Entertainment

Carina Walker appointed head of young adult programming at Amazon MGM Studios

The promotion completes the studio's genre-based executive team under TV chief Peter Friedlander.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 20:25 UTC2 reports

The short version

Amazon MGM Studios has promoted Carina Walker to lead its young adult (YA) programming division.
Walker's appointment completes the creative leadership team under Peter Friedlander, head of global TV, following a genre-focused reorganization.
She will oversee a growing roster of YA projects, including upcoming adaptations of popular social media-driven intellectual property.

Carina Walker was named the new head of YA programming at Amazon MGM Studios by global TV head Peter Friedlander.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
Walker has worked at Amazon for a cumulative 9.5 years across drama, international development, and young adult content, interspersed with a stint as a development executive at Apple TV.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
Her previous development credits at the studio include Off Campus, Every Year After, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
With Walker's promotion and the recent hiring of Andy Weil as head of comedy, Friedlander's genre-based executive leadership team is now fully assembled.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
The rest of the leadership team consists of Kara Smith for drama, Blair Fetter for worldbuilding, Jenn Levy for nonfiction, and Melissa Wolfe for animation.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]

Outlets differ on whom Walker is directly succeeding; The Hollywood Reporter states she takes over from Jen Chambers, who left during a July reorganization, while Variety reports she fills a vacancy left by Alex Weinberger, who departed in mid-June.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]