MEIM Newsletter Fall 2025

Alumni Highlight: 10 Questions with MEIM ’15 Rachel Kiner-lucas

by Devyn Hinkle (MEIM '22)

For this issue, MEIMLAND caught up with alum Rachel Kiner-Lucas who is a Sr. Acquisitions Executive, Prime Video at Amazon MGM Studios. What follows is a Q&A between Rachel and MEIM ’22 graduate, Devyn Hinkle.

Can you talk about your path to becoming a Senior Acquisitions Executive at a major
studio? What experiences and network opportunities led you to this role?

I studied acting at Syracuse University, and after graduation, I struggled to find roles that excited me. Carnegie Mellon's entertainment management program was something unique for me. When I first got into the program, I thought I would do film marketing, but at SXSW, an alumnus working in acquisitions, Samantha Fabin, talked to us. I followed up with her when I got to L.A., and I switched my internships to acquisitions. Lakshmi Iyengar, who teaches the acquisitions class now, took me under her wing as her intern at NBCUniversal for six months. After leaving the program, I secured a position at MGM, focusing on acquisitions within the international TV distribution group. [During my time there,] I saw a Deadline article announcing a new EVP at Paramount Pictures, Syrinthia Studer. I had not seen a black woman in the dream role I wanted. I looked her up, and after six months, we finally met. She had a role opening in her team where I stayed for four and a half years. There were shifts with the film heads, and at the time, a colleague from Paramount who had moved over to Amazon was looking for an acquisitions exec. I've been here now for almost three years.
How would you describe what you do? What does your day-to-day look like?

I work on the creative side of our acquisitions. We mostly buy films in pre-production as a package. I help assess the material when we first get the script. With my insight, there's a green light process, and another team negotiates. Once it is locked down, I work with the producers and filmmakers on script notes, casting and monitoring production. I also screen movies that the agencies are selling and read a ton.
How do you collaborate with other departments, such as marketing and distribution, during the acquisition process?

For any package, I have another acquisitions person in the dealmaking (division) who reads it. They’ll determine the parameters of our fee. If it's a theatrical film, we will have our marketing and distribution teams read the script so we can differentiate a theatrical or streaming release before we start negotiations. Acquisitions is cool because you can be a hub for several different departments. It's a fast-moving train versus development, and we must be aligned on how we think something will perform as we're reviewing the materials.
How do you approach potential films? Do you have a process you like to follow?
We have different comps and data points that we expect from a title performance, we don't just use box office as a metric. There are several factors we're looking at. We have Thursday Night Football and the NBA coming to Prime Video, so we are doubling down on female-forward movies and rom-coms, comedies, and thrillers. The biggest barrier when going to a market is the package side of the market is normally action movies and male-dominated projects. This past Berlin Festival was interesting because there was one package that was the female movie, and everybody was trying to buy it. I'm hopeful it sent a signal to producers and sales companies of what studios/streamers are looking for.
What opportunities did you gain from the MEIM program that helped you succeed in the industry?

All the classes are so helpful, particularly the second year. The instructors are teaching you case study work, which is helpful. Even the trick of reading trades every day was amazing; people I work with don't do that. The classes were everything. Also, Dan would always ask any guest about their day-to-day. That is the best question because if they're honest about what they're doing, I could weed out so many jobs I didn’t want, and they probably sped up my career by giving me honest responses.
How do you think your internships prepared you for your current role?

They all prepared me for what I'm doing now in various ways. My first acquisitions internship at Candy Factory allowed me to see how even the smallest films can still turn a profit. TV development was a crash course on story and character. My internships at Universal Pictures and Open Road, which had different budgets and needs, allowed me to consider what kind of company I wanted to work for and what movies I want to support, watch, and connect with audiences.
How do you maintain relationships with filmmakers, agents, and distributors?
In acquisitions, we see each other constantly because there's always a festival or a market. That makes it easy to [stay connected with] agents and producers trying to sell us movies. I'm already in touch with the producers I work with on our films, but I'd love to meet more. At networking events or screenings with a reception, I walk up to people, and they're happy to talk. In the earlier part of my career, I would email people for coffee. At Amazon, we do a lot of one-on-ones, so it's an open environment to meet with someone. Having that openness is necessary to be in this industry. As a student, you'll find it's easy because people are eager to talk to you and help you navigate as much as possible. Networking at your level is beneficial because everyone tends to rise together.
The film and entertainment industry is going through changes now. How do you see the future of the industry?

International is a huge component. Every company wants to have a global movie and a global sensibility. Moving forward, most companies will probably scale back the number of movies they make a year to maximize their revenue potential. There will always be different budget sizes, but trying to make more smaller budget movies does not always give enough upside. The Oscars were a good data point for how the industry is moving. There were so many independent movies getting accolades. That space is still successful, but their total box office revenue is low, so they don't have a wide reach. If everyone reduces the number of movies, they spend more on marketing to get a wider appeal that could benefit everybody. Also, rom coms are completely back, so that's really fun.
What advice would you give to someone looking to go into Acquisitions?

Acquisitions is a tiny part of the industry. Most teams are very small, so I would not get discouraged if there is no availability because people tend to stay in acquisitions once they get there. Internship experience at any distributor in acquisitions, or focusing on a sales company, an international sales company, or the film finance division of a major agency, is helpful. You'll get the flip side of trying to sell to a buyer and figuring out how they package a movie.
What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned throughout your career in acquisitions?
Our industry is cyclical. Things that happened 10 years ago are happening again. Reading the trades and staying in tune with companies' quarterly calls and financials is helpful. Streamers have disrupted the flow, but it's been an opportunity for filmmakers to make more movies. I love that we're doing theatrical releases, but I hope other (streamers) will too. It helps amplify every window of the film’s revenue.