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Amazon is looking for television executives to develop original half-hour kids' and comedy series for both online and traditional distribution, according to two new job postings at Amazon.com.
The driving force behind these hires is Amazon Studios, which solicits screenplays, pitches and test movies from anyone on the web. This means that unlike Netflix, Amazon isn't looking to compete with television cable channels in bidding on projects from established industry names; it's doing something more homespun, closer to YouTube or (especially in its focus on animation) even Fox, but with a professional sheen.
Both jobs were advertised on Twitter on Friday by Amazon Studios Director Roy Price, retweeted by the Amazon Studios account, and subsequently reported by GigaOM's Ryan Lawler. The positions are with Amazon's People's Production Company, which is tasked with developing Amazon Studios properties. According to the job postings, TV projects will come initially and for the most part from Amazon Studios.
Amazon Studios awards cash prizes to budding screenwriters and filmmakers, and helps match them with agents and attract an audience, in exchange for the first right to purchase and develop and unlimited rights to display uploaded works through Amazon Instant Video. Just last week, an independent panel of judges from the film industry assembled by Amazon Studios awarded $1.1 million to creators of an original test movie and screenplay.
Until now, though, Amazon Studios has been focused on full-length feature films, with a production and distribution agreement with Warner Bros. This is its first venture into television. It's not clear whether Amazon Studios will begin soliciting scripts, pitches and test movies specifically for television production or work to develop television projects out of its current crop of properties. For instance, 12 Princesses, Amazon's best test movie of 2011, is an "animated musical adventure" listed under both "comedy" and "kids & family." (Amazon representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.)
Amazon's approach to original video differs from some of its web-native competitors. Netflix, YouTube and Hulu would all like to have exclusive, original content so that viewers will go to their websites, pay for subscription services and/or view advertising. Although Amazon Studios' movies and television shows are available for Amazon Instant Video, this isn't primarily an effort to shore up Amazon's digital distribution. It's really about crowdsourcing new ideas that can then be turned into professional-level productions for the web, and even broadcast or cable television.
For instance, Amazon probably won't be pitching user-created test movies to TV networks to air as-is. Instead, these producers will identify valuable ideas and stories which it will then revise and match with professional talent to turn into new series. (Amazon Studios' FAQ is quite frank on this point: "We hope to hire talent from Amazon Studios for any professional movies we make when we can but we want to be upfront that we can't guarantee this. Our priority will be to release the biggest and best movies possible with the cast and crew that promise the most commercial success.")
In short, Amazon Studios, whether for TV or movies, lies somewhere in between Kindle Direct Publishing, which lets anyone publish and sell e-books, and Amazon Publishing, which acquires, produces and markets both e-books and print books from top authors. Like KDP, it's looking for undiscovered talent and offering an opportunity to make aspiring filmmakers' works available to a wide audience. Like Amazon Publishing, it's hoping to compete with existing players in its industry. In all cases, it's trying to acquire more intellectual properties and more clout.
Last fall, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pointed to Amazon Studios as the future of the company's content strategy in new media. "It’s a completely new way of making movies," Bezos told Wired magazine's Steven Levy. "Some would say our approach is unworkable – we disagree." Amazon and TV networks will soon find out.
