Casey Bloys, HBO/Max Reorg, Addresses “Extremely Painful” Layoffs in Note

At the end of the day, with nearly 70 (14%) employees laid off in their department, Casey Bloys, head of content for HBO and HBO Max, recently emailed his team about the cuts and his new (old) team. The management team of HBO/Max president Amy Gravitt, Francesca Orsi and Sarah Aubrey includes new responsibilities for Gravitt and Aubrey.

In the memo (read in full below), Blois lays out the responsibilities of her top executives on the screenplay and documentary side, while also highlighting the accomplishments of the senior executive who left as a result of the layoff: Jennifer. O’Connell, Jennifer Kim; Michael Quigley and Linda Lowe.

“While I am confident these structural changes will allow us to maintain a successful business model, it was very painful to make these decisions,” Blois wrote. “We work in an environment where we have to adapt to the needs of the industry and the company in real time. None of that lessens the blow of parting with such talented, reliable, hardworking and famous teammates.”

Here is his email:

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First of all, I want to thank you and thank you all for the incredible and unique work you have done in all of our programming efforts. This team has succeeded through an unprecedented set of challenges, from 140 Emmy nominations to the latest coverage of our brand celebrating HBO Max as one of the best streaming services on the market. I appreciate your focus and dedication to excellence during this very uncertain time.

Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly and it’s up to us to keep improving our model for long-term success. As you heard from David Zaslav in our last interview, producing high-end HBO/Max scripted content is critical to the future of WBD. Part of this process includes an honest assessment of what we need to move forward.

I am announcing the following organizational changes to better align our strengths and strategy with future challenges and opportunities.

Scripted Originals by Max

Sarah Aubrey He will continue to oversee the Max Originals drama and will also expand his responsibilities to include an important strategic global role. Since the inception of the platform, Sarah has been a tireless dynamic leader with a long and varied list of achievements including: A stewardess, a mediator and so on…, the sex life of college girls, Y Stairs, among others. Building on this and as our company grows in global goals and reach, Sarah’s role will include working with Gerhard Seiler and his team to define and implement our international programming strategy. Joey ChavezEVP Programming will continue to report to Sarah in the lead drama role for Max Originals, and together they will focus on the development and production of trend-setting IP series such as the following. peaceful Dune Penguin, Y Green Lantern.

Susanna McCoss He will now report to Amy Gravitt, HBO’s head of comedy and vice president of programming. Suzanne directed the wildly successful comedy series for Max Originals, which featured the critically acclaimed Emmy-winning series. tricksuntil College girls sex life, rap shit, Y July And also animated series, including upcoming ones. countryside Y Young Love. This transition will place our scripted comedy roster under a strong team that defines the genre; And by uniting this department under Amy, we will be able to maximize our efficiency to continue building our roster through the HBO brand and Max Originals. Susanna will also continue to produce adult animation programs for Adult Swim.

Besides Amy’s now overseeing the combined HBO/HBO Max comedy group, HBO’s lead remained intact. francesca orsiHBO’s head of drama and EVP of Programming will continue to lead the HBO Originals drama team. nancy abrahamEVP programming and Lisa HellerEVP Programming will continue to pioneer documentaries and nina rosensteinEVP Programming continues to lead our nightly talk and exclusive content.

Considering the Discovery content we’re proposing to combine with HBO Max into the ultimate unified platform, we had to make the incredibly difficult decision to deploy or restructure the teams below, none of which reflect the contributions of those affected here.

Max Originals Live Action Family Originals Non-Fiction

Jen O’ConnellHis talented crew and I have led a diverse, influential and entertaining cast that ranges from competition dramas to Emmy-winning dramas. legendary He FBOY Island, Christmas 12Y Finding Magic Mike; like documentaries Class action park, way downY in the registry; and family programming Chubby Diaries. I can’t say enough about my respect for Jen’s talent, vision, and passionate dedication to inclusive content. From now on we will not be adding new reality shows/documentaries to Max Slate. For current Max Reality programming, we will make upgrade decisions based on traditional success criteria.

International Originals, HBO Max

Warner Bros. Given Discovery’s massive international presence led by Gerhard Seiler, we will no longer have a dedicated US team for these opportunities. While working on HBO Max, jennifer whoHe was responsible for international content programming, including SVP International Originals, the acclaimed limited series It’s A Sin and the Peabody Award-winning Sort Of. My sincere thanks to Jen and her team for their inspiring work. In the future, a model with similar titles by HBO, Years and years, I can destroy youY my brilliant friendIndividual drama and comedy teams will evaluate and monitor international co-productions that Warner Bros. may find valuable. External exploration.

Gamers, HBO Max

Reflecting the model that has been successful on HBO for years, we will no longer have an in-house casting department for Max Originals. sweet loveEVP Casting is one of the most talented casting managers in the industry. He and his team have a lot to be proud of, and their contribution is evident in the Max Original series.

Content purchasing, HBO and HBO Max

Our model will also change here with a significant reduction in team size. This is as the industry moves away from third-party Pay 1 deals and acquisitions, and as a company its own Warner Bros. michael quigleyContent Acquisition EVP, who joined the HBO Max team shortly before the launch of the platform, will hit the road. During his time with the company, Michael led key acquisition deals, including: South Park— and led a talented team based in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles. You have become a talented leader in a changing market and I wish you success in the future. royce warriorThe senior vice president of content acquisition, who has been a key member of HBO’s acquisition team for nearly three decades, will lead the restructured division and will now report to Glenn Whitehead, head of commercial affairs and production at HBO and HBO Max.

While I am confident that these structural changes will allow us to maintain a successful business model, these decisions have been very painful to make. We work in an environment where it is necessary to adapt in real time to the needs of the industry and the company. None of this lessens the blow of parting with such talented, reliable, hardworking and famous teammates. I express my deepest gratitude to each of them as we move towards their next opportunity.

More to come as I get my core team together where I can provide more insight into these changes and the way forward, and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

Casey