A few months into his time as head of global television for Amazon MGM Studios, Peter Friedlander is undertaking a significant reorganization of the TV team.
Under former head Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM’s TV division had been structured around wholly owned series and co-productions. Starting “immediately,” Friedlander wrote in a memo to staff Monday, the studio will switch to genre-based teams for both development and current programming: drama and comedy, worldbuilding (i.e., fantasy, sci-fi and other “genre” series), animation and unscripted.
Laura Lancaster and Nick Pepper, who had headed the co-production and wholly owned teams previously, are departing their roles but are in talks to enter producing deals at Amazon MGM, Friedlander noted. Netflix alum Blair Fetter will join Amazon MGM on Feb. 2 as head of worldbuilding and genre series, reporting to Friedlander. Newly hired unscripted head Jenn Levy and animation head Melissa Wolfe will continue to lead those groups; Fetter, Levy and Wolfe will all report directly to Friedlander.
The studio is currently searching for an executive to lead the drama and comedy team; in the meantime, Kara Smith, Michael McDonald, and Jen Chambers will oversee comedy, drama and YA programming and report to Friedlander.
“By organizing around these specialized genres with dedicated leadership, we will move faster, make sharper creative decisions, and continue to build groundbreaking series that define the future of television,” Friedlander wrote in his memo (read it in full, below).
Friedlander joined Amazon MGM Studios in early October after 14 years at Netflix, where he was one of the longest-serving creative executives at the company. The reorg brings Amazon MGM’s structure into line with many other studios whose development and current teams run along genre lines.
Fetter was most recently head of spectacle series at Netflix and has worked on series including Stranger Things, Ozark and The Queen’s Gambit, among others. Deadline first reported the news.
Friedlander’s memo is below.
All,
I’m writing to announce a new organizational structure for the Scripted Series team at Amazon MGM Studios, designed to accelerate our mission of delivering exceptional original television that captivates audiences worldwide. Effective immediately, we are transitioning from our current structure—split between Wholly Owned and Co-Productions—to a streamlined, genre-based organization (drama & comedy, worldbuilding, animation, and unscripted). Both Development and Current will reside in this new framework, which will provide greater clarity, specialized expertise, and clear ownership across our entire portfolio.
As part of this evolution, Laura Lancaster and Nick Pepper will be transitioning out of the organization. Producing deal conversations are underway. Nick and Laura have been invaluable builders of our scripted series slate, and we are deeply grateful for their significant contributions to our success. Laura has made incredible contributions to Prime Video’s programming successes as she and her team have led the creative oversight of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Terminal List, The Better Sister, We Were Liars, amongst many others, as well as upcoming series such as Spider-Noir, Blade Runner 2099, Scarpetta, and God of War. Nick was the driving force behind the critically acclaimed Prime Video series Overcompensating and the upcoming titles Tomb Raider, Elle, Young Sherlock, and Carrie. In addition, Nick has built a bold and distinctive animation slate, including Secret Level, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, and two of Critical Role’s premium campaigns, Vox Machina and Mighty Nein.
With this transition, I’m pleased to announce that Blair Fetter is joining Amazon MGM Studios as Head of Worldbuilding & Genre Series, reporting to me starting February 2nd. Blair brings outstanding experience from Netflix, where he oversaw Spectacle Series and was essential to the success of shows such as Stranger Things, Ozark, The Queen’s Gambit, Death by Lightning, BoJack Horseman, The Haunting of Hill House and 3 Body Problem. His ability to discover and develop expansive worlds paired with his commitment to high-quality storytelling makes him an ideal addition to my leadership team. Tom Lieber and Matt King will report to Blair, continuing to focus on our Worldbuilding genre programming.
As previously announced, Jenn Levy has joined as Head of Unscripted and Documentary Television. Melissa Wolfe will continue as Head of Animation, now reporting directly to me. For our Drama, Comedy, and Young Adult programming, Kara Smith, Michael McDonald, and Jen Chambers will report to me on an interim basis until we finalize the structure and put in place a new Head of Drama & Comedy Series. With these changes, Lauren O’Connor, Head of Global IP, will now report directly to me. Lindsay Sloane, who leads MGM Television, Scripted Series, will also continue to report to me.
By organizing around these specialized genres with dedicated leadership, we will move faster, make sharper creative decisions, and continue to build groundbreaking series that define the future of television. I’m energized by the opportunities ahead and confident in this team’s ability to deliver for our customers and the creative community in which we work.
Thanks all,
Peter
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