Sue Kroll has been tapped by Amazon to head the studio’s marketing.
Kroll was the longtime Warner Bros marketing maven, eventually heading worldwide marketing and distribution for the studio. She was behind the campaigns for franchises like Harry Potter and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, as well as awards contenders like Argo and The Blind Side.
Kroll stepped down from the post in 2018 in a shake-up at Warners, at which point she was one of the longest-tenured female executives working at any studio.
It has long been speculated that Kroll would take the top marketing post at Amazon. She had been working with the studio on The Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power. She previously worked on the release for the New Line Lord of the Rings films during her tenure at Warner Bros.
“[Kroll] is widely respected, with deep industry knowledge, extensive experience, and strong relationships with talent and throughout the creative community,” said Amazon Studios head Jen Salke in an email to staff announcing Kroll’s post.
Kroll replaced former marketing head Ukonwa Ojo, who left in June.
Read Salke’s email to staff below.
Hi team,
I’m thrilled to share the news that Sue Kroll is joining the team as Head of Marketing, Amazon Studios, effective immediately and reporting to me. Sue will oversee global marketing strategy and campaigns for series and films, both direct-to-service and theatrical.
Sue has done an outstanding job leading the marketing efforts for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, our biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video. She is widely respected, with deep industry knowledge, extensive experience, and strong relationships with talent and throughout the creative community. She is a seasoned professional, having marketed projects ranging from blockbuster global releases to award-winning niche film and television projects for over 30 years.
In 2018, Sue launched her own production house, Kroll & Co. Entertainment. Under this banner, Sue has a number of projects in production and development, both in film and television, which will now come to Amazon Studios as first-look deals.
Before founding Kroll & Co., Sue’s broad experience includes serving as President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, where she launched some of the most popular and acclaimed films in cinema history, including Argo, Dunkirk, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inception & all of the Harry Potter films, to name a few. Sue began her career in New York, spending seven years in various divisions of Viacom before moving to Atlanta to head up the marketing department at Turner Network Television. Her tenure with Turner included a role with TNT and Cartoon Network Europe, in which she launched the company’s first entertainment venture outside the United States.
Please join me in congratulating Sue and officially welcoming her to our talented marketing team, as we continue to grow, discover innovative ways to market our global content, and strengthen our connections with customers around the world.
Jen