Amazon MGM Studios Reorganizes Under Peter Friedlander

January 26, 2026 Jamie Stalcup

Amazon MGM Studios has restructured its leadership team to be genre-based, with Laura Lancaster and Nick Pepper exiting and Blair Fetter joining.

“Effective immediately, we are transitioning from our current structure—split between wholly-owned and co-productions—to a streamlined, genre-based organization (drama and comedy, worldbuilding, animation and unscripted),” said Peter Friedlander, head of global television.

Lancaster, who was head of U.S. SVOD TV development and series in the co-productions team, and Pepper, who was head of U.S. SVOD TV development and series for the wholly-owned. team, are exiting, but are both in talks for producing deals with the studio.

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Fetter, who will begin at the company on February 2, will serve as head of worldbuilding and genre series. He most recently oversaw Spectacle series at Neflix.

Tom Lieber, head of co-production genre development and current serires under Lancaster, and Matt King, who was on Pepper’s team, will work on worldbuilding genre programming. They will report to Fetter.

A head of drama and comedy series has not yet been named. Kara Smith, head of drama, comedy development and current series under Lancaster’s co-productions team; Michael McDonald, head of comedy and drama development under Pepper’s wholly-owned team; and Jen Chambers, head of creative synergy and development under Pepper’s wholly-owned team, will be working across drama, comedy and young adult programming under the new head of drama and comedy.

Melissa Wolfe will continue as head of animation. Previously, she reported to Pepper. Now, she will report directly to Friedlander.

“By organizing around these specialized genres with dedicated leadership, we will move faster, make sharper creative decisions and continue to build groundbreaking series that define the future of television,” Friedlander said in his memo. “I’m energized by the opportunities ahead and confident in this team’s ability to deliver for our customers and the creative community in which we work.”