After rumors swirled that Warner Bros. Discovery would announce a massive restructuring for HBO Max, the company would have eliminated some jobs, although not as many as feared. Warner Bros. Discovery is cutting about 14 percent of its workforce, or about 70 jobs, that had been under the responsibility of Casey Bloys, chief content officer for HBO and HBO Max, according to Variety.
HBO Max fans had reason to worry about the worst cuts: Warner Bros. Discovery shelved Batgirl earlier this month (according to a tax write-off) and has quietly pulled several HBO Max exclusive movies from the service. But before Warner Bros. As Discovery replaces HBO Max and Discovery Plus with a combined service next summer, the company is making some changes.
“As we contemplate the Discovery content offering joining HBO Max for an eventual combined platform, we’ve had to make the incredibly difficult decision to disband or restructure the following teams, none of which reflect the contributions of the people affected here.” , according to a note from Bloys. Those affected include HBO Max’s reality unit, casting and content acquisition teams.
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First, I want to thank and acknowledge all of you for the unparalleled and incredible work you have done in all of our programming endeavors. This team has achieved success in an unprecedented array 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 in these uncertain times.
Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly, and it is up to us to continue to refine our model to chart a path to long-term success. As you heard from David Zaslav during our last earnings call, producing top-notch HBO/Max scripted content is crucial to WBD’s future. Part of this process involves an honest assessment of what we need to move forward.
To better align our strengths and strategies with the challenges and opportunities ahead, I am announcing the following organizational changes.
Max Scripted Originals
Sarah Aubrey will continue to oversee Max Originals drama and expand her responsibilities to include a key global strategy role. Since the platform’s inception, Sarah has been a tirelessly dynamic leader, with a long and diverse list of hits including The Flight Attendant, Peacemaker, And Just Like That…, The Sex Lives of College Girls and The Staircase, among many others From this, and as our company grows in its global aspiration and reach, Sarah’s remit will include working alongside Gerhard Zeiler and his team to define and implement our international programming strategy. Joey Chavez, VP of programming, will continue to report to Sarah as Max Originals’ lead drama, and together they will focus on the development and production of tentpole IP series such as Peacemaker, Dune, The Penguin and Green Lantern.
Suzanna Makkos will now report to Amy Gravitt, HBO’s head of comedy and vice president of programming. Suzanna has spearheaded an incredibly successful slate of comedies for Max Originals, highlighted by the acclaimed Emmy-winning series Hacks, as well as The Sex Lives of College Girls, Rap Sh!ti Julia, and animated series such as the next Velma and young Amor. This transition will align our scripted comedy slate under a powerful, genre-defining team; and by unifying this department under Amy, we will be able to maximize our effectiveness in continuing to build our roster across both the HBO and Max Originals brands. Suzanna will also continue to lead Adult Swim’s adult animation programming.
Besides Amy now overseeing a combined HBO/HBO Max comedy group, HBO’s leadership remains unchanged. Francesca Orsi, HBO’s head of drama and vice president of programming, will continue to lead the HBO Originals drama team. Nancy Abraham, VP of programming, and Lisa Heller, VP of programming, will continue to lead HBO’s documentary slate, and Nina Rosenstein, VP of programming, will continue to lead our special content, talks and evening conferences.
As we contemplate the Discovery content offering joining HBO Max for an eventual combined platform, we’ve had to make the incredibly difficult decision to disband or restructure the following teams, none of which reflect the contributions of the people affected here.
Max Originals Family non-fiction and live-action originals
Jen O’Connell and her talented team have led a diverse, impactful and entertaining roster, with titles ranging from competition series such as Emmy-winning Legendary to FBOY Island, 12 Dates of Christmas and Finding Magic Mike; to documentaries such as Class Action Park, The Way Down and On The Record; and family programming such as Gordita Chronicles. I can’t say enough about my respect for Jen’s talent, vision and passionate commitment to inclusive content. As we move forward, we won’t be adding new reality shows/documentaries to Max’s slate. For existing Max reality programming, we will make renewal decisions based on traditional measures of success.
International originals, HBO Max
In light of the significant international footprint of Warner Bros. Discovery, led by Gerhard Zeiler, will no longer have an American team dedicated to pursuing these opportunities. During her time at HBO Max, Jeniffer Kim, SVP International Originals, was responsible for international content programming, including the critically acclaimed limited series It’s A Sin and the Peabody Award-winning Sort Of. I express my sincere thanks to Jen and her team for all their inspired work. From now on, similar to the model employed at HBO for titles like Years and Years, I May Destroy You and My Brilliant Friend, the individual drama and comedy teams will evaluate and pursue any international co-productions they may find valuable outside of Warner. Discovery Bros.
Casting, HBO Max
To mirror the model that has been successful over the years at HBO, we will no longer have an in-house casting department for Max Originals. Linda Lowy, EVP Casting, is one of the most gifted casting executives in the business. She and her team have a lot to be proud of, and the impact of their contributions can be seen through the revolutionary Max Original series.
Content acquisitions, HBO and HBO Max
Our model here will also change, with a significant reduction in team size. This reflects an evolving need as the industry moves away from third-party Pay 1 offerings and acquisitions, and as a company we leverage our own library from the Warner Bros. portfolio. Michael Quigley, vice president of content acquisition, who joined the HBO Max team shortly before the platform’s launch, is leaving. During his time with the company, Michael led key acquisition deals, including South Park, and has led a talented team based in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. He has been a skilled leader in the changing market, and I wish him every success in the future. Royce Battleman, SVP, Content Acquisition, an essential member of HBO’s acquisitions team for nearly three decades, will lead the newly restructured department and will now report to Glenn Whitehead, HBO’s President of Commercial Affairs and Production and HBO Max.
While I am confident that these structural changes will allow us to maintain a thriving business model, these decisions have been extremely painful to make. We operate in an environment where we have to adapt in real time to the demands of the sector and the company. None of this lessens the blow of parting ways with such talented, trusted, hardworking and celebrated teammates. To each of them my deepest thanks as they move on to their next opportunity.
More to come soon as I get my core team together where I can provide more information on these changes and the road ahead, and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you may have.
Casey
Update August 15, 7:34 PM ET: Added note from Casey Bloys.