by Thinus Ferreira
Amazon that is looking to rapidly grow and staff up its Amazon Studios personnel in South Africa, as it gets ready to expand its local Amazon and Amazon Prime presence in the country, is looking to poach experienced TV executives for Amazon Prime Video for future South African scripted and unscripted TV programming.
Amazon is now advertising and looking for a senior scripted series development executive in South Africa to work for Amazon Studios local originals and who will have to work in Cape Town.
Amazon is also looking for a South African senior post production executive for unscripted production in South Africa, and a senior post production executive to work on South African scripted series who will also have to work in Cape Town.
Also advertised: jobs for South Africans that include a production executive, unscripted, with Amazon also looking for a sourcing recruiter for Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios working in Cape Town, a recruitment manager for Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios working in Cape Town, as well as a senior recruiter for Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
Amazon will likely heavily favour staff from MultiChoice, M-Net, and eMedia's e.tv who have the necessary skill sets, knowledge and local industry background and know-how. Possible job takers from the struggling South African public broadcaster who might want to jump ship might also be considered.
The Amazon Studios TV jobs are just some of almost 150 new work positions specifically earmarked for South Africans, including territory managers, software engineers and work-from-home customer care consultants that are part of the latest tranche of job applications that Amazon is advertising for.
Amazon's aggressive recruitment, likely with plans to appoint a local publicity team as well for Amazon Prime Video content after it started to advertised for an Amazon Prime Video SA senior social media manager in January for the first time, comes as Amazon plans to build an expansive new South African hub at the River Club grounds in Cape Town.
Amazon Prime Video has allocated and increased a specific marketing budget for South Africa, that noticeably includes online and above-the-line advertising like billboards.
Amazon and Amazon Prime Video are aggressively expanding and sinking money into South Africa as it takes on rival streamers like Netflix South Africa, Apple TV+, MultiChoice's Showmax and Disney+ that is set to launch around June this year, together with legacy pay-TV operators like MultiChoice's DStv and M-Net.
