AMC Networks announced that its President, Sarah Barnett, will step down from her position at the company. She will exit the company after Labor Day in September. “Sarah is one of the most versatile executives I have had the pleasure of working with,” AMC Networks’ Chief Operating Officer, Ed Carroll said. “Expert at programming, branding, and team building, all with an eye toward the business of a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. “She is also a true progressive leader. We will miss her at AMC Networks.”
The media-leading expert will be replaced on an interim basis by Carroll, who will take on a remit that covered production arm AMC Studios as well as networks AMC, BBC America, and Sundance TV. In the meantime, Dan McDermott, president of original programming and co-president of AMC Studios, will take on oversight of content for the entertainment group.
Barnett joined the company in 2008 when it acquired Sundance TV, then known as Sundance Channel. She had oversight of its suite of cablenets and digital platforms including AMC, BBC America, IFC, and AMC Studios. She was promoted from Senior VP of Marketing to President and General Manager, heading the network overall, and later took on a similar role at BBC America, while still leading AMC. A year ago, she gained further responsibility for AMC Studios, following a restructure that saw the departure of David Madden, who had joined in 2017. “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,’” Carroll said.
It’s unclear where she will take her experience from here on forward. "This is a year that has confronted us with radical change on multiple fronts. 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,” Barnett said.
Sarah is one of the most versatile executives I have had the pleasure of working with,” AMC Networks’ Chief Operating Officer, Ed Carroll said. “Expert at programming, branding, and team building, all with an eye toward the business of a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. “She is also a true progressive leader. We will miss her at AMC Networks.” Ed Carroll AMC Networks’ Chief Operating Officer,
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