EXCLUSIVE: Amy Powell, a veteran TV and marketing exec known for her stints at Paramount and most recently Amazon, has joined Vice Media to lead its studio operation.
As President of Vice Studios, Powell will oversee the studio’s creative and commercial strategy, steering global development, production, and partnerships. Vice Studios develops, finances and produces both scripted and unscripted fare. Notable recent titles include series Gangs of London and Atomic as well as the documentary feature Bama Rush on Max, which will soon become an unscripted series on Lifetime.
Prior to the Vice role, which officially starts June 2, Powell has been head of entertainment marketing for Amazon and before that Co-Founder and CEO of Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
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As Powell comes aboard, Vice said studio co-head Danny Gabai has decided to depart and get closer to the creative end of things via a producing deal with Vice Studios.
A seasoned digital marketer, Powell first made industry waves at Paramount Pictures after landing at the studio in 2004. She worked on a list of successful campaigns including for microbudget horror breakout Paranormal Activity as well as big-budget tentpoles like Iron Man and the Mission: Impossible franchise. In 2013, as the company ramped up TV production, she became president of Paramount Television as it made hit series like Jack Ryan and 13 Reasons Why. Her tenure at Paramount came to an abrupt end in 2018 over an insensitive comment allegation, which she denied; the matter was settled by the parties with a payout by Paramount and no official finding of wrongdoing by Powell.
The studio hire is the latest milestone for Vice in its emergence from bankruptcy in 2023. Last December, it rebranded its cable channel, a joint venture with A+E Global Media, to orient it around sports and also created a sports production arm. It followed that move by adding former Barstool Sports CEO Erica Ayers Badan to its board of directors, in large part to help oversee the sports push. The company also struck a distribution deal with ITV Studios and acquired Cuba Pictures from Curtis Brown/UTA as well as London Alley Entertainment. Along with Pulse Films, the production assets make Vice a top-tier producer of commercials and music videos.
Mike Lang, Executive Chairman of Vice Media, told Deadline that Powell is “the missing piece” in the company’s production efforts. “We’ve been doing well at it but we need to go to the next stage.” Powell, he said, “will take what we’ve established and really drive it to the place where we think it needs to be.”
Powell said she has long appreciated Vice programming, which she said followed the trailblazing path of early MTV. “Vice has always punched above its weight,” she said in an interview. “This is a moment when viewers have a desire for honesty and authentic global storytelling.”
As to the sports dimension of her new post, she said she is an avid viewer of live sports. “I have learned so much working at Amazon,” she added, whose acquisition of NFL and NBA rights coincided with her tenure. Along with the live games is “the importance of adjacent content” with “dramatic stakes,” she added, which is an area where Vice can provide its “unique perspective.”
“I look forward to partnering with Amy as she accelerates the studio’s scripted and unscripted pipeline, especially in the U.S.,” Vice Media CEO Bruce Dixon said in a statement. “As a key member of the senior leadership team, Amy will also help drive companywide branded entertainment, advertising, and digital initiatives across the Vice portfolio.” He added his thanks to Gabai “for his many significant contributions to the company.”