Amazon MGM Studios Taps Jenny Groom to Lead MGM Alternative

Jenny Groom, most recently executive VP of unscripted development at BBC Studios, has been named head of MGM Alternative at Amazon MGM Studios, Jenn Levy, the company's head of nonfiction, announced Wednesday. Groom starts Monday, November 30, the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Groom will report directly to Levy and will manage MGM's legacy unscripted franchises — "Survivor," "Shark Tank" and "The Voice" — plus the studio's format library, which Levy says remains active around the world. She'll also develop new formats and series for the Prime Video slate and drive sales to third-party buyers.

"Bringing in someone with Jenny's extensive experience, on both the buying and selling side of the business, positions MGM Alternative as a key creative asset for our unscripted ambitions and reinforces our commitment to developing and selling shows all around town," Levy wrote in a memo to staff.

What does Groom bring to the role?

Levy's memo credits Groom with more than 20 years as one of unscripted TV's most respected creative leaders. The track record splits into two chapters.

At BBC Studios, which Groom joined last year, she developed and executive produced two of summer 2025's strongest launches:

• "Nation's Dumbest" (Fox) — the network's No. 1 summer launch in four years, already greenlit for Season 2
• "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" (ABC/Hulu) — the No. 1 summer launch in six years

She also led the team that secured multiple development and pilot deals across broadcast and streaming platforms.

Before that came nearly two decades at NBCUniversal, where she finished as executive VP of unscripted programming. There she commissioned the multi-Emmy-winning "The Traitors" and "Love Island," and oversaw the slate that kept NBC No. 1 in unscripted — a lineup including "The Voice," "America's Got Talent" and "American Ninja Warrior," along with "The Wall," "Password" with Keke Palmer, "Baking It" with Amy Poehler and "That's My Jam" with Jimmy Fallon.

She is also an executive producer on Netflix's "Funny AF with Kevin Hart," which returns for a second season.

Why relationships matter here

Format production is a relationships business. Groom worked closely with talent including Kelly Clarkson, Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton and John Legend during her NBCU years. Outside the network, she consulted for Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine and Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Productions.

That network of talent and producers matters because MGM Alternative isn't just feeding Prime Video. Levy's memo frames the division as a seller too, committing to "developing and selling shows all around town" — meaning rival platforms will remain customers of the studio even as its parent competes with them.

"I couldn't be more excited about what she'll bring to our team and the future of our slate," Levy closed her note.

What does this change for viewers? In the short term, nothing — the franchises continue under new management. The real test arrives over the next development cycle, when Groom's record of launching breakout summer formats gets applied to a studio whose library, from "Survivor" to "Shark Tank," still sells in markets worldwide.