Sebastian Gibbs Returns to Netflix as Series Director
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- Sebastian Gibbs is joining Netflix as Director, Original Series, covering IP and tentpole franchises, reporting to VP Scripted Series Teddy Biaselli, with a start date of Aug. 17.
- Gibbs previously held the same Director, Original Series role at Netflix for two and a half years, overseeing drama and 4-quadrant programming, before leaving for Amazon in July 2022.
- Gibbs spent the past four years as Senior Television Development Executive at Amazon MGM Studios, making his return a rare second tour of duty at the streamer.
- Peter Friedlander left Netflix to become Head of Global TV for Amazon MGM Studios last September and has since recruited other Netflix alumni for key posts, running the executive traffic in the opposite direction.
- Earlier in his 15-year career, Gibbs held VP Television and SVP Current Programming posts at MRC and Director, Current Programming at CBS.
- Series Gibbs has overseen development and/or current programming for include Ozark, The Diplomat, The Outsider, The Great, and Scarpetta.
Why it matters: Gibbs' hire reverses the Netflix-to-Amazon talent pipeline that has dominated the past year, which began when Peter Friedlander left Netflix for Amazon MGM in September and extended to several other Netflix alumni. With an Aug. 17 start and explicit oversight of IP and tentpole franchises, Netflix is reinforcing its scripted series bench as it leans into franchise-driven original series.
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