Amy Thurlow Exits As President Of Dick Clark Productions

Amy Thurlow is leaving dick clark productions after seven years, the last one as president. Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, co-CEOs of DCP parent MRC, just announced Thurlow’a departure internally, and she also shared the news with her staff. (You can read the two notes below.)

Thurlow is expected to take some time off this summer as she contemplates her next steps. A search is underway for her replacement.

Previously dcp’s COO and CFO, Thurlow was promoted to president in November 2019 and assumed the post in Q2 of 2020 amid the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

DCP was hit particularly hard by Covid as the company’s core business is televised live entertainment, one of the areas most impacted by the pandemic. Spring 2020 live events were postponed across the board, and some summer awards shows switched to pre-taped format. When live specials started to come back in the fall, viewers largely stayed away, leading to big ratings declines.

Adding to Thurlow’s rocky tenure was the Golden Globes controversy. The top awards show in dcp’s portfolio, the Globes have been scrapped for 2022 after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association drew strong criticism over the lack of Black members and questionable business practices. The organization is now trying to reform itself in order to restore Globes’ status as a viable awards franchise.

In their memo to staff, Wiczyk and Satchu spoke of the challenges faced by live entertainment telecasts on linear TV, sharing optimism over the rise of ad-supported streaming, with networks able to simulcast on broadcast and streaming live events and monetize both.

For the new president, Wiczyk and Satchu are expected to focus on candidates with creative background, sources said. The duo hinted at that in their company email, noting that “development is a big priority.”

Thurlow’s is one of several vacancies at dcp, which has had recent turnover with several executives exiting.

DCP’s portfolio of live televised entertainment events include the Golden Globe Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, Streamy Awards and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Here are the company emails:

Thurlow

Hi Team –

Today, I want to share some bittersweet news that after much contemplation I have decided to leave the company.

Over the last 7 years, I am most proud of the team that I have had the privilege of working with and building. Each of you is a trusted and remarkable colleague. I am in awe of your accomplishments, and I have every expectation that dcp and DHG will continue to flourish.

As some of you know, in addition to our work together, I have also been passionate about pursuing and achieving other professional opportunities. After getting through this year’s ACMs and BBMAs, it felt like the right time for me to do so.

I will be here through the end of the month and am always here to help in any way.

And I will always be cheering and rooting for all of you, at DHG and dcp!

Best,

Amy

Wiczyk and Satchu:

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to share the news that Amy Thurlow has decided to step down as President of dick clark productions.

Amy leaves behind an admirable seven year record; her tenure launched a consistent period of financial growth at dcp. Most recently, she led the team through the hardest year for live television since its creation.

We will bring our dcp/dhg colleagues together this morning to talk about the future of the division.

Our next few years promise to be transformative and thrilling. As we have previously discussed, there are several factors taking shape that will drive our growth:

Ad-supported streaming is finally here, and subscriber counts and usage are climbing rapidly
Ad dollars are pouring into those platforms at attractive CPMs
Our partners are adding the ability to simulcast on broadcast and streaming

These advancements will allow us to access a much broader, younger, and more inclusive audience; one that complements and adds to our broadcast audience, and matches quite well with the demography of music and entertainment fans.

Development is a big priority. We will be investing heavily to build out significant slates of unscripted live and series programming anchored around our branded intellectual property including Billboard, Vibe and Rolling Stone.

There is enormous opportunity ahead, and we look forward to seizing it with you. We have already begun our search for a new leader, and will leverage our quieter summer period to meet with candidates.

Please join us in thanking Amy for her contributions and wishing her the best in her future endeavors.

-a/m