Epix Boss Michael Wright To Replace Steve Stark As President, MGM Scripted TV, Will Still Run Cable Net

Peter White
·2 min read

Michael Wright, who is President of cable network Epix, is to take over MGM’s scripted television duties following the departure of Steve Stark.

This comes after it emerged that Stark was leaving as head of scripted television for MGM and President of MGM/UA Television.

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Wright, who is extending his contract with the company, becomes President of MGM Scripted Television and will serve a dual role, continuing in his position as boss of Epix. He will oversee MGM Scripted Television’s development and production of scripted programming and report to MGM’s Worldwide Television Group Chairman Mark Burnett.

Wright joined Epix, where he oversees original programming, distribution and marketing, in 2017.

During his tenure running Epix, he has been responsible for scripted series such as The Godfather of Harlem, starring and produced by Forest Whitaker, Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred from DC and WBTV, Steve Conrad’s Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes.

This is in addition to non-fiction titles such as Punk from Iggy Pop and John Varvatos, NFL: The Grind hosted by Rich Eisen and a docuseries based on the Slow Burn podcast.

Prior to joining Epic, Michael was the CEO of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, which he helped launch in 2015, and oversaw the release of such films as Ready Player One and The Post.

Before Amblin, Michael was President, Head of Programming for TBS, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies, where he was responsible for series such as The Closer, Men of a Certain Age and Angie Tribeca.

MGM Scripted Television slate includes Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, FX’s Fargo (FX), Amazon’s Vikings, Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla, CBS‘ Clarice and upcoming Netflix series Wednesday Addams.

Burnett said, “Michael is an extremely talented and experienced television executive who I am grateful to have known and worked with for over two decades. He is the ideal decisive leader to steer MGM Scripted TV into achieving our full potential both creatively and financially. A long-time champion of premiere talent, his expertise is perfectly aligned with our goals of taking MGM Television to the next level.”

Wright added, “The last few years have been very exciting for Epix, growing our awareness and subscribers, premiering critically-acclaimed programming from remarkable talent, becoming ubiquitously available with Epix Now. Through it all, the team at MGM have been incredibly supportive partners. In this new role, I’m excited to continue that journey. while also working with Mark Burnett and his talented team to grow the footprint of MGM Television and its legacy brand.”

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