Amazon Studios Top Job Search Continues As Nancy Dubuc Pulls Out Of Contention
The search for replacement of ousted Amazon Studios head Roy Price has taken another turn. We hear that leading candidate, A+E Networks president and CEO Nancy Dubuc, has taken herself out of consideration.
Along with NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke, Dubuc had gone far down the road in discussions with the Jeff Bezos-founded company, and the New York-based executive recently had been rumored to be on the verge of getting the job. Amazon’s drawn-out and exhaustive hiring process has been considered a potential deterrent to Hollywood candidates and is believed to have been a factor for at least some of the executives interested in the job. Some observers also have noted the level of compensation and Amazon’s lack of executive perks that Hollywood executives are accustomed to.
Sources close to Dubuc tell Deadline that ultimately, she was incredibly happy with her job at A+E Networks and her life in New York, choosing them over a cross-country move.
Dubuc’s contract at A+E is coming up. It is unclear whether she would reup but that certainly appears more likely in light of her decision to stay put.
With Dubuc out of contention, we hear the search for a new Amazon Studios head doesn’t quite go back to square one but it definitely further stalls an already slow process. Salke is still considered in the mix despite rumblings that the NBC exec might be exiting too. Broadening their search, Amazon are said to be talking to other candidates about the gig also, we hear.
As the search has gone on since Price’s departure, the ideal candidate that Amazon has in mind has evolved into someone who can bridge the creative and the business aspect of the studio. Currently, COO Albert Cheng has been running things in an interim capacity.
From the get-go, Amazon focused primarily on female candidates following the ouster of Price over a sexual harassment allegation. Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden, considered an early frontrunner, ruled herself out of consideration in early January as she is reportedly eyeing a top TV job at the combined Disney-ABC along with various other opportunities, including a possible new venture in tandem with uber producer Ryan Murphy.
Amazon’s hiring process has been lengthy and thorough as, following the swift ouster of Price and his top lieutenants Joe Lewis and Conrad Riggs, the company was determined to get it right and find someone who would fit into the Amazon culture and provide new leadership at the same time.
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