Amazon Adviser
Fansided

Former CBS head Chris Castallo lands Unscripted Programming head position at Amazon Studios

By Alexandria Ingham

CANNES, FRANCE - OCTOBER 14: Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, and president of All3Media America; Chris Castallo, head of reality, CBS attend the party organized by All3media International And Variety to Celebrate Studio Lambert's Undercover Boss At The Najade in Cannes on October 14th 2014.
CANNES, FRANCE - OCTOBER 14: Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, and president of All3Media America; Chris Castallo, head of reality, CBS attend the party organized by All3media International And Variety to Celebrate Studio Lambert's Undercover Boss At The Najade in Cannes on October 14th 2014. /
facebooktwitterreddit

Amazon doesn’t have much of a foot in the unscripted programming sphere but that may change with the latest hire. CBS’ former Head of Alternative Programming, Chris Castallo, has stepped in the Unscripted Programming head role at Amazon Studios

The Grand Tour is the biggest name from Amazon Studios’ unscripted programming. As the rest of the networks and subscription platforms venture further into this line of programming, Amazon has taken its foot off the gas. That could change with Chris Castallo now taking over as Head of Unscripted Programming, according to Deadline.

The former CBS Head of Alternative Programming will bring some fresh ideas to the company. He’s filling a void that has been left open since August when Heather Schuster was removed from the position during an internal investigation. Bringing someone in now is important considering the Studios has already confirmed two unscripted shows for next year.

More from Amazon

Castallo will step straight into working on the Eco-Challenge 2019 project, which is a reboot from Mark Burnett with Bear Grylls hosting. He’ll also take on the latest fashion reality show that is headed by Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn after they chose to step away from Project Runway.

Considering his time at CBS, Castallo certainly has plenty of experience in running the alternate programming slate. It will be a good move for Amazon Studios, as long as they’re willing to jump right into this route. Castallo oversaw the likes of Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, and Undercover Boss. He also helped develop CBS All Access’ Big Brother edition, adding a streaming platform to his resume.

Amazon Studios has certainly grown in its original programming, bringing the likes of The Man in the High Castle, Jack Ryan, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to audiences around the globe. Now it’s time to look at unscripted programming to put it on par with the direction Netflix is going.

Next. 50 best TV shows on Amazon Prime Video. dark

Are you excited about Chris Castallo stepping into the Unscripted Programming position at Amazon Studios? Is this the best move for the streaming service? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch 1000s of TV shows and movies with a 30-day FREE trial of Amazon Prime

Home/Amazon