Alana Mayo Promoted to Head of Film, Production & Development Alongside Julie Rapaport at Amazon MGM Studios
Alana Mayo has been promoted to join Julie Rapaport as head of film, production & development at Amazon MGM Studios.
Rapaport and Mayo will report to Courtenay Valenti, the studio’s head of film, streaming and theatrical, who announced the executive moves on Tuesday.
“Our output now spans more than 30 films a year across theatrical and streaming — growth that reflects the trust our studio has built with the creative community and the extraordinary work of our team,” Valenti said in a memo to staff. “To match that scale and drive even greater creative output, I am pleased to announce that Julie Rapaport and Alana Mayo will each serve as Head of Film, Production & Development, reporting to me.”
Rapaport and Mayo will each oversee approximately half the film slate — roughly 15 titles per year spanning all genres across theatrical and streaming.
Rapaport joined Amazon MGM Studios in 2015 and was named head of movies in 2022. “Over the past decade, she has shaped a slate that includes ‘Road House,’ ‘Saltburn,’ ‘Project Hail Mary,’ and ‘Verity’ — cultivating a pipeline that consistently attracts top talent and bold material,” Valenti wrote. “Her creative instincts are exceptional, and the trust she has earned across the creative community is a testament to her leadership.”
Mayo will continue leading Orion Pictures, which she has overseen since 2020. Valenti praised Mayo for cultivating a “legacy of bold, distinctive filmmaking” at the label, with acclaimed films like the Oscar-winning “Women Talking” and “American Fiction,” Oscar-nominated “Nickel Boys,” “Bottoms,” Nia DaCosta’s provocative, modern reimagining of Ibsen’s classic play, “Hedda,” and this year’s “Is God Is” and “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.”
“Alana has a gift for identifying and elevating bold, distinctive voices, and the relationships she has built with the talent she champions reflect the kind of creative partnership this studio stands for,” Valenti said.
While Rapaport and Mayo will oversee separate titles, Valenti clarified that “we are not creating separate pods or siloed teams as our senior production & development team members will all work with both Julie and Alana across the entire slate, regardless of specific reporting lines.”
As such, both Rapaport and Mayo will “partner closely with marketing, content strategy, finance, public relations, theatrical distribution and Prime Video programming to align creative, business, and financial decisions across the film team.” Physical production, business affairs, casting, consumer insights, studio operations, music and worldwide theatrical distribution will report to Valenti, alongside Rapaport and Mayo.
The mission, Valenti noted, is to “remain one unified creative team, committed to the storytelling and creative partnerships that define this studio.”
Rapaport and Mayo will report to Courtenay Valenti, the studio’s head of film, streaming and theatrical, who announced the executive moves on Tuesday.
“Our output now spans more than 30 films a year across theatrical and streaming — growth that reflects the trust our studio has built with the creative community and the extraordinary work of our team,” Valenti said in a memo to staff. “To match that scale and drive even greater creative output, I am pleased to announce that Julie Rapaport and Alana Mayo will each serve as Head of Film, Production & Development, reporting to me.”
Rapaport and Mayo will each oversee approximately half the film slate — roughly 15 titles per year spanning all genres across theatrical and streaming.
Rapaport joined Amazon MGM Studios in 2015 and was named head of movies in 2022. “Over the past decade, she has shaped a slate that includes ‘Road House,’ ‘Saltburn,’ ‘Project Hail Mary,’ and ‘Verity’ — cultivating a pipeline that consistently attracts top talent and bold material,” Valenti wrote. “Her creative instincts are exceptional, and the trust she has earned across the creative community is a testament to her leadership.”
Mayo will continue leading Orion Pictures, which she has overseen since 2020. Valenti praised Mayo for cultivating a “legacy of bold, distinctive filmmaking” at the label, with acclaimed films like the Oscar-winning “Women Talking” and “American Fiction,” Oscar-nominated “Nickel Boys,” “Bottoms,” Nia DaCosta’s provocative, modern reimagining of Ibsen’s classic play, “Hedda,” and this year’s “Is God Is” and “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.”
“Alana has a gift for identifying and elevating bold, distinctive voices, and the relationships she has built with the talent she champions reflect the kind of creative partnership this studio stands for,” Valenti said.
While Rapaport and Mayo will oversee separate titles, Valenti clarified that “we are not creating separate pods or siloed teams as our senior production & development team members will all work with both Julie and Alana across the entire slate, regardless of specific reporting lines.”
As such, both Rapaport and Mayo will “partner closely with marketing, content strategy, finance, public relations, theatrical distribution and Prime Video programming to align creative, business, and financial decisions across the film team.” Physical production, business affairs, casting, consumer insights, studio operations, music and worldwide theatrical distribution will report to Valenti, alongside Rapaport and Mayo.
The mission, Valenti noted, is to “remain one unified creative team, committed to the storytelling and creative partnerships that define this studio.”