In the season of racial equality and diversity in leadership, former development director Amber Rasberry accepted the position of a senior film executive at Amazon Studios. With a long history in the film production industry, Rasberry has a portfolio supporting the well-deserved position as a senior film executive.
In general terms, the responsibilities of senior executives in the film industry include budget planning, scheduling, and production for series and pilots. They work closely with show producers and production managers. Rasberry will be in charge of day-to-day production and development of original movies and series for Amazon Studios. The report states that she will work with the following studio leaders: Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman.
Before her new role at Amazon Studios, Rasberry held numerous leading titles for some of the top film powerhouses. She has served as the vice president of development for Paramount Players. Rasberry worked with Director Lee Daniels on the film, “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” looking to come out next year.
Rasberry was responsible for bringing on Kenyan director, Wanuri Kahiu to curate “On The Come Up,” based on the bestselling novel by noted Author Angie Thomas. Other films Rasberry had her hand in includes “Bounce,” starring Nickelodeon sensation Jojo Siwa, and “Daring to Live,” derived from the book by Sheri Hunter.
Before making her name known throughout Paramount, Rasberry widened her platform when she headed Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud project. She assisted with the development of Hart’s full-service production company that highlights the culture of comedy.
Rasberry held the title of director of development at Tyler Perry’s 34th St Films. It’s a sister production company under Tyler Perry Studios. She made her mark there after she secured the rights to the awarded drama, “Precious.” Rasberry has done a multitude of work to strengthen the representation of Black women in the film industry. As a production executive, Rasberry gave strength to the casting of the hit movie, “For Colored Girls,” delivering A-list talent like Kerry Washington and Janet Jackson to be in the film.
Amazon Studios is a central hub for creative archives. Original dramas and movies come from a fresh talent pool of directors. According to their biography, they stream in over 200 countries and territories. Amazon Studios provides entertainment for thousands of homes. Their categories range from trending pop culture to traditional drama, horror, and action film production lines.
Maintaining the speed of Amazon Prime, theatrical films are released early, exclusively for members to enjoy. They became the first streaming service awarded multiple Oscars for Best Screenplay (winner, Kenneth Lonergan) and Best Actor (winner, Casey Affleck) in the production of “Manchester by the Sea.”
Rasberry’s work ethic has been described as “pioneering innovation, with the entertainment history.” As seen on her personal LinkedIn account, her most prominent assets include trend forecasts, in-depth knowledge of the film industry, and licensing and negotiation. Looking at her background, Rasberry graduated from University of Southern California (USC) and started her career in the commercial and music video industry. She has worked with a plethora of notable directing talent, including Little X, Hype Williams, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Bayer.
Knowing the type of grit and tenacity it takes to remain present in the production industry, Rasberry began to freelance as a music video rep. According to reports from Hollywood Black Film Festival, Rasberry moved on to assist Hype Williams, and worked on videos for top artists such as Jay-Z, LL Cool J, No Doubt, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, and countless more. Rasberry stepped into the film industry and became the production and development assistant of Simmons-Lathan Media Group. She was also able to work on impactful films such as “Barbershop,” “Barbershop 2,” and “Roll Bounce.”
Landing a senior executive role at Amazon Studios is a monumental stepping- stone for Rasberry’s career. During this time of transition, Amazon Studios is in alignment with the world’s awakening to culturally-diverse leadership. Through the history of recent films, Rasberry has shown her ability to create historical moments in the industry.
