22 people have lost their jobs as a result of an “ongoing reorganization” at The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group.
The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group didn’t have a good 2018.
Perhaps the low point occurred when Billboard’s CEO, John Amato, forcibly stepped down following an internal investigation. He had faced accusations from newsroom staff of actively meddled in reporting decisions, and nixing stories about serious sexual abuse allegations against Charlie Walk, his personal friend.
An independent probe also found countless incidents of sexual harassment.
Interviewing nearly a dozen sources, The Daily Beast wrote,
“Investigators learned about a widely witnessed event in which Amato made sexual overtures at a young marketing staffer at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014. It wasn’t the only time he allegedly made comments to a younger colleague. Two people said staff were off-put when he made a similar advance on a female staffer after the 2017 Billboard Awards in Las Vegas.”
Now, according to a new report, the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group has suffered a significant number of layoffs.
Receiving the unexpected pink slip.
The company has let go at least 22 people, according to Variety.
Dana Miller, the media group’s Chief Marketing Officer, will no longer work at the company. She had overseen both the show trade and music trade publications. Her dismissal comes amidst a busy awards season at The Hollywood Reporter.
Jayme Klock, Managing Editor for Billboard’s magazine, will no longer work at the media group as well. Five departments lost multiple employees in an “ongoing reorganization,” claimed one source.
THR-Billboard’s editorial staff remains unaffected, per Deadline.
Valence Media, the parent company, was formed through the combination of three media companies – The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, Dick Clark Productions, and Media Rights Capital.
According to sources from Valence, the ongoing reorganization will lead to new hires “in the near future.” The firings will reportedly streamline the media company’s business operations. They will also eliminate duplicated positions.
Valence Media may hire up to 40 people as part of the reorganization.
The parent company has yet to name a replacement for Amato. He reportedly received an $18 million exit package, though that figure has been contested by one Billboard staffer.
Featured image by The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.
Because they are more often in politics than common sense business.
Maybe they’ll do away with their fake lists and awards that go to the same people over and over. Embarrassing.
What about DMN’s low point publishing an article from the head of the ticket scalpers lobby, failing to identify his ties to mass ticket resale while also getting the taylor swift story badly wrong.