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In a surprising move, considering the success of the 2023 Countdown to Christmas, Hallmark Media has laid off four executives. This comes after CEO Wonya Lucas left her role. What effect could these major staff changes have on future programming?
Hallmark Media lays off four executives
Deadline recently reported that Hallmark Media had axed four executives who were considered “major cutbacks.” The executives were Chief People Officer Pamela Wolfe, Chief Marketing Officer Lara Richardson, Head of Distribution Judi Lopez and EVP Research Strategy Robin Thomas.
When announcing the four axed positions, Hallmark Media said this move represents a “new, more streamlined structure.” Moreover, while the company eliminated some positions, reportedly, “new and expanded roles were created.”
In some ways, this action isn’t a big surprise, as all four of the axed executives were hired by Wonya Lucas. Meanwhile, in August, Lucas announced she was stepping down as CEO at the end of 2023. This is probably why some executive changes were made, but so far, Hallmark Media hasn’t announced a new CEO.
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In the meantime, Mike Perry, President and CEO of Hallmark Companies, is in charge of the company’s day-to-day operations. Perry and the four executives all attended the 2023 Countdown to Christmas Holiday Celebration on November 15 in Los Angeles. However, Lucas didn’t attend the event.
Will these executive changes affect programming?
Fans are abuzz on social media, wondering if there will be programming changes. When Lucas joined the network, she was tasked with making changes and the network has made great strides in making its movies more inclusive and diverse.
In other changes, Hallmark became open to allowing actors to cry, eat food on camera and take part in comedic programming. Those very ideas were banned before Lucas joined the company.
Meanwhile, as Perry was Lucas’ boss and part of the major changes, it is unlikely that Hallmark will make changes again. Moreover, while Lucas has stepped down from her role, she remains a part of the Hallmark Media board.
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Hallmark competitor Great American Media makes staff changes
Deadline recently learned that Hallmark’s biggest competitor, Great American Media, has dropped around 13 positions from their payroll. These include Chief Marketing Officer Loren Schwartz, Chief Financial Officer Max Pinigin, EVP Digital and Strategic Growth Jamie Kramer, and VP Corporate Communications Angela Sullivan.
Other axed positions were Exec VP User Experience Brian Pancarik, Pure Flix Creative Director Nicole Gardner and Head of Financial Planning and Analysis Michael Hough.
While fans of both networks may be concerned about losing their favorite programming, with the huge success of 2023 Countdown to Christmas, it looks like Hallmark, at least, will continue to bring inclusion and diversity to their films and series.