On a picturesque evening in Culver City, California, as the sun began to set and temperatures settled on the perfect side of warm, the cast of “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” stepped through golden framed archways and a small forest of wondrous ancient-looking trees of amber for the premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s big-budget gamble in the fantasy drama world.
But the big stars at the event were really Amazon’s top brass: executive chairman Jeff Bezos; president and CEO Andy Jassy; Jeff Blackburn, the senior vice president of media and entertainment (who oversees Prime Video, Amazon Studios and Amazon Music); and SVP of Prime Video, MGM and Amazon Studios Mike Hopkins.