Lionsgate Lays Off 25 Staffers in Motion Picture Group Restructuring

entertainment
2 months ago
The Hollywood Reporter — Etan Vlessing

Lionsgate on Friday handed out another 25 pink slips to employees. Most of the latest layoffs at the studio will impact the Motion Picture Group, where Joe Drake was last year named chairman and Nathan Kahane was tapped as president.

"As we look forward to the future with an ambitious and exciting 2019 theatrical slate, filled with big kickass crowd-pleasing movies as well as daring films with something to say, this is also a time to reassess some of the Motion Picture Group’s internal structure, processes and communication," Drake told studio employees in an internal letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

"As some colleagues will be departing, we wish them the very best on their continued career trajectory," Drake added, without putting a number on the job losses.

The shake-up at Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group also saw former Good Universe and Disney exec Erin Westerman appointed executive vp of production.

Most of the latest job losses follow the centralization of the studio's film marketing and distribution efforts in the Santa Monica headquarters.The 25 layoffs come from a Lionsgate workforce put at around 1600 employees.

A copy of the Joe Drake letter to employees follows:

Dear Colleagues: As we look forward to the future with an ambitious and exciting 2019 theatrical slate, filled with big kick-ass crowd pleasing movies as well as daring films with something to say, this is also a time to reassess some of the Motion Picture Group’s internal structure, processes and communication.

With the new senior management team in place, we are implementing a company wide Data-First Driven Strategy, expanding the Lionsgate Data Center (LDC) throughout our business. The LDC will be instrumental to the conversations we have and the decisions we make every day regarding development, marketing and distribution of our films, as well as a robust driver in our Lionsgate 360 strategic vision.

As we continue to adapt our business to the evolving market, we will be centralizing most Motion Picture Group business units to Santa Monica as well as realigning our Domestic and International Marketing Departments into one Global Marketing Group. As some colleagues will be departing, we wish them the very best on their continued career trajectory.

We are constantly looking at ways to better align our company with our industry’s evolving landscape and therefore the needs of the audience and our customers. We couldn’t be more thrilled about what 2019 has in store for us as a company, our exciting upcoming film slate, the new leadership team, as well as the agility that has always been a cornerstone of the company, allowing us to implement new ideas quickly and efficiently.