Outlander. Recent greenlights for SPT include eight-episode comedy-drama Panhandle for Spectrum Originals and Cold War thriller A Spy Among Friends for Britbox UK and Spectrum Originals.

In an internal memo, Ravi Ahuja, chairman, Global Television Studios, said: “Jeff is one of the hardest working and most dedicated executives I’ve ever met. He has been an outstanding leader at Sony Pictures Television during a time of extraordinary transformation in our industry, and I am certain that he will continue to succeed in whatever he pursues in the future.”

Frost added: “I truly love this Sony family, which has made my decision even more difficult than it would otherwise be. This team is integral to the success we have all enjoyed over the past few years and I look forward to watching you all carry on that legacy and continue to excel.”