Chris Brearton will depart his role as vice president of PVS Corporate Strategy for MGM+ and MGM Alternative at Amazon, TheWrap has learned. He was in the position for 18 months.
After first joining MGM in February 2018, Brearton served as COO for four years, leading up to the 2022 acquisition by Amazon when he took on the new role that November. Brearton helped oversee MGM’s integration into Prime Video and Amazon Studios, and then took on leadership for corporate strategy across Prime Video and Studios, as well as MGM+ and MGM Alternative.
“Despite unprecedented disruption in our industry, we built an incredible and dedicated team at MGM that simply would not be denied,” Brearton wrote in a message to staffers. “Together, we reinvigorated this great studio as a home for storytellers. This success was demonstrated through the Lion’s robust and compelling film slate, the relaunch of Orion Pictures, the expansive prowess of television group that is responsible for producing beloved and award programs across nearly every network and platform, and the recent launch of MGM+, creating a global home for Leo and over a century of great entertainment.”
“In the last few years, Chris has been a wonderful colleague, partner and friend and we wish him the best in his new endeavor. It has been a privilege to work with Chris and I will miss him as a thought partner and a cheerleader for Studios and Prime Video,” head of Amazon and MGM Studios Jennifer Salke wrote in a memo sharing the news. “He showed endless enthusiasm for our business and was always the first to jump in to help solve an exciting business puzzle — no matter how big the challenge. I’m hopeful all our paths will continue to cross with his in the future.”
Following Brearton’s departure on Monday, April 15, Ted Lim, who has been overseeing corporate strategy at MGM, will step up in a newly created role as head of strategy and business development for Amazon MGM Studios, and will report directly to Salke.
“Ted has been an incredible asset to PVS since the MGM acquisition, jumping in to help across our business in so many ways and has been a tremendous partner for me and senior leaders,” Salke wrote, adding that Lim will oversee corporate and business strategy, content strategy for film (streaming and theatrical) and international originals, creative planning and franchise management.
Additionally, Barry Poznick and the MGM Unscripted team are set to report to Brad Beale, who serves as head of global content licensing and distribution, while MGM+ and MGM Television teams, which are led by Michael Wright, Josh McIvor and Lindsey Sloane, respectively, will report to Kelly Day.
