Amazon Studio Boss Resigns Over Sexual Harassment Scandal

Embattled Amazon Studios head Roy Price – who was suspended by the company last week after a producer claimed Price had repeatedly sexually harassed her – has finally made it official.

Variety reports Price officially resigned from Amazon on Tuesday, a decision that was expected by many in the industry. In Price’s absence, Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng was named interim president.

Isa Hackett, a producer on "The Man in the High Castle," said she was harassed by Price during a late-night cab ride on the evening of July 10, 2015, after a long day of promoting the series at Comic-Con in San Diego. Hackett attended a dinner with the show"s cast and Amazon staff at the US Grant Hotel. At the dinner, Price asked Hackett to attend an Amazon staff party later that night at the former W Hotel. She ended up in a taxi with Price and Michael Paull, then another top Amazon executive and now CEO of the digital media company BAMTech, where Price repeatedly propositioned her, Variety reported.

Price reportedly told Hackett "You"ll Love My Dick" and whispered references to anal sex in her ear while she was trying to have a conversation with another person.

Hackett said she immediately reported the incident to Amazon, but little was done until the Harvey Weinstein scandal erupted and renewed the focus on sexual predation and exploitation in the entertainment industry.

Price joined Amazon in 2004 as the company set out to launch its video-on-demand service. That business has since grown into an original-series and feature-film studio, with Price at the helm. Under Price, Amazon launched series such as “Catastrophe,” “Bosch,” and Golden Globe winners “Mozart in the Jungle” and “Transparent.”

Still, the type of popular appeal that company founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has been elusive. Earlier this year, Bezos mandated a shift in programming strategy away from the niche, naturalistic dramas favored by Price and toward large-scale genre projects with the potential to capture large international audiences.

As Amazon Studios began executing on Bezos’ mandate this summer, Price became the subject of sexual harassment allegations first reported on business website The Information in August, which stoked rumors that Price might soon be headed for the exit. His fate was sealed when Hackett went public with her claims on Oct. 12. 

"You'll Love My Dick" - Amazon Suspends Video Chief After Sexual Harrassment Allegations

Amazon has reportedly suspended Roy Price, its point man in Hollywood and the head of its ambitious video program, according to ReCode.

According to HollywoodReporter, in the wake of revelations about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged years-long sexual harassment and assault, a producer of one of Amazon Studios’ highest-profile TV shows is ready to talk about her “shocking and surreal” experience with Amazon’s programming chief.

"You will love my dick," Price allegedly said to Isa Hackett, a producer on "The Man in the High Castle," who details a July 2015 incident at Comic-Con in San Diego.

On the evening of July 10, 2015, after a long day of promoting Man in the High Castle at Comic-Con in San Diego, Hackett attended a dinner with the show"s cast and Amazon staff at the U.S. Grant Hotel. There she says she met Price for the first time. He asked her to attend an Amazon staff party later that night at the W Hotel (now the Renaissance) and she ended up in a taxi with Price and Michael Paull, then another top Amazon executive and now CEO of the digital media company BAMTech.

Once in the cab, Hackett says Price repeatedly and insistently propositioned her. “You will love my dick,” he said, according to Hackett, who relayed her account to multiple individuals in the hours after the alleged episode. (The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Hackett told at least two people about the alleged incident in the immediate aftermath.) Hackett says she made clear to Price she was not interested and told him that she is a lesbian with a wife and children.

Hackett says Price did not relent in the cab or once they arrived at the Amazon party. As she talked with other executives, she says that Price stepped close to her and loudly said, “Anal sex!” in her ear.

Hackett says she reported the incident to Amazon executives immediately. An outside investigator, Christine Farrell of Public Interest Investigations Inc., was brought in and spoke to Hackett and executives at Amazon. Hackett says she was never told the outcome of that inquiry, but notes that she hasn’t seen Price at any events involving her shows.

"We take seriously any questions about the conduct of our employees,” an Amazon spokesperson tells THR in a statement.

“We expect people to set high standards for themselves; we encourage people to raise any concerns and we make it a priority to investigate and address them. Accordingly, we looked closely at this specific concern and addressed it directly with those involved."

But, now, as ReCode reports, Price is gone with his suspension effective immediately, according to an internal Amazon memo.

“Roy Price is on leave of absence effective immediately,” an Amazon spokesperson told Variety Thursday.

“We are reviewing our options for our projects we have with the Weinstein Company.”

Albert Cheng, a former ABC executive who joined Amazon’s video group two years ago, will be the interim head of the unit.

Ironically, last week the Wall Street Journal published a critical account of Price’s track record in Hollywood, noting that the company had spent billions on programming but with a handful of exceptions, hadn’t won plaudits or large audiences.