Warner Bros. to layoff 52 people in Motion Picture Group
The job cuts, which will impact marketing, distribution, production, strategy, operations and theater ventures, are part of a larger restructuring at Warner Bros. Discovery that began earlier in the year.
Part of the restructuring includes a focus on breaking down the barrier between U.S. and international divisions in marketing and distribution in favor of a 'fully global structure,' the memo announcing the layoffs said.
'Adapting how we work often calls for evolution, and the future of how we run this business has required us to make some very difficult decisions,' Motion Picture Group chairmen Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy jointly wrote in the internal memo reviewed by The Times.
'In the coming weeks and months, we will work with leaders around the world to shape and implement this global operating model in a way that reflects local needs and realities,' the memo stated .
A letter sent to the state Employment Development Department confirmed 52 employees will be laid off, starting on Oct. 4.
Warner Bros. Discovery is burdened with billions in debt, a vestige of Discovery's takeover of WarnerMedia from AT&T three years ago. Since then, the company has restructured and cut thousands of jobs, and announced it will divide its assets into two separate publicly traded companies.
In January, leaders in the film division — veteran marketing chief Josh Goldstine and international film distribution head Andrew Cripps — left the company in a shake up its senior ranks after some 2024 titles underperformed in the box office.
The studio has had more success at the box office this year, with 'A Minecraft Movie,' 'Sinners' and 'Superman' each topping the charts.
The new cuts come just days after Warner Bros. Discovery announced additional details about its corporate split, saying the separate entities will be called Warner Bros. and Discovery and enumerating the properties that will fall under each separate company.
'We will proudly continue the more than century-long legacy of Warner Bros. through our commitment to bringing culture-defining stories, characters and entertainment to audiences around the world,' Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said in a statement regarding the post-split future of the company.
Warner Bros Discovery shares closed at $13.26, up 1.07% on Wednesday.
Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this report.
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Geek Tyrant
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PEACEMAKER Star John Cena Explains His Last Minute Call From James Gunn to Cameo in SUPERMAN — GeekTyrant
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Cosmopolitan
an hour ago
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It's definitely one of those things you have to take into consideration. Slim pickings these days. In moments of "slim pickings," it's nice to focus on other kinds of relationships, like friendships. On screen of course, Enid and Wednesday are the true blue besties. What is Jenna Ortega like as a friend in real life? I love her so much. We have such a fun time together. And she's producing this next season so she had a lot more creative input and was always telling me, "If there's something you don't like or something you're not comfortable with, let me know and I'll be your person." She definitely was looking out for the cast in that sense, but she's also just such a great friend. You can confide in her. Our friendship was a natural progression but I instantly felt really close to her because she's so cool, so open, and such a lovely person. It mirrors your characters, in a way. How would you say Enid and Wednesday's friendship has evolved from season 1 to season 2? They both have a deep understanding of one another. I think their respect for each others' needs is really lovely. Even though all Enid wants to do is be touchy and hug, she still respects Wednesday's need for space and alone time. And Wednesday respects what Enid likes and what Enid needs. Their friendship is really beautiful. Even though Enid's got boys chasing after her, she could care less. She's got her priorities straight. She knows who her best friend is. Exactly. Sisters before misters. Along with more Enid and Wednesday moments, I'm hoping we see more of Wednesday's mischievous prankster side in season 2, too, given it's what got her sent to Nevermore in the first place. Are you a prankster? Have you ever been pranked? I definitely was a pranker, but more in an evil sense. An evil sense? I was a pathological liar as a kid. For no reason I would just make up the most random scenarios and tell people that they actually happened to me. And I would get in a lot of trouble for it all the time. I just couldn't help myself for some reason. Now to make up for it, I'm overly truthful. I think I just really wanted to be an actor, so I would just lie all the time about everything. What kind of lies? Like little ones? No, no, no. Like I would go around telling random people huge family secrets that were not real, and they'd believe me. And then I'd have to go and apologize and be like, "Yeah, I lied about that. I'm sorry." Insane stuff. But I definitely have been pranked before. I'm mostly the one doing the pranking though, because I find it amusing. A flair for the dramatic arts, even at a young age! Yeah, just for practice. So you've left your prankster era behind. What would you call this period of your own life? Honestly, it's just my work era. Maybe I will also give myself the fun and freedom title too, because it's true. I'm having fun and I'm free. What is your relationship like to work? It's always flopping back and forth. Some days, I question why I decided to do this. But then on the really good days, I know why I decided to do it. I genuinely love acting. I love meeting new people, I love the people I work with, and I love telling stories and getting to play different characters. So at the end of the day, even if I have hard days and want to quit, it never lasts for that long. It's refreshing to hear you say that, honestly. No matter how much you love what you do, there are going to be challenging moments, that's so normal. It's always a mixed bag, and it can be hard. People are going to have opinions on what your life looks like and will assume things that may not be accurate. Everybody's going to have something to say about what you're wearing3, what you look like, and what you're doing, and you just have to let it go. At the end of the day, these people really don't know you. You have to let go and ignore it. 3. What are Emma's fashion favourites? 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People want to have opinions about every single relationship you have. It's just how it goes, I guess. You learn to ignore it. Like, guys, I love my sister! And I will only post people on my Instagram if I actually do like them! I also feel like having a fake friendship would actually be more work than just being friends with someone. Yeah, and I'm definitely not posting my friends on my Instagram if I don't like them. I don't even think I would bother to keep up the facade of having a fake friendship, to be honest. How do you decide what to share on social media 4? I used to post way more, but I got uncomfortable with the lines that people were crossing in my comments and in my DMs. Now, it's more spur of the moment. 4. One thing you won't see on Emma's Instagram often? Selfies. 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Including recommendations based on your taste is such a wow. Did you actually take the recs? I went through and listened to every song, yes. Clearly your fans are proud of you. Of all the scenes you've filmed in your career thus far, which makes you the proudest of yourself? I'm really proud of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder because I didn't have long to train for it. I did a British accent, and it's not halfway bad! I wasn't going to take the job initially because I was so scared about doing the accent and not having time to perfect it. But I was like, 'You know what? There's no better way to learn than just throwing yourself right into it.' So I did it and I'm pretty proud. It was great. I remember looking up whether you were British or not after watching. No way! You made me question it, I had to fact check. That's perfect. The fandoms of your projects are delightfully active. Would you say you're part of any fandoms yourself right now? What do you give attention to when you're having your quiet time? I wouldn't say I'm part of any fandoms right now, but I do love The Last of Us. Do you know d4vd? He's got a great album that just came out. And honestly, I've just been playing a lot of Minecraft. It's great Minecraft cast an actor who genuinely plays the game. Did you anticipate the wild reception that movie would get when you signed on5 ? I was a bit scared because Minecraft's so beloved. I was like, "Oh, this could go either really good or really, really bad," and it went really, really good! It went well because the movie and the marketing doesn't take itself too seriously. We're all here to have fun. It's a goofy movie. The point of it is to go see it and laugh and have fun. 5. Another thing Emma didn't anticipate? Her reaction to stepping onto set the first time. "The first set I saw was our forest set and it was so cool because I played so much as a kid. 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Engadget
2 hours ago
- Engadget
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