There’s a new President in town!
Veteran producer Alana Mayo has just been named the new President of MGM’s Orion Pictures, Deadline reports.
Mayo is a veteran industry executive and producer. They previously served as Head of Production and Development for Michael B. Jordan’s studio Outlier Society. She oversaw a bevy of films via Warner Bros and several TV series via Amazon Studios, including Just Mercy, Emmy-nominated Fahrenheit 451, Netflix’s Raising Dion and Fashionably Black. Before that, Mayo served as Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures working on films such as Fences, which won an Oscar, and Selma, an Oscar best picture nominee.
In Mayo’s new position as President of Orion Pictures, she will be focusing on day-to-day operations, including development, acquisitions, physical and post-production, and overseeing the marketing and publicity team studio’s distribution partners. Orion Pictures will concentrate solely on authentic storytelling that highlights underrepresented voices in front of and behind the camera.
MGM’s Film Group Chairman Michael De Luca and MGM’s Film Group President Pam Abdy announced Mayo’s appointment this week. “We believe deeply in creating content that reflects our global communities, and we are thrilled that Alana will be heading up the newly relaunched Orion Pictures label to elevate and empower the many voices whose stories deserve to be told. As a company dedicated to entertaining audiences across the world, MGM is committed to increasing access for all people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and other historically marginalized groups as a moral and business imperative,” De Luca and Abdy said.
“It was essential that we find an exceptional executive who will be a leader at the forefront of change in our industry. Alana’s incredible vision, experience, and passion, along with her fearlessness, makes her the ideal choice for Orion. As we continue to build upon MGM’s strong legacy and foundation as a leading entertainment company, we look forward to the legacy that Alana will create,” Kevin Ulrich, MGM’s Chairman of the Board, said. “She brings vital new voices in storytelling to life. Under the strong, visionary stewardship of Film Chairman Michael De Luca and President Pam Abdy, and with the addition of Alana to lead Orion, MGM’s film group is poised to make a lasting impact as we head into the studio’s next century.”
Mayo hopes she can usher Orion into a new era of storytelling that positively impacts the entertainment and filmmaking. “We are at an exciting and critical tipping point in our industry. For years many filmmakers and creators who have been considered and treated as outsiders have nonetheless persisted in creating visionary films that drew audiences across the globe and defined culture. Many of these films and filmmakers inspired me to pursue storytelling as a career and to work towards creating a more equitable environment for all creators. I am thrilled to work in partnership with Kevin, Mike and Pam to continue Orion’s legacy and create a home that embraces and furthers the seismic shift happening in entertainment and culture, and to back filmmakers and content that authentically reflect the world in which we live,” – Mayo said.
Congratulations Alana!
Photo Courtesy of MGM