Amazon Studios boss resigns after sexual harassment allegations
Roy Price had been placed on a leave of absence last week
Amazon Studios head Roy Price has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a producer on the series The Man in the High Castle.
Price was placed on a leave of absence on Thursday, after producer Isa Hackett, a top-level producer for Amazon and the daughter of sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, alleged in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Price had propositioned her at the San Diego Comic Con in 2015.
According to Variety, Amazon Studio's chief operating officer Albert Cheng, who was named as interim president following Price's resignation, is expected to remain in the role.
"I’m pleased Amazon is taking steps to address the issue," Hackett told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday after the news of his resignation broke. "An important conversation has begun about the need to create a culture in our industry, which values respect and decency and rejects the abusive power and dehumanising treatment of others. This is a real opportunity to find a better way forward and ultimately toward a balanced representation of women and minorities in leadership positions.”
Price joined the company in 2004 ahead of its venture into the on demand video market, and has presided over the launch of hit series such as Golden Globe-winning comedy Transparent.
The resignation comes in the wake of the ongoing scandal surrounding film producer Harvey Weinstein, after reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker saw multiple women accusing the Hollywood mogul of sexual misconduct.
