EXCLUSIVE: Amazon MGM Studios is hatching big plans to match its international originals with major brands after handing new roles to Ludovic Attal and Ned Mitchell.
Prime Video‘s Head of International Originals James Farrell outlined the move in a note to staff seen by Deadline, with Attal taking on the role of Brand Partnerships, EU Originals, based in London and Mitchell the same position for Latin American, Canadian and Australian Originals, based in LA.
Farrell wrote: “The addition of ads in Prime Video has widened the aperture of how we can work with premium brands around the world in terms of sponsorships and integrations, and it is critical that the Studio be able to collaborate with our colleagues at both Amazon Ads and Prime Video Advertising in this endeavor.”
In effect, Prime Video is planning to create brand partnerships for its biggest European shows, which include various versions of reality competition LOL: Last One Laughing, British drama The Rig and spy series Citadel: Diana.
As such, Attal will work closely with Amazon MGM Studios’s Head of Southern Europe Originals Nicole Morganti and Head of UK Originals Tara Erer and their teams across Europe to integrate brands into European-originated originals. He will report into Erer with a dotted line into Morganti, effective immediately.
Attal previously worked in Amazon MGM Studios’ pan-English team, having originally joined when Amazon acquired MGM. The head of that division, Rola Bauer, recently exited after two years in post.
Based out of the States, Mitchell will report into Javiera Balmaceda, Head of International Originals for Latin America. Farrell said he had been “a key member of the international originals team for many years through many stages” of its development.
Mitchell most recently led creative teams in Africa and the Middle East, though these regions have seen their investment redistributed into emerging parts of Europe, where Amazon sees bigger growth potential. Though his role as Head of Originals for Africa and the Middle East closed year as part of the restructure, he remained at Amazon, as we revealed at the time.
Read our interview with Ritchie Ordonez for more on the Prime Video EU Expansion division.
The news comes after Amazon followed Netflix’s lead by moving into the ad-tier space. Earlier this year, a splashy upfronts featuring the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell marked the move and Lauren Anderson subsequently had her role expanded to Head, Brand and Content Innovation. She was recently in the UK addressing the Content London confab.