Vernon Sanders is exiting his role as head of global TV at Amazon MGM Studios after seven years with the company, TheWrap has learned.
The executive decided to step just six months after his longtime boss Jennifer Salke left the company. Amazon MGM has not yet named a successor.
“After a little over seven years at Amazon MGM Studios, I am writing to share my decision to step down as Head of Global Television,” he wrote in a staff memo Wednesday. “Looking back to those early days, two things struck me immediately about Amazon: the exceptionally smart people and the vast, endless horizon of what’s possible within this company. Seven years later, those same attributes continue to thrive here.”
In his memo he specifically thanked Salke for bringing him on board at Amazon, calling her a “role model for how to be bold, take risks and be human.”
The television executive said that as he steps into a new chapter he wants to return to the “day-to-day creative process of making television.”
“While I have been deeply honored by that growth in scope, I’ve found myself increasingly distant from what originally drew me to this industry — the day-to-day creative process of making television,” he wrote, saying he made the decision earlier this summer.
Before joining Amazon MGM Studios, Sanders served as the executive vice president of current programming for NBC, where he first worked with Salke. He left that post to return to his roots as a producer landing an overall deal with Universal Television.
Under Sanders’ leadership, Amazon MGM Studios produced Emmy nominated drama series “Fallout.” He also worked on the Emmy Award-winning comedies “Fleabag” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” as well as irreverent superhero series “The Boys.” The news comes on the heels of the success of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” which ended its run Wednesday and received a green light for a movie.
“I leave with a profound sense of accomplishment and immense gratitude,” Sanders wrote. “The successes we’ve achieved together make me incredibly proud. I have absolute confidence in this team’s continued success and the exciting journey ahead. 2026 will be our best year yet! I have committed to ensuring a seamless transition over the next few weeks as he works through succession plans.”
