Amazon MGM Studios Exec Carina Walker Named Head of YA
Amazon MGM Studios has promoted Carina Walker to head of young adult programming, completing global TV head Peter Friedlander’s senior creative leadership team. The appointment underlines Amazon’s push to make YA a priority, particularly as it develops adaptations of popular BookTok properties and projects led by distinctive creative talent.
Walker replaces Alex Weinberger, who left the role in mid-June after serving as head of YA and comedy ongoing series from 2024. She has spent a combined 9.5 years at Amazon, most recently overseeing drama and YA series including “Off Campus”, “Every Year After”, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Young Sherlock”; her earlier work also included international content development and roles at Apple TV.
- Carina Walker becomes Amazon MGM Studios’ head of YA.
- Amazon is increasing its focus on young adult programming.
- Friedlander says his creative leadership team is now complete.
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Amazon MGM Studios is the television arm of Amazon’s film and television business. Young adult, or YA, programming is made mainly for teenage and young adult audiences, and can include dramas and adaptations of books popular with younger readers.
The studio develops and commissions series, while its senior creative leaders oversee areas such as drama, comedy and YA. Carina Walker has worked at Amazon for a combined nine and a half years, including on drama and YA series; the role she has taken over was previously held by Alex Weinberger.
YA matters to Amazon’s effort to attract viewers with stories for younger audiences, including adaptations of books that have gained attention on social media. Its choices about which projects to develop shape what appears on its streaming service and which creators and stories reach a wider audience.