Hundreds of WarnerMedia employees were fired Monday as part of a company-wide restructuring.
Among the staff released is Jeffrey Schlesinger, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. Ron Sanders, who served as president of Warner Bros. ‘global theater distribution and home association, as well as executive vice president of international business operations, such as Kim Williams, EVP and CFO of Warner Bros. Entertainment, are also gone.
Schlesinger had been with Warner Bros. for more than three decades. West. For a decade beginning in 1984, he served as senior vice president of international television distribution at Warner Bros. and at Lorimar Telepictures, which was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1990. Schlesinger then took over as president of Warner Bros. International Television in 1994 before taking on his last role as head of distribution in 2013.
“It’s been a great 37-year run, with 26 as president of International Television Distribution, spending six mergers, millions of miles traveled, thousands of programs sold and billions of dollars generated,” Schlesinger said. ‘Ultimately, it took a global pandemic and a complete reorganization of the company for me to travel the latest hard. I always hope to remember myself as the only studio performer riding in the good old days at an ‘International Screenings’ party in the studio on the back of an elephant.’
Sanders oversaw the worldwide theatrical distribution and distribution business of the studios, as well as the plans for dating and releasing all of Warner Bros.’s. Pictures and movies from New Line Cinema worldwide. He also manages local film production, and oversaw more than 50 Warner Bros.-produced local language films produced internationally.
In home entertainment, Sanders spent seven years as president of the unit, spreading the franchises Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, The Hobbit and Lego. He had been with Warner Bros. since 1991. West.
“Warner Bros. is known for being the most famous studio in history for good reason,” Sanders said. “The talent is unmatched, both on the creative and business sides, and I am honored to have been entrusted for the last 30 years to oversee a large portfolio of companies around the world.”
Williams was responsible for all of Warner Bros.’s financial activities. Entertainment, including financial reporting, budgets and planning for future business growth. Having held the role since 2015, she oversees the financial agenda of the studio and Warner Bros. worldwide studio operations.
Warner Bros. has a unique and beautiful history; introduced and iconic, it’s one I’m proud to be a part of, ‘Williams said. ‘It is also on the edge full of the best and brightest. I will cherish my time at this great company. ”
Warner Bros. chief Ann Sarnoff issued a statement of appreciation to the three executives.
“Jeff, Ron and Kim are all highly valued members of my senior management team, and we will forever be grateful for the many significant and lasting contributions each of them has made to Warner Bros.,” she said. “I thank them all for their dedication and years of service, and wish them all the very best in their next chapters.”
Impact personnel began to be informed of the cuts at around 10.30am PT. About 650 people at Warner Bros. are expected to lay off, according to people familiar with the matter, while HBO will cut 150 and 175 employees.
The widespread dismissals come in the wake of an overview of the media company’s top rankings, initiated by Jason Kilar, who took over as WarnerMedia CEO in May. One that saw the oyster of the top programming leaders at HBO Max, Robert Greenblatt and Kevin Reilly, as well as a step towards consolidating WarnerMedia’s production activities into one entity. Sarnoff is committed to developing content for the new streaming service, as well as the major entertainment-oriented base cable networks: TNT, TBS and truTV. Andy Forssell, general manager of HBO Max, was arrested for the new entity’s business operations. The hope is that the changes will streamline the company and help with WarnerMedia’s new emphasis on HBO Max, its new streaming service and Netflix challenger.
Other media companies, including Disney and NBCUniversal, have introduced rounds of layoffs and furloughs as the public health crisis has ushered in a recession, disrupted film and television production and closed cinemas.
