Amazon Studios TV content group has made some changes to its U.S. and Global content operations team, elevating Kara Smith, Jon Wax and Andy Bourne to executive roles, TheWrap has confirmed.
Smith has been moved up to head of TV development for SVOD Co-Productions, while Bourne takes on the head of limited series and Wax assumes a newly created position of head of global content synergy for TV.
The changes, which follows the launch of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 2 on Prime Video, were announced in an internal memo from Amazon Studios’ TV head Vernon Sanders, Laura Lancaster, head of SVOD TV development and series for co-productions and head of international originals James Farrell.
“First and foremost, congratulations to everyone on the successful launch of the second season of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty,’” the memo began. “It has been such an incredible launch that Season 2 has already more than doubled Season 1’s viewership in just three days. Fantastic team effort, everyone.”
The memo continued by announcing the shifts to Lancaster’s team, including Smith, who will now report directly to Lancaster. Smith has shepherded Amazon Studios TV projects including “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “Reacher,” “The Terminal List” and upcoming series “Cross.”
Bourne, who has overseen event series like “The Old Man,” “Dopesick” and “The Chi,” will report to Smith in his new role while Wax’s newly created role will report to Sanders and Farrell.
As head of global content synergy for TV, Wax will work with Amazon Studio’s global TV content groups to ensure the original series are “developed with rich, relevant access points for our worldwide audience,” according to the memo.
“As we all know, what distinguishes Amazon Studios’ content on Prime Video is the vast reach our Originals have in the global marketplace through Prime,” the memo continued. “We obsess on how to ensure that our series engage our current customers while bringing in new customers around the world. Our most valuable series are global hits.”
