Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jul 31, 2016 17:40:06 GMT -6
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/layoffs-hit-disneys-maker-studios-915512
Courtney Holt replaced Ynon Kreiz as head of the digital company in January.
Maker Studios is conducting a round of layoffs, the company confirmed Thursday to The Hollywood Reporter.
It's unclear exactly where the cuts have occurred, but a source says that less than 30 people were impacted by the layoffs.
A spokeswoman for the digital media firm declined to comment on how many people were let go but provided the following statement: "Maker Studios’ business is constantly evolving and after careful thought, we have decided to make some strategic adjustments — reducing staff in some areas while still actively hiring in others — to best align with the go-forward strategy of the company." Disney's job page for Maker currently lists six open positions attached to Maker.
Disney acquired Maker, a network of thousands of YouTube stars that also produces original digital content, in 2014. The final payout for the company could have been as high as $950 million but it fell short of that figure, coming in at a final price tag of $675 million.
A number of Maker executives have left the company since its acquisition, among them former CEO Ynon Kreiz, who led Maker through its sale to Disney. Kreiz was replaced by longtime Maker executive Courtney Holt when he departed in January.
Maker Studios is perhaps best known as the home of top YouTuber PewDiePie. The gamer has more subscribers than anyone else on the streaming video platform with 46.8 million. Real name Felix Kjellberg, he has worked with Maker on reality series Scare PewDiePie for YouTube's Red service and the launch of his own network, Revelmode.
Deadline first reported news of the layoffs.
Courtney Holt replaced Ynon Kreiz as head of the digital company in January.
Maker Studios is conducting a round of layoffs, the company confirmed Thursday to The Hollywood Reporter.
It's unclear exactly where the cuts have occurred, but a source says that less than 30 people were impacted by the layoffs.
A spokeswoman for the digital media firm declined to comment on how many people were let go but provided the following statement: "Maker Studios’ business is constantly evolving and after careful thought, we have decided to make some strategic adjustments — reducing staff in some areas while still actively hiring in others — to best align with the go-forward strategy of the company." Disney's job page for Maker currently lists six open positions attached to Maker.
Disney acquired Maker, a network of thousands of YouTube stars that also produces original digital content, in 2014. The final payout for the company could have been as high as $950 million but it fell short of that figure, coming in at a final price tag of $675 million.
A number of Maker executives have left the company since its acquisition, among them former CEO Ynon Kreiz, who led Maker through its sale to Disney. Kreiz was replaced by longtime Maker executive Courtney Holt when he departed in January.
Maker Studios is perhaps best known as the home of top YouTuber PewDiePie. The gamer has more subscribers than anyone else on the streaming video platform with 46.8 million. Real name Felix Kjellberg, he has worked with Maker on reality series Scare PewDiePie for YouTube's Red service and the launch of his own network, Revelmode.
Deadline first reported news of the layoffs.