Variety: Lionsgate is laying off 15% of its motion picture group, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joe Drake, chairman of the motion picture group, informed employees of the cuts on Thursday. A source said the layoffs will impact about 15% of the department. Lionsgate has about 450 employees.
11 comments:
It’s sad to hear this news as a result of the COVID pandemic - although, on the other hand I am far from surprised. The movie industry has been hit particularly hard, and this is moving all the way into their distribution departments. The lack of movie theaters being readily open, and lack of public premieres decreases that pull to theatrical entertainment. This means that selling their movies to different streaming services makes sense in this context. In order to keep the company going, they have had to adjust to the needs of coronavirus consumers. It has left me wondering if the reception to some of these movies would have been better or worse if they had premiered as scheduled in a movie theater, rather than being released for streaming online. It sounds like Lionsgate is going through some changes separate from the pandemic, so these conditions can’t make any of management choices easier.
It is really an absolute shame that Lionsgate has had to do this. I understand why they did, no one is immune to the effects of the pandemic, however I wish for the sake of the company and its employees that they didn’t have to. The way that the pandemic and its effects have hit the entertainment industry are absolutely devastating to so many people who make their living doing entertainment on stage, on screen, or behind it. I do appreciate the announcement that Lionsgate gave conderning their predicament. I think that it was rather well put and I appreciate that they stayed humble and focused on the talent and predicament of their now lost employees rather than projecting a company line. I also appreciate that they are enhancing their severance policy in an attempt to help the people who they could not longer give jobs to.
Unfortunately, a lot of people had to get laid off and lose their jobs due to the pandemic which is so heartbreaking and unfair. These people have a world so hard for their jobs, and a lot of people don’t have the ability to not work and make money, so COVID has affected people in so many different ways, it’s truly terrible. With this, the companies that lay their employees off in this time are not at fault either- it’s not anyone’s fault, no one can control what’s happening in the world right now. I know a lot of people were promised their jobs back as soon as we hear that people are cleared to work in larger groups, and I hope that is true. It would be terrible if someone didn’t get the chance to come back for the job they love or worked extremely hard for because of something that has nothing to do with them.
Although it feels like creating movies today should be ‘safe,’ we all know it truly isn’t. To make a movie you must have direct contact with tons of other people, even if the on-screen talent is totally separated from one another. There must be a cameraman to help set up and man the camera, an audio person to set up microphones, and a producer to help direct and communicate with the people on site. If you were to try and socially distance and separate everyone on this crew, it would be nearly impossible to do anything. That is why even at the highest levels of entertainment we are seeing COVID-19 have a heavy impact. Although I do believe that one day in the near future we will be able to create great movies and plays again, this opportunity will come at the loss of companies and even jobs.
It is always so hard to read about people losing their jobs and getting laid off which feels even worse now during the pandemic. This virus has definitely hit the entertainment industry in a huge way and there really is no solution to avoid such mass lay offs until this virus is over. The company cannot really be blamed for the lay offs as they honestly need to survive without creating any content or doing any new works. I have noticed a couple of movies and tv shows starting production in the "safest" way possible however I have remained pretty skeptical about the whole thing. It seems as though there will continue to be lay offs within the entertainment industry as companies are not getting any revenue nor are they getting any aid currently. I think the currently covid safe projects are working to keep companies afloat and existing, as well as maintain a few jobs, however there needs to be a more helpful fix for all the artists that are losing their jobs. I can't help but feel for the artists as they are in such a competitive industry and losing their job in such a tumultuous time. Hopefully these artists can have a guaranteed job return once these companies recover or have resources that can help them find a new job. Ultimately, this virus needs to go for jobs to come back and that is in the hands of all of us.
I did not expect a company with a name as recognizable as Lionsgate to only have 450 employees. Although 15% is a large percentage no matter how large the company is, with the company being this small to begin with this cut feels almost more impactful. Although the company says they are willing to help those laid off look for new work, I do not know how accessible the job market is in the movie industry right now. It is starting to feel like several aspects of the entertainment industry will need some serious repair after the pandemic. Though I feel like once finally people feel comfortable in crowds again, there will be a temporary surge in movie-going and other activities, it worries me to think that a temporary boom in interest won’t be enough to sustain the damage the pandemic has caused to these businesses. Personally, I can not wait to see the entertainment industry be revived, but I wonder how long it will truly take to be as it was.
Like Jonas, I was very surprised that Lionsgate only had 450 employees and so 20 people is a significant amount. It seems to be a tight-knit company and so I sure that this layoff isn't easy for anyone. It is so sad that Lionsgate is forced to do this but I also realize that they don't really have any choice. Movie theaters won't be back to normal for a long time and neither will movie sets. I hope that once this pandemic is over they will offer back people's jobs. As someone who loves movies, I really hope that the movie industry will survive this pandemic and thrive after as people will have a strong desire to go to the movies and other things they are missing. This pandemic has been devastating in the performing arts industry and I thought that maybe movies and television would have a slightly easier time than theater because of streaming but it seems as if that is not the case.
This is another crushing line in the terrifying trend in the entertainment industry. If the sector of the industry that is the highest funded and has the highest paid employees is suffering, we are surely in substantial trouble at the bottom of the pile. I know that nonprofit funding works differently, and without production expenses, they may be able to hang on and keep people on payroll, but it is difficult for any company to justify paying people to do no work. A CMU alumnus has shifted production staff to full-time production of personal protective equipment that they are donating to various groups. I think that is a valuable and innovative solution, but it is also limited--not everyone can fund that. The numbers keep getting worse with no sign of mitigation, and lives are more important than jobs, but until people’s lives are becoming endangered because they lack any income.
This is a really sad article that highlights the devastatingly awful affects of the pandemic on the movie business, specifically Lions gate. I was very surprised that a production company of that scope only has 450 employees. It is very upsetting that this is happening, my heart goes out to all of the fired employees, I hope they can find new employment as soon as possible. This is an extension of the trend that has been going on in all aspects of the entertainment industry due to financial losses incurred upon them due to the global pandemic. It was very interesting to see that a major movie production company is also having to make some cuts to stay afloat, most of the pandemic articles of struggling business's have been related to live theatre. The movie industry is very reliant in people coming to watch movies at the Movie theatre and things will not be normal until that returns.
Like everyone else has stated, this is such a sad and tragic article to read. The way the pandemic has destroyed employment at one of the most successful production companies is insane to hear. Reading a bunch of articles about theatre employment, concert employment, and film/tv employment, being in the garbage right now really frightens me for job potential in the future. I understand Lionsgate’s decision, even though it is heartbreaking, because you have to consider the health hazards that come with trying to produce multi-million dollar work. It’s not safe nor feasible to have 100+ people on set, even with precautions, and expect no cases to arise. Like I stated, it truly is heartbreaking to see such talented people lose their jobs amidst this global pandemic and I hope there is something in place for them provided by Lionsgate after the pandemic is over, whenever that may be.
It is never good to hear that someone has to lay off employees, especially when the reason for doing so is simply financial. It is unfortunate but keeping the company alive is important, and with hope that they can bring them back on or no talent in the future. This is also an interesting juxtaposition to another article I read recently where film and television are moving forward as they would any other time in the United Kingdom. Clearly if the United Kingdom can move forward with entertainment plans, why aren’t we able to? I think this is important question needing answering because every time I hear something now it is about laying people off or the restrictions on entertainment due to the coronavirus pandemic. I want an article that explains what we should by doing, why, and how to move forward with those ideas so that we do not have to keep losing to this pandemic. And then we need to actually follow that plan.
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