On Monday, HBO Max laid off a significant amount of its workforce due to the company’s restructuring. in a report from Limit, it ended up leaving roughly 14 percent of its workforce, or 70 employees in total. The trade got a memo sent to the remaining employees courtesy of Chief Creative Officer Casey Bloys, in which the CEO explained the company’s decisions.
“Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly, and it is up to us to continue improving our model to chart a course for long-term success,” Bloys notes in part. “As I heard from David Zaslav during our last earnings call, producing high-level scripted content for HBO/Max is critical to the future of WBD. Part of that process involves an honest assessment of what we need to do going forward.”
According to the memo, the operator will start focusing Max Originals content on “IP chain such as Peacemaker, DuneAnd the penguinAnd the green lantern. “
“While I am confident that these structural changes will allow us to maintain a thriving business model, making these decisions has been very painful,” the memo adds. “We operate in an environment where we must adapt in real time to the demands of the industry and companies. None of this mitigates the separation from his talented, trusted, hardworking and famous colleagues. My deepest appreciation goes to each of them as they move on to their next opportunity.
Team,
First, I would like to thank and appreciate all of you for the unparalleled great work in all of our programming efforts. This team has achieved success over an unprecedented range of challenges – from 140 Emmy nominations across our brand to recent coverage celebrating HBO Max as one of the best streaming services on the market. I commend your focus and commitment to excellence during these extremely turbulent times.
Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly, and it is up to us to continue improving our model to chart a course for long-term success. As I heard from David Zaslav during his recent earnings call, producing top-notch HBO/Max content is critical to the future of WBD. Part of this process involves an honest assessment of what we need to do moving forward.
To better align our strengths and strategy with the challenges and opportunities ahead, I am announcing the following organizational changes.
Max original texts
Sarah Aubrey She will continue to oversee the slate of drama Max Originals as well as expand her responsibilities to a major strategic global role. Since the inception of the platform, Sarah has been a dynamic and tireless pioneer, with a diverse and long list of successes including The hostess, the peacemaker, and such … the sexuality of college girls, And the the stairs, among several others. Accordingly, and as our company grows in its global aspirations and reach, Sarah’s mission will include working alongside Gerhard Zeller and his team to define and implement our international programming strategy. Joey ChavezEVP Programming will continue to report to Sarah as lead drama Max Originals, and together they will focus on developing and producing IP series such as Peacemaker, Dune, Penguin, And the Green lantern.
Susanna McCuss He will now report to Amy Gravitt, Head of Comedy and EVP, Programming at HBO. Susanna led an incredibly successful comedy roster for Max Originals, punctuated by the popular Emmy Award-winning series. hacksBeside The Sex Lives of College Girls, sh rap! T, And the Julia, As well as the upcoming animated series film And the young love. This transition will align our roster of written comedy under one force, the genre redefining team; By uniting this division under Amy’s direction, we will be able to maximize our effectiveness in continuing to build our roster across both the HBO and Max Originals brand. Susanna will also continue to lead adult swimming animation programs for adults.
In addition to the Emmys who now oversee the HBO/HBO Max joint comedy group, HBO’s leadership remains unchanged. Francesca OrsiHBO’s Head of Drama and EVP will continue to lead the HBO Originals drama team. Nancy Abrahamand EVP Programming and Lisa HellerEVP Programming, will continue to lead HBO’s list of documentaries, and Nina RosensteinEVP Programming continues to drive late-night content, talk shows, and specials.
As we consider offering Discovery content to eventually join HBO Max for a cross-platform, we had to make the very difficult decision to dissolve or restructure the following teams, none of which reflect the contributions of the individuals affected here.
Max Originals is a non-fiction and non-fiction family origins
Jane O’ConnellL and her talented team have spearheaded a diverse, influential and entertaining roster, with titles ranging from series competitions including Emmy Award winner legendary to me FBOY Island, 12 Christmas DatesAnd the Find Magic Mike. For documentaries like Class Action Park, The Way DownAnd the on registration; and family programs such as Gordita Records. I can’t say enough about my respect for Jen’s talent, vision, and passionate commitment to comprehensive content. As we move forward, we will not be adding new reality/documentaries to Max’s list. For current Max reality programming, we will make renewal decisions based on traditional success metrics.
Global Origins, HBO Max
In light of the large international footprint of Warner Bros. Discovery, led by Gerhard Zeller, we won’t have a dedicated US team to pursue these opportunities. During her tenure on HBO Max, Jennifer KimSVP International Originals has been responsible for programming international content including the popular limited series It’s A Sin, and Peabody’s award-winning Sort Of. My sincere gratitude to Jen and her team for all their inspiring work. Moving forward, similar to the model used by HBO for titles like Years and years, they may destroy youAnd the my brilliant friendSolo drama and comedy teams will evaluate and follow up on any international co-productions that they may find valuable outside of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Casting, HBO Max
To reflect the model that has proven itself over the years at HBO, we won’t have an in-house casting division for Max Originals. Linda LoweEVP Casting is one of the most talented casting CEOs. She and her team have a lot to be proud of, and the impact of their contributions can be seen across the amazing Max Original series.
Content acquisition, HBO & HBO Max
Our model will change here too, with a significant reduction in team size. This reflects an evolving need as the industry moves away from third-party deals and acquisitions, and as a company, we leverage our own library from the Warner Bros. portfolio. Michael QuigleyEVP, Content Acquisition, who joined the HBO Max team shortly before the platform launched, is leaving. During his time with the company, Michael led major acquisitions – including South Park– He led a talented team based in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. He has been an accomplished leader in a changing market, and I wish him every success in the future. Royce BattlemanSenior Vice President, Content Acquisition, a core member of HBO’s acquisition team for nearly three decades, will lead the newly restructured division and now report to Glenn Whitehead, head of business and production for HBO and HBO Max.
While I am confident that these structural changes will allow us to maintain a thriving business model, making these decisions has been very painful. We operate in an environment where we must adapt in real time to industry and corporate requirements. None of this softens the blow of separation from his talented, reliable, hardworking, and famous colleagues. I express my deep appreciation to each of them as they move on to their next opportunity.
More will come soon as I gather my core team, as I can provide more ideas about these changes and the way forward, and will do my best to answer any questions you may have.
Casey
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