Jennifer Salke will be leaving Amazon MGM Studios after a seven-year tenure. Salke, who was elevated to head of Amazon MGM Studios in November 2022, will still be tied to Amazon, as she signed a first-look film and TV production deal.
Salke’s departure was announced last Thursday by Mike Hopkins, Amazon’s head of Prime Video and MGM Studios. In a memo to staffers, Hopkins said, “I can’t say enough to express my thanks to Jen for her partnership.” He added, “Starting with my personal day one 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.”
“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.”
Salke’s position will not be filled, with Hopkins opting to flatten the leadership structure within the studio division. MGM head of film Courtenay Valenti and head of TV Vernon Sanders will now directly report to Hopkins.
During her time, Salke established legitimacy to Amazon MGM Studios within Hollywood circles, courtesy of hit shows such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fallout, and Reacher, and achieved movie success with Red One.
But she also oversaw The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, which became the most expensive TV show ever made and failed to achieve a critical buzz.
That, as well as an underperforming movie slate and not making inroads in the streaming production battle as it lags behind Netflix and Disney+, may have swayed Salke to pursue other opportunities.
