Skydance Sports bolsters its unscripted division by poaching Kitty Gambel from Amazon's MGM Alternative, where she served as senior vice president of unscripted and alternative television. Gambel assumes the newly created role of senior vice president of alternative unscripted at the Paramount-owned production company, starting September 8. She reports directly to Jon Weinbach, Skydance Sports' head of unscripted.
The hire reflects intensifying competition among major studios and streamers to secure proven unscripted talent as competition for reality television content escalates across platforms. Gambel's move from the Amazon-MGM Alternative division, a division that houses major unscripted franchises, to Skydance Sports signals the production company's aggressive push into alternative programming. At MGM Alternative, Gambel functioned as the creative lead on the company's slate of reality and alternative projects, overseeing development and production for a portfolio that extends across traditional television and streaming platforms.
Skydance Sports, the sports-focused production division of Skydance Media, has become increasingly active in unscripted storytelling beyond traditional sports documentary and sports reality formats. The company produces content for major broadcasters and streamers, with recent years seeing expansion into lifestyle-adjacent and alternative unscripted categories where Gambel's expertise carries weight. Her background in MGM Alternative positions her to develop shows that blend documentary elements with alternative formats, a sweet spot for networks and streamers seeking differentiated programming in an oversaturated unscripted market.
MGM Alternative itself operates under Amazon's ownership following the company's acquisition of MGM Holdings in 2022 for $8.45 billion. The division produces shows across traditional broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. Losing Gambel represents a notable departure of creative leadership from the Amazon-backed studio at a time when the company has been consolidating its television production operations and restructuring executive leadership. Amazon Studios has faced multiple changes in recent years, including leadership transitions and strategic shifts in content spending.
Gambel's recruitment underscores how unscripted talent continues to command premium compensation and newly created positions within major production companies and studios. The alternative unscripted space has become a proving ground for creative producers who understand how to develop hit franchises that work across multiple platforms and demographics. Reality television formats, from competition shows to lifestyle programming to documentary-style alternatives, remain among the most cost-efficient content generators for streamers and traditional networks alike.
Skydance Sports' new SVP will inherit a division focused on producing sports-adjacent content that extends beyond traditional game coverage. The company has grown its footprint in documentary sports storytelling, athlete-centered reality programming, and sports lifestyle content. Gambel's arrival suggests the company plans to expand further into alternative formats that may not center exclusively on sports but appeal to audiences seeking authentic storytelling and unscripted narratives.
The executive move also reflects broader industry consolidation of talent. Top-tier unscripted producers and development executives routinely move between studios, each bringing their roster of relationships, production expertise, and development sensibilities. Gambel's network within the alternative television world, built across her tenure at MGM Alternative, becomes valuable intellectual property that Skydance Sports now gains access to as she builds out her new division.