Chris Brearton, who has been serving as VP, PVS Corporate Strategy, MGM+ and MGM Alternative Television since November 2022, is stepping down from Amazon. This comes 18 months after he took on a new role at the company.
Previous Roles and Contributions
Brearton initially joined MGM as Chief Operating Officer in February 2018. He spent four years in that role before taking on a broader role following Amazon’s $8.5 billion acquisition of the studio in 2022. After leading MGM’s integration into Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Brearton took on the new role, leading business planning and corporate strategy for Prime Video and Studios and also overseeing MGM+ and MGM Alternative.
Brearton’s new role coincided with Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke taking over leadership of MGM. It is understood that Brearton, who is also chair of the board of directors at USA Swimming, is pursuing a “new opportunity outside of the company”.
Changes in Responsibilities
From April 15, Brearton’s responsibilities will be divided among a number of senior executives. MGM+, which is run by Michael Wright and Josh McIvor, and MGM Television, which is led by Lindsey Sloane, will now report to Head of Prime Video International Kelly Day. Barry Poznik and the MGM Unscripted team will now report to Brad Beale, who is Head of Global Content Licensing and Distribution.
Ted Lim, who has been running corporate strategy at MGM, will now report to Salke in the newly-created role of Head of Global Strategy and Business Development, Amazon MGM Studios. This move gives more responsibilities to Day, who joined the company from then-titled ViacomCBS in November 2021 reporting to Mike Hopkins, and Beale, who has been with the company since 2016 and reports to Salke.
Brearton’s Parting Words and Future Plans
Mike Hopkins, a senior leader at Amazon, called Brearton an “invaluable leader” and expressed gratitude for his partnership. Brearton, in his farewell note, expressed his honor to work at the company and his excitement for his next challenge. Salke called him a “wonderful colleague” who was “always the first to jump in to help solve an exciting business puzzle”.
