Ayanna Lonian is the Director of Content Acquisition and the Head of the worldwide Major Studio Licensing & Strategy Team for Amazon.com’s Prime Video streaming, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service. In this capacity, Ayanna leads a team of content acquisition executives which is responsible for negotiating global content licensing agreements with US major studios and TV network groups to secure the SVOD streaming rights to popular TV series and movies which Amazon makes available on its Prime Video streaming service on a worldwide basis. In addition, she oversees the daily business activities, general management and business functions for Prime Video Direct (PVD) on a worldwide basis. Ayanna leads a content programme management team which is responsible for facilitating the internal execution and ingests of all of Prime Video’s worldwide SVOD licensing agreements with internal stakeholder teams and systems (e.g. accounting, video supply chain, etc.) post-deal execution/deal signature. Ayanna is also responsible for managing the dedicated team of content acquisition executives who acquire locally produced and US/Hollywood content on behalf of Prime Video’s service in sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, etc.).
Prior to her current role at Amazon.com, Ayanna was on the Affiliate Sales and Content Distribution Team for The Walt Disney Company’s Disney and ESPN Media Networks (DEMN) division. In that role, she was responsible for negotiating key deal terms (e.g. distribution parameters, licence fees, marketing commitments, etc.) with cable, satellite and telco operators for the US domestic distribution of ABC Entertainment, ABC News Now, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Freeform, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNU content on linear TV and digital platforms.
Prior to The Walt Disney Company, Ayanna was a member of the Corporate Strategy and Development Team at The New York Times Company. In this role, she performed valuation and due diligence analysis to support corporate acquisitions, including NYTCo.’s US$33M acquisition of ConsumerSearch. com.
Prior to NYTCo., Ayanna was a member of the Consumer Devices, Media & Entertainment Team at Forrester Research, where she co-published reports analysing the impact of emerging technologies on the media and entertainment industries for Fortune 500 clients. Prior to Forrester, Ayanna worked in a product management role for Africana.com. There, she was part of the original six-person team that built Africana from the ground up. Her day-to-day responsibilities included developing unique programming and interactive features for Africana. com’s content verticals. She remained at Africana.com until its acquisition by the Time Warner Company. The site was subsequently integrated into AOL Blackvoices.com.
Ayanna is an alumna of Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College, and the Kellogg School of Management. In this Woman of the Month interview, Ayanna Lonian talks about the growth and changes to the global entertainment landscape, the place of sub-Saharan Africa in it, and trusting one’s instincts.
You have worked in several notable companies, how have the experiences you have garnered shaped you?
I’ve been very honoured and blessed to have worked on many wonderful teams at some fantastic companies throughout my career including not only my current role on Amazon’s Prime Video content acquisition team, but the past roles I’ve held on the Affiliate Sales and Content Distribution Team at The Walt Disney Company, the Corporate Strategy and Development Team at The New York Times Company and the Media & Entertainment Team at Forrester Research, etc. These experiences have helped me to cultivate and to develop the skills needed to become a well-rounded business executive. I’ve been very selective and very deliberate about the professional roles I’ve pursued throughout my career. When I have changed roles and/or companies it was with that primary objective in mind – i.e my ability to gain new tangible, additive skills which would help me to become an even stronger, well-rounded business executive and/or general manager.
“I’ve been very selective and very deliberate about the professional roles I’ve pursued throughout my career”
Over the past few years, you’ve primarily focused on content acquisition and distribution for film and television, what for you has been the biggest change in the industry in terms of doing business?
Some of the biggest evolutions and changes which standout in my mind when I think about the media & entertainment and streaming video landscapes over the past roughly five years have been the increase in global and/or multi-territory streaming services as well as the vertical integration of some of the US/Hollywood major studios (i.e., studios launching their own standalone, direct-to- consumer streaming SVOD/OTT video services such as Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max/ Discovery+, etc.). There are a lot of positives which have resulted from this changing landscape and the entry and growth of these various streaming video services. Firstly, customers around the world – including those in Nigeria and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa – have more and more options for how they access and watch the premium video content that’s being made available on various streaming video services, which is a very good thing! It’s wonderful that customers have more and more options for accessing TV/movie content. Secondly and relatedly, content creators – including local content producers and local content creators in Nigeria – have more and more options for how they distribute their content, which is likewise a very good thing. Combined, these changes and trends will provide optionality for both customer and local Nigerian content creators – which in turn helps to support the near- and long-term growth of the Nollywood/Kannywood media & entertainment segment.
“Content creators – including local content producers and local content creators in Nigeria – have more and more options for how they distribute their content”
Where does sub-Saharan Africa fit into the global film and television industry, and in your position at Amazon, how do you support this?
It’s such an exciting time for local content creators in Nigeria and in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa (e.g., South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, etc.). There are so many wonderful movies/films and
TV series that are being made by African content creators in Nigeria and other parts of the continent – there is a wonderful energy, enthusiasm and excitement that’s emanating from the local content community in sub-Saharan Africa.
In my role on Amazon’s Prime Video content team, it is my goal and desire to help find ways to collaborate with local content creators in Nigeria, South Africa, etc., so that I can bring their wonderful TV series and movies to Prime Video’s 200 million customers around the world and to help showcase, elevate and amplify the work of local Nigerian and African content creators for a global audience. In addition, my team and I also strive to support the local content community in sub-Saharan Africa by employing a variety of different content licensing models such as our theatrical output agreements with Inkblot Studios, Anthill Studios, etc., whereby newly released movies are made available on Prime Video after their theatrical run in theatres in Nigeria, etc.
“In my role on Amazon’s Prime Video content team, it is my goal and desire to help find ways to collaborate with local content creators in Nigeria”
What would you consider the high point and low point of your career, and what did you learn from these?
I’ve been very blessed and fortunate in that I don’t think I’ve ever had a significantly low point of my career per se. In my various roles at different companies over the years, I’ve definitely had ‘peaks and valleys’ in which there were periods of time in which I was more satisfied with my job than other periods – but by and large, I’ve had ‘net positive’ experiences with all my various roles. Some of the high points of my career were (1) helping to execute the global expansion of Prime Video across over 200+ countries which occurred in late 2016, (2) helping to launch Prime Video in Japan in 2015, and (3) helping to be part of all the wonderful
work which our team is now doing in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, such as the ground-breaking theatrical output agreements we’ve closed with Anthill Studios, Inkblot Studios, etc., and the commissioned content agreements with Nemesia Films, etc. These various experiences have all been very rewarding and have made me very proud of my hard-working team.
A lot of young women struggle with building their careers due to stereotypes, how would you advise them?
Early in one’s career, I think it’s super – super – important to work for good people who will help you to develop and cultivate self-confidence and help to make sure you get staffed on stretch assignments and projects, etc., that get you exposure to senior leaders. Notice I did not say a good “manager” – as there is a difference between managing someone and developing someone. It’s really important to work for someone who has a track record of developing (and in turn promoting) junior executives. I think sometimes young women (and young men) will pursue a role early on at the wrong company and/or work for the wrong executive for the wrong reasons – i.e., sometimes they pursue those roles based on name alone at big-name companies and/or for well-known big-name executives and end up being miserable. Don’t focus on big names alone – look at companies and/or executives’ track records of developing junior executives and in turn seek out jobs with those companies/executives.
What would you tell your teenage self as a woman who has risen to the top of her field?
Always trust your instincts. Early on in my career, there were times when I would question or doubt my instincts rather than act on them relatively quickly. I found out the hard way that my instincts were often right 99% of the time and so now I no longer wait to act them. I wish I’d come to that realisation sooner.
The film and television industry is often considered intense. How do you maintain your health and wellbeing?
No matter what profession you work in, it’s extremely important to establish boundaries that let you maintain work-life harmony and work-life balance. Because the scope of my current role at Amazon is global in nature, I typically start my Monday-Friday work days early in the morning (to be available to speak to internal or external counterparts in Europe and/or sub-Saharan Africa) and end later in the day (to be available to speak to internal or external counterparts in Asia). My Monday-Friday work days can also be longer because I may be tied up in meetings throughout the day and only able to catch up on emails after all my meetings are done at the end of the day around 6.00 p.m. As a result, I personally work to maintain balance and harmony by protecting my weekends. I “protect” those days and that time for me and my family to relax, to play golf (one of my biggest hobbies) and to just “chill.”
“I “protect” those days and that time for me and my family to relax”
What inspires you and keeps you motivated to be at your best?
My team inspires me. I have the honour of leading a team of wonderfully talented content acquisition executives at Amazon. They are the best in the business in my opinion and I work very hard to maintain their trust and meet their high standards. I also take inspiration from my family, my friends and God.
How do you describe success?
For me, success equals contentment.
What do you take pride in?
First and foremost, my family. I take satisfaction with my job and my career, but my family and my friends are the most important things in my life.
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