Genre programming head Tom Lieber elevated to head of scripted series

Amazon MGM Studios has rejigged its UK originals team, with Tom Lieber elevated to a newly-created scripted role.

Lieber has been appointed head of scripted series, having previously overseen genre programming under Laura Lancaster, head of co-pro television and ongoing series.

His role will absorb the responsibilities of Rola Bauer who stepped down last week as head of pan-English global originals.

Lieber will be based in London and continue to report to Lancaster. Head of originals for the UK and Northern Europe Tara Erer and her team, which includes head of UK scripted originals Jonny Lewsley, will continue working on the existing slate of shows currently in post-production and development such as Malice, The Rig S2 and The Devil’s Hour S3. All future scripted development will go through Lieber and his team.

Lieber will maintain oversight of ongoing genre series such as The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, The Wheel of Time, and The Boys.

Erer will also continue overseeing UK unscripted content, UK-based films, and all other International Originals for Northern Europe (including Germany, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Poland), reporting to head of international originals James Farrell.

The move was announced to Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios employees in an internal note from Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios.

“In this new role, Tom will provide single-threaded leadership of all new development and ongoing series produced in the UK,” Sanders said.

“The work and executives that were formerly assigned to our pan-English team will fold into Tom’s new group. With the recent acquisition of Bray Film Studios and our growing slate of UK-based television productions, we will benefit from Tom’s success in managing some of our most impactful global tent-pole series.”

Sanders added bringing this remit under Lancaster under the global television banner provided Amazon MGM Studios with closer ties to the “world-class storytellers and creative talent in the UK”, ensuring “titles produced in this region find a worldwide audience.”

Sanders praised the “quality and quantity of international titles” produced by the UK team under Erer, including forthcoming returners Clarkson’s Farm S4 and Maxton Hall S2, and new feature releases Deep Cover, My Fault London, and Picture This.

This article first appeared on our sister site, Broadcast.