An Amazon MGM Studios executive allegedly solicited kickbacks from an aspiring vendor in exchange for post-production contract awards on shows, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Joe Eckardt, owner and president of Hollywood-based postproduction services firm Unbreakable Post, alleged that the studioโs head of postproduction, Frank Salinas, told him during a business lunch in 2023 that Salinas could โensureโ Unbreakable Post would be included as an approved vendor to bid on Amazon-affiliated projects.
Salinas would give Eckardt the target budget number for his companyโs bid and โeffectively guarantee that Unbreakable would be awarded the work,โ the lawsuit states.
After the contract was awarded, Eckardt would then pay Salinas a percentage of the project value as a kickback, the lawsuit says.
After Eckardt refused, he alleges that his contract opportunities with Amazon dried up.
He states in the lawsuit that although he had done โsubstantialโ work, served as a postproduction consultant or selected vendor on shows such as the Mexico, Brazil and Argentina productions of the reality series โTemptation Islandโ and the third season of documentary series โCoach Prime,โ he was not selected by Amazon for a contract with those projects.
In 2025, Eckardt alleges that he reported Salinasโ conduct to Amazon and after six months of information gathering, the company told him that โits investigation had concluded and that the allegations were โnot substantiated.โโ
Amazon MGM Studios did not respond to a request for comment. Salinas declined to comment.
Eckardtโs lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He alleges that he lost more than $1 million in contracts, income and future business opportunities. He is seeking a jury trial.