Sony Pictures Television presidents Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht will exit the company at the end of the summer, SPE CEO Tony Vinciquerra announced on Thursday.
No replacements have yet been named, and Vinciquerra, who was tapped to replace outgoing CEO Michael Lynton last month, will work directly with existing leadership until the position is filled.
The executives had served as presidents of programming and production at the company and, following the departure of chairman Steve Mosko last year, were tasked with leading the division alongside three other top execs. Their contracts were set to expire later this summer.
Van Amburg joined the studio in 1997, and Erlicht in 2002. They have held their current position since 2005, during which time Sony has launched such successful shows as “Rescue Me,” “The Shield,” “Breaking Bad” and “Shark Tank.” The studio’s other current titles include NBC’s “The Blacklist,” ABC’s “The Goldbergs,” AMC’s “Better Call Saul, Starz’s “Outlander, Netflix’s “One Day at a Time,” Amazon’s “Sneaky Pete” and Hulu’s “Shut Eye.”
Read the internal memo from Vinciquerra announcing the departures below:
Good afternoon:
I want to make you all aware that Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht will be leaving Sony Pictures Television later this summer to begin a new chapter in their extraordinary careers.
Zack and Jamie have been instrumental in the growth of Sony Pictures Television over the last several years – particularly over the last year as they took on a greater leadership role alongside Keith Le Goy, President of Distribution; Amy Carney, President, Advertiser Sales, Strategy & Research; and Andy Kaplan, President of Worldwide Networks.
Until a replacement is named for Zack and Jamie, I will be working closely with our existing leadership team to ensure a seamless transition.
I want to wish Zack and Jamie all the best. While we are sad to see them go, we are excited by the opportunity to work with them as partners in the future.
Tony