New Amazon MGM Studios global TV head Peter Friedlander is continuing to round out his executive team, naming Carina Walker to head of YA.
“Carina has a collective 9.5 years at Amazon where she’s worked across drama, international and most recently developed a deep understanding of the YA space,” Friedlander said in a memo to staff. The exec credited her for Prime Video’s recent string of YA success stories, including “Off Campus” and “Every Year After.”
“With an upcoming slate of huge BookTok IP and voice-driven talent, Carina is the perfect choice to lead this industry-leading vertical,” he added.
Walker replaces Alex Weinberger, who previously joined Amazon MGM Studios as head of YA and comedy ongoing series in 2024. At the time, the YA gig was a newly created position. Since then, Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video have made YA a priority vertical.
Walker returned to Amazon in 2021 as the senior development executive, drama, overseeing series like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Young Sherlock” in addition to YA fare like “Off Campus” and “Every Year After.”
