Amplify Pictures Hires for Scripted Series

Amplify Pictures has bolstered its executive ranks with the hire of Luke Esselen as scripted series executive.

Esselen will be responsible for overseeing Amplify Pictures’ current slate of scripted projects as well as expanding the scripted slate with globally commercial projects, with an emphasis on ongoing series and franchise creation.

At Amplify Pictures, Esselen will be based in Los Angeles and report to Rachel Eggebeen, Amplify Pictures’ chief content officer, who is based in Amsterdam and oversees the content slate.

Before joining Amplify Pictures, Esselen served as VP of television at Picturestart. Prior to Picturestart, he was an early hire and senior content lead at Quibi. He began his career at CAA and Mosaic.

Esselen commented: “I’m thrilled to join the incredible team at Amplify Pictures and to be a part of their bold movement to redefine television. In this ever-changing landscape, their commitment to investing in innovative storytelling and empowering creators is exactly where I believe this industry should be headed. I look forward to collaborating with the exceptional team that’s already in place.”

Eggebeen said: “Amplify Pictures is about originating new financing models for television, being nimble, and creating a fun home for the top talent in the world. Having Luke join us at this key moment in our growth is immensely exciting as Luke is the full package—an entrepreneurial mindset, great taste in talent and material, and a leader. He will be an essential element in Amplify’s next phase of growth as we build on our success in indie TV.”

Amplify Pictures’ roster includes the Emmy-winning docuseries 100 Foot Wave, broadcast on HBO; Bollywood Dance U, a docuseries that follows the high-stakes world of competitive collegiate Bollywood Fusion dance, directed by Smriti Mundhra (Indian Matchmaking); and Game Changers, which explores the backstories behind the video games that changed our world, which debuted earlier this month on Max.