Dan Grabiner to launch new production company after leaving Amazon UK

On September 8, it was announced that Dan Grabiner would be exiting the role of Head of Amazon Studios UK and Northern Europe.

He will be starting his own production company Orchard Studios with British factual veteran Nicola Hill.

Replacing Grabiner is Tara Erer, who worked in Amazon’s local originals team for 4 years. She spent one year in London, leading the centralised original movies team. There, she collaborated with teams internationally on titles like the Spanish language Amazon Prime Video movie Argentina 1985 which won an Oscar.

Hill will oversee operations, production management and business affairs. She is known for spending 10 years with 24 Hours in Police Custody producer The Garden, which is part of ITV Studios.

In 2022, Grabiner launched the Prime Video Pathway, a £10M ($12.5M) initiative which "committed to increase access to careers in film and television as part of a new academy programme... to build to having places for 75 people per year who will be offered the chance to apply for a variety of craft and technical roles on Prime Video commissioned productions in the UK. Prime Video has also committed to fund and co-programme two courses designed to support the entry of new and diverse voices into TV and film production, as it becomes a key partner of the School."

Amazon Head of International Originals James Farrell said Grabiner and Erer were "already collaborating on a smooth handover."