Maker Studios conducts round of layoffs
Layoffs have hit Maker Studios.
The Disney-owned online digital entertainment company let go of a handful of staffers on Thursday, Mashable has confirmed.
"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," a Maker Studios spokeswoman told Mashable in an email statement.
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The spokeswoman declined to disclose how many people were fired. However, some familiar with the situation speculate it was "less than 30."
Maker Studios, which Disney acquired for a whopping $675 million, has a network of about 55,000 independent creators who collectively draw in 10 billion views per month.
Maker Studios has made great strides in its efforts to ramp up its original content with several new series — such as Scare PewDiePie, a YouTube Red series that launched last week; the digital talk show Party Fun Times, hosted by Taryn Southern; and the skateboard travel adventureThe Unge Quest, starring German gamer Simon Unge.
However, layoffs are the latest in a slew of shake-ups at the company.
In the last few months, Maker Studios has undergone serious shake-ups at the executive level. In March, Bonnie Pan, Maker Studios' executive vice president of programming, left the company to tackle the role of president at Endemol Beyond. Ynon Kreiz, the CEO who helped facilitate the Disney deal, left Maker Studios in January.
Deadline first reported the news.
Topics YouTube
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
