Amazon Unscripted Head Heather Schuster Out Amid Investigation

By Debra Birnbaum

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Heather Schuster, the head of unscripted at Amazon Studios, has left the company, after less than a year in the role, Variety has confirmed.

Schuster was promoted to the job in October 2017, replacing Conrad Riggs who was ousted amid the exodus of Roy Price. According to sources, Schuster’s exit follows an investigation into allegations that she engaged in verbally abusive behavior.

Schuster spent a year with Ryan Seacrest Productions, and then launched her own shingle with All3Media before moving to as a lieutenant of Riggs.

Amazon has been sparing in its ventures into unscripted programming in the years since launching its original content strategy. The company made a big global bet on “The Grand Tour,” the travelogue and automotive show reuniting the “Top Gear” team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May last year.

Schuster spent five years as a producer on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” starring Donald Trump, working for series creator and executive producer Mark Burnett. She also served as a producer on the reality series “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover” for NBCUniversal-owned cable channel Bravo. She had been at Amazon only a handful of months before taking the top unscripted programming job last year.

News of Schuster’s exit was first reported by Deadline.