AMC Studios’ Valerie Cabrera Touts Evolving International Strategy

While AMC Studios has been ramping up production, with upcoming highlights that include the anthology drama The Terror, it is also making a concerted effort to find “the best possible home for its content internationally,” according to Valerie Cabrera, the company’s senior VP of distribution.

AMC Studios has steadily built up a catalog that now boasts an array of scripted and unscripted fare that airs Stateside on AMC, BBC America, IFC and SundanceTV. The scripted slate includes AMC’s The Terror, which counts Ridley Scott among its executive producers; IFC’s hit comedy Brockmire, which stars Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) and is based on a Funny Or Die short; as well as IFC’s Stan Against Evil, starring John C. McGinley and created by Dana Gould (The Simpsons).

In the unscripted arena from AMC, there is Ride with Norman Reedus, a travel docuseries featuring the Walking Dead star; Heroes and Villains: The History of Comic Books, executive produced by The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman and David Alpert that explores the stories, people and events that have transformed the world of comic books; James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction—from the acclaimed filmmaker behind legendary sci-fi movies such as The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss and Avatar—which explores the evolution of sci-fi from its origins as a small genre with a cult following to the blockbuster pop-cultural phenomenon we know today; and SundanceTV’s Murder in the Heartland (working title), a true-crime documentary event series produced and directed by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, focused on the events surrounding the murder of the Clutter Family in Kansas chronicled in Truman Capote’s landmark book In Cold Blood.

Cabrera has been leading the charge to see that these shows, among others, find the most appropriate international homes. “AMC Studios and AMC Networks International are sister divisions with great synergy,” she says. “We’re always looking for the best opportunities, both in terms of revenue and in placement for our content, and evaluate each series on a case-by-case basis.”

Cabrera notes that the team has already “successfully struck multiple deals with top channels and platforms from around the world, including AMC Global, FOX Networks Group and some of the SVOD platforms, whether that’s Hulu, Netflix, Amazon or individual territories’ SVOD players.” She says that premium pay cable channels are a natural fit, but adds that some of the non-scripted programming, including the upcoming Murder in the Heartland, would work well on free TV.

“AMC Networks decided a couple of years ago that they want to own and control their own content,” says Cabrera. “With AMC Studios International Distribution, we’re making sure that we identify the best platform for our programming, whether it’s on our own channels or other platforms. We’re open for business.”