Warner Bros. Discovery has filed suit against Amazon, accusing it of illegally poaching employees, including Pia Barlow, former senior VP for originals marketing. In the complaint, Warner says that “Amazon has chosen to ride on the coattails of other well-established Hollywood mainstays,” and that it engaged in a “lawless employee shopping spree.” Deadline reports that Francesca Orsi, HBO’s head of drama series and films, is believed to be one of the other Amazon targets.
Barlow is set to begin a new position as Amazon’s head of original series marketing on August 3rd. According to Warner’s suit, Barlow was under contract until October 31st, 2027. It accuses Amazon of knowingly “inducing” Barlow to breach her agreement by offering her a higher pay package and legal support should Warner seek legal action for breach of contract. It also alleges that these poaching efforts are ongoing.
Term employment agreements are common in the entertainment industry, but less so in others. This has led to friction with tech companies attempting to break into the industry. YouTube settled with Disney over its hiring of veteran executive Justin Connolly, and 20th Century Fox won a lawsuit against Netflix when it poached two of its execs.