Amazon MGM Studios Gets New Global Formats Boss (Exclusive)
Anaïs Baker is replacing CJ Yu as head of global formats for international
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Here’s a bit of jobs news: Amazon MGM Studios has a new global formats boss, Series Business has learned exclusively.
Former BBC Worldwide and NBCUniversal executive Anaïs Baker has replaced CJ Yu as head of global formats for international, overseeing the team responsible for the overseas rollouts of Prime Video comedy format LOL: Last One Laughing and sports documentary franchise All or Nothing.
Yu left the studio after four years in late November, with reports indicating that he departed due to “creative differences” with bosses. The global formats job involves developing, commissioning and localizing reality and docuseries formats, which have become hugely popular for Prime Video overseas.
The streamer credits LOL: Last One Laughing as its “most watched title of all time” in France, Italy and Germany — all of which are key European markets for the streamers. Rebel Wilson and Graham Norton host the Australian and Irish versions of the show, respectively, while Trevor Noah presents the South African edition. Elsewhere, All or Nothing has left no stone unturned in the world of sport, with series documenting the NFL, NHL and soccer’s Premier League.
Baker, who is based in Los Angeles, first joined Amazon Studios in 2021 as a senior unscripted creative executive for the international formats team. She officially took the reins of the global formats outfit in December, following Yu’s abrupt departure, and reports into James Farrell, head of international originals.
Prior to Amazon Studios, Baker was based in London and served as a commissioning editor for the BBC Brit and BBC Lifestyle channels, and as an executive producer for factual entertainment, entertainment and formats at BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the U.K.’s public broadcaster. Before that, she was director of international format production and development at NBCUniversal, where one of her key titles was Hollywood Game Night.
Amazon in January announced plans to cut “several hundred” jobs at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, and around 500 at livestream service Twitch. While those roles were based in the Americas, further cuts to international teams are underway, with layoffs set to hit Prime Video teams in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region.
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