bezosAmazon Studios has hired big stars like Woody Allen to help get its nascent TV and movie ambitions off the ground. Now, it’s adding executive power to its ranks to manage its growing content business behind the scenes.

The Seattle company said it has hired Albert Cheng, the former digital chief at Disney/ABC TV, to be the chief operating officer of Amazon Studios, and Bob Berney, the former CEO of indie film distributor Picturehouse, will head up movie marketing and distribution.

In April, Cheng announced his departure from Disney/ABC’s Television Group, where he led efforts to bring programming to digital formats for more than a decade. Cheng won a primetime Emmy for outstanding achievement in advanced interactive television, reports The Hollywood Reporter. At Amazon, Cheng will be charged with overseeing all of Amazon’s efforts across business and software development.

Amazon has very large ambitions when it comes to original programming. In January, it announced a plan to produce or acquire a dozen feature-length movies for theatrical release a year, with the movies coming to Prime Instant video four to eight weeks after the theatrical release.

It’s had some early success after winning two Golden Globes for “Transparent,” a dark comedy about a father who comes out as transgender.

At Amazon, Berney will be responsible for overseeing distribution and marketing for all of Amazon’s original movie efforts. Interestingly, while Berney was at Picturehouse, the studio had an exclusive, multiyear deal with Amazon’s rival Netflix.

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