Veteran executive Charlie Coleman is joining Amazon MGM Studios as head of international marketing as the studio makes a major foray into theatrical.
The hire was announced Wednesday in an internal note from Sue Kroll, Amazon MGM Studio’s head of global marketing, film and series, to whom Coleman will report. He arrives from Warner Bros., Kroll’s alma mater.
Coleman will play a key role in helping Amazon MGM market its upcoming films as it builds out a foreign distribution pipeline that will allow it to release its films on a global basis, versus having to rely on a third-party studio to handle its films overseas (it already distributes its own films domestically). Once that happens, Amazon MGM will become a full-fledged major Hollywood studio alongside Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warners.
Until the foreign apparatus is in place, Amazon MGM has enlisted Sony to help in releasing its titles at the international box office, although it is expected to take the lead in terms of marketing. Under the pact, Sony will handle overseas duties for Luca Guadagnino‘s psychological thriller After the Hunt, which stars Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield; Timur Bekmambetov‘s sci-fi thriller Mercy, starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson; and heist pic Crime 101, starring Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry.
“As we continue building out our international distribution infrastructure to support our rapidly growing slate of films, I’m thrilled to share that Charlie Coleman will be joining us as head of international theatrical marketing,” Kroll said in her note. “He will officially start on Aug. 18 following his departure from Warner Bros., and will report directly to me, working closely with Stephen Bruno and the distribution and PR teams.”
Coleman will be based in London.
During his tenure at Warner Bros., Coleman led the international marketing campaigns for such box office hits as the Dune movies, Barbie, Elvis, The Batman and A Minecraft Movie.
Kroll extolled Coleman for his strategic approach, creativity, and collaborative style. Prior to Warners, he worked in various roles at Disney, both in London and in Los Angles.
“This hire marks an important next step as we continue to scale our global marketing capabilities,” Kroll continued. “Charlie’s leadership, combined with the outstanding work already happening across this team, positions us to continue raising the bar as we bring our films to audiences worldwide.”