Amazon MGM Studios is reorganizing its Worldbuilding Series team, whatever that may be. (Well, it’s broadly a television genre, like… Lord of the Rings.) As part of the restructuring, Matthew King and Adrian O’Ryan will depart.
It’s a reorganization, basically. In January, global TV chief Peter Friedlander shook things up by forming genre-based teams for both his in-development and existing shows. These will be: 1) drama and comedy, 2) world-building (i.e. fantasy, sci-fi, etc.), 3) animation and 4) unscripted. At that time, Laura Lancaster and Nick Pepper departed (and moved on to production deals) and were replaced by Jane Levy (Unscripted) and Melissa Wolfe (Animation); Blair Vetter has joined Amazon MGM Studios to lead the Worldbuilding team. This is Vitter’s rebuild, an attempt “to operate with a more streamlined and streamlined structure,” he wrote in a memo to staff (obtained by Hollywood Reporter).
Vetter appointed Tom Lieber as chief creative officer. World creator Liz McIntosh is turning to drama. Amazon MGM Studios is still looking for an executive to lead the drama/comedy team. Cara Smith, Michael McDonald and Jane Chambers will oversee the comedy, drama and youth programs on an interim basis.
Read Fetter’s internal email here:
Hello team,
I want to take a moment to share some updates on our team structure, and to get to know the people who have been instrumental in building what we have today. As we look to the future, we are evolving the Worldbuilding Series organization to operate with a more streamlined and streamlined structure – designed to empower leaders who are nimble and versatile enough to move seamlessly between development and current production. It’s about positioning the team to move with greater autonomy as we continue to develop the ambitious global series that our fans love.
With that, I must share with you that Matthew King and Adrian O’Ryan are leaving the organization. I want to take a moment to thank them for their hard work in this organization. Matt and Adrian have been great partners and have brought so much to this team. Matt brings distinctive vision to the wholly-owned development team, most recently with the successful launch of 56 Days and the upcoming series Carrie and Criminal. Likewise, Adrienne also hosted 56 Days and championed the upcoming series Elle. I am so grateful for their contributions and the care they provide Prime Video every day. Please join me in wishing them nothing but the best for what comes next – I have no doubt they will go on to do great things.
Along with these changes, I’m happy to share some additional updates:
- Tom Lieber will expand his role as Head of Creative Affairs at Worldbuilding. Tom will continue to work closely on the titles he works on, and we are working to empower the rest of the team to take the lead on individual projects. In doing so, Tom will focus on how new technologies can meaningfully support current and future worldbuilding series.
- Liz McIntosh will move to the Kara Smith Organisation, where she will work closely with Alex Weinberger and Odetta Watkins to support the drama organisation.
- Scott Faris and Max Taylor will report directly to me.
- Mark Ambrose and Andy Green will continue to report to Tom.
This team has built something special, and these changes are rooted in a true belief that a smaller, more focused structure will allow us to do our best work — for our clients, our creative partners, and each other. I am proud of what you have all accomplished together and excited about where we are headed. Thank you for everything you do for this team.
Blair
Friedlander joined Amazon MGM Studios in early October 2025 after 14 years at Netflix, replacing Vernon Sanders. Sanders separated the studio’s television projects into wholly owned productions or co-productions.
