Frank Murray, Amazon Studios’ UK & Pan-English Scripted Head of Production, is leaving his post after two years to launch a new cross-Atlantic film & TV production venture.
The yet to be named company is backed by an eight-figure equity investment out of New York City, and operations for the global content start-up will be based out of London and New York.
Murray, who has been in charge of overseeing the global streamer’s UK production output including the recently recommissioned The Devil’s Hour starring Peter Capaldi and forthcoming thriller, Wilderness starring Jenna Coleman, will be returning to his independent production roots where he made a name for himself as a producer and in production management with credits including First Reformed, Gemini Man, 22 Jump Street, Sisters and The Wrestler.
News of Murray’s departure from Amazon Studios comes a week after Dan Grabiner, Head of Originals for the UK and Northern Europe, announced he was leaving to set up his own production company, Orchard Studios.
Murray said: “I can’t say enough good things about my amazing UK production team and about Laine Kline’s constant support throughout my tenure – so the decision to leave my post with Amazon Studios wasn’t made lightly. But with the shifting paradigm in global content production, my partners and I seized a rare opportunity to future-proof in a way that will not only allow me to continue creating value for the Studio as an independent on select projects but also enable us to produce great content for all platforms.”
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