Amazon Studios Recruits TV Executive -- WSJ
February 10 2018 - 2:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Ben Fritz and Joe Flint
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (February 10, 2018).
Amazon.com Inc. has tapped NBC Entertainment President Jennifer
Salke to head Amazon Studios, its movie and television unit,
succeeding Roy Price, who resigned amid allegations that he engaged
in sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior toward a
producer.
At Amazon, Ms. Salke, 53 years old, will oversee a deep-pocketed
and ambitious online video service with an annual budget of more
than $4.5 billion, according to people at the company.
Its best-known television series include "Transparent," "The
Tick" and "Bosch." Its most successful films have been "The Big
Sick" and Oscar winner "Manchester by the Sea." However Amazon has
struggled to find broadly popular hits like HBO's "Game of Thrones"
and Netflix Inc.'s "Stranger Things."
Among the challenges facing Ms. Salke will be improving
relations with the creative community, some of whom criticized the
way Amazon operated during Mr. Price's seven-year tenure. Several
producers expressed frustration at what they called creative
interference by Amazon executives, often leading to production
delays and greater expenses. David E. Kelley, who created the legal
drama "Goliath" for Amazon, told The Wall Street Journal last fall
that the company is "in way over their heads."
"What stood out about Jen was the deep relationships she has
nurtured with creators and talent over her career," Jeffrey
Blackburn, the Seattle-based Amazon executive to whom Ms. Salke
will report, said in a statement. "She's built an impeccable
reputation as a big leader who emphasizes creativity,
collaboration, and teamwork."
Since Mr. Price left in October, Amazon Studios has been
overseen by Chief Operating Officer Albert Cheng, whose background
is primarily in technology and digital media.
Shortly after Mr. Price stepped down, his lawyer, Eric George,
said the executive had never been accused of sexual harassment
"with the sole exception of the incident alleged by [the producer],
the portrayal of which he vigorously contests."
The hiring of Ms. Salke, who has run NBC's prime-time
entertainment since 2011, comes after a very public and drawn-out
search for Mr. Price's successor. A leading candidate, Fox
Television Group Chairman and Chief Executive Dana Walden, took
herself out of consideration early on; another candidate -- A&E
Networks Group Chief Executive Nancy Dubuc -- was also in the
running. Fox's parent, 21st Century Fox Inc., shares common
ownership with News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal.
In a statement, Ms. Salke said Amazon has "innovated, disrupted,
and created characters that are already an indelible part of
pop-culture."
One of Ms. Salke's biggest tasks will be overseeing Amazon's
production of "Lord of the Rings," an ambitious and expensive
series based on J.R.R. Tolkien's popular fantasy novels. Amazon won
a bidding war for the rights to the series, which was given a
multi-season commitment.
Ms. Salke has a solid track record as a television development
executive. Shows developed on her watch at NBC include the drama
"This Is Us" and the comedy "The Good Place." She also oversees
Universal Television, the production studio at NBCUniversal which
produces shows for NBC and other networks and services.
NBCUniversal is a unit of Comcast Corp.
However, Ms. Salke has no experience running a world-wide
digital business or in movies, both of which she will oversee in
her new post. Amazon is taking a bet that she can successfully
handle those new responsibilities.
Prior to joining NBC, Ms. Salke was a television-studio
executive at 21st Century Fox. She started her career at Aaron
Spelling Productions.
No successor for Ms. Salke was named by NBC Entertainment
Chairman Robert Greenblatt. Other senior entertainment executives
who will likely be under consideration include Pearlena Igbokwe,
who is president of Universal Television, and NBC programming
executives Bruce Evans and Lisa Katz.
Write to Ben Fritz at ben.fritz@wsj.com and Joe Flint at
joe.flint@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 10, 2018 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
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