New York, NY (July 30, 2020) – AMC Networks Entertainment Group President Sarah Barnett announced today that she will step down from her position after Labor Day. Following her departure, the company’s Entertainment Networks (AMC/AMC+, BBC AMERICA, IFC and Sundance TV) and AMC Studios will report to AMC Networks COO Ed Carroll on an interim basis.
“This is a year that has confronted us with radical change on multiple fronts,” said Barnett. “After a lot of consideration – and with a slightly breaking heart – I have decided that it is the right time for me to follow my curiosity and leave things in the very capable hands of the outstanding team at AMC Networks. Shaping stories and connecting them to audiences alongside brilliant people inside and outside of this company has been a unique joy and privilege for the past 11 years. Ed Carroll and Josh Sapan gave me many rich opportunities to build great brands and take creative risks in the pursuit of exciting television, I am so thankful to them for that. I leave with gratitude and huge affection for all my AMC Networks colleagues who will continue to make and do great things.”
“Sarah came to AMC Networks more than a decade ago, when we acquired Sundance Channel,” said Carroll. “She immediately put her stamp on Sundance with fresh, impactful storytelling like Rectify and Top of the Lake which continued when she took the reins of BBC AMERICA, growing Orphan Black, the network’s natural history franchises and developing the critical and audience hit Killing Eve. At AMC, she expanded the growing franchise of The Walking Dead while greenlighting new shows including Kevin Can F**k Himself and 61st Street, and she built a strong team to meet the shifting nature of our business. Sarah is one of the most versatile executives I have had the pleasure of working with – expert at programming, branding and team building, all with an eye toward the business of a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. She is also a truly progressive leader. We will miss her at AMC Networks.”
Barnett joined the company following its acquisition of SundanceTV (then called Sundance Channel) in 2008 as Senior Vice President of marketing. She was promoted to President and General Manager in 2009 and launched the network’s scripted strategy, with the Golden Globe-winning Carlos followed by a slate of high-quality series that captured critical acclaim and industry awards. Following the company’s joint venture with BBC Studios in 2014, Barnett was named President and General Manager of BBC AMERICA, overseeing the channel’s transformation into a vital brand, with the award-winning series Killing Eve and ratings successes for Orphan Black, Doctor Who and landmark BBC natural history series, including Planet Earth II and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
In her current role, Barnett shepherded the upcoming series The Walking Dead: World Beyond and greenlit upcoming AMC Studios productions 61st Street from executive producer Michael B. Jordan, Kevin Can F**k Himself from executive producers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, and sci-fi drama Pantheon, the network’s first animated series.
About AMC Networks
Known for its groundbreaking and celebrated original content, AMC Networks is the company behind the award-winning brands AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, and IFC Films. Its diverse line-up of popular and critically-acclaimed series and independent films include Better Call Saul, Killing Eve and The Walking Dead, which has been the #1 show on cable television for nine consecutive years, as well as Portlandia, Brockmire, Love After Lockup, and the films Boyhood, Death of Stalin, and many more. Its original series Mad Men and Breaking Bad are widely recognized as being among the most influential and acclaimed shows in the history of TV. The Company also operates AMC Studios, its production business; AMC Networks International, its international programming business; the subscription streaming services Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV and UMC (Urban Movie Channel); and Levity Entertainment Group, the Company’s production services and comedy venues business. For more information, visit http://www.amcnetworks.com.