Both will report to Courtenay Valenti, Head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical at Amazon MGM. Valenti revealed the restructuring Tuesday and sent a note to staff.
“Julie and Alana will each oversee approximately half of our film slate — spanning all genres across theatrical and streaming — with each managing roughly 15 films per year,” she wrote. “It’s important to note 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.”
Read her full memo below.
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Valenti said Mayo will continue continue to lead Orion Pictures, which she has overseen since 2020. Rapaport has been with Amazon since 2015 and most recently was had the title of Head of Film, Production & Development.
Here is the memo.
Hi team,
I am excited to share an important evolution of our Amazon MGM Film Studio. 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. 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.
Julie and Alana will each oversee approximately half of our film slate — spanning all genres across theatrical and streaming — with each managing roughly 15 films per year. It’s important to note 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.
Julie and Alana will also 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 continue reporting to me, alongside Julie and Alana. We remain one unified creative team, committed to the storytelling and creative partnerships that define this studio.
Julie has been instrumental in building our creative development team since she joined Amazon in 2015. 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. Her creative instincts are exceptional, and the trust she has earned across the creative community is a testament to her leadership.
Alongside her expanded role, Alana will continue to lead Orion Pictures, which she has overseen since 2020. Under her leadership, Orion has built beautifully on its legacy of bold, distinctive filmmaking — Oscar-winning Women Talking and American Fiction, Oscar-nominated Nickel Boys, breakout hit Bottoms, Nia DaCosta’s provocative, modern reimagining of Henrik 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.
I am so proud of what this team has built together, and I could not be more energized by what is ahead. Please join me in congratulating Julie and Alana.
Best, Courtenay
