Netflix fires executives for criticizing bosses over Slack – The Hollywood Reporter

Netflix has fired three senior film marketing executives – about half of its staff at this level – after they were found to be angry with Slack about the management, sources say. Hollywood journalist.

According to sources, their immediate boss, vp original marketing films Jonathan Helfgot, whom they also criticized, was extremely reluctant to fire the three for their comments, arguing that employees naturally let off steam and that such dire consequences were not justified. But sources say he succumbed to pressure from senior company officials.

The episode is a window into Netflix’s unusual culture, which calls for radical transparency. Under the heading “True Values” on her employment website is an entry that says “You only say things about your coworkers that you tell them to their face.”

Apparently, the executives in question thought the messages were private. An insider says an employee came across several months of these messages and reported it. Netflix declined to comment on the matter.

Among those criticized by executives was marketing director Bozoma Saint John. Although Saint John is black, an insider said the company found nothing in the chat racist or disparaging of any particular community. On the contrary, according to sources, Netflix deemed the conversation incompatible with its core values. “Their culture is focused on transparency and feedback,” says an outside observer familiar with the situation. “It would make sense that there was no need for a private conversation.”

Another source familiar with the thinking of co-CEO Ted Sarandos says, ironically, that executives might have been better off talking about their complaints more openly. “If you evacuate [there], you do it very publicly, ”said this person. As for grumbling in a small group, “Ted told me it was a dismissal offense because it was destructive to the fabric of the business.”

But it could have been awkward in this case, as sources say Sarandos bypassed typical company maintenance protocols when he hired Saint John away from Endeavor in June 2020. Saint John was the first person. black to join the ranks of the streamer’s top executives. Prior to joining Endeavor in 2018, she had worked at Apple and Uber in high profile roles.

A source who has worked with Saint John says she has “a tremendous presence” and is an energetic speaker. She is also described by a former Netflix insider as well as former Endeavor colleagues as an unconventional marketer. Insiders say Sarandos and Reed Hastings place a low priority on traditional marketing strategy.

Saint John has become a name in its own right, giving Ted Talks and speeches. By posting on her 372,000 Instagam subscribers under the nickname “badassboz”, she recently promoted level 2 of her “Atelier Badass”, promising to help subscribers “adapt to your bigger personality !! at $ 150 for five sessions. In June, she appeared in a Condé Nast Traveler promotional video that invited viewers to explore places in Los Angeles “where she seeks meaningful connections to her heritage – in the Porsche Panamera.”

She had announced to the staff that she would move and work from Paris as “ambassador of the [Netflix] culture ”, but sources say those plans have been canceled.

For THRin the May 2021 issue of Women in Entertainment, she wrote about her unique trajectory and a Ad age article that questioned his credentials and was later removed with an apology after a social media backlash. “I don’t think it’s a surprise that Ad age It wasn’t the first time that someone questioned my accomplishments or tried to turn them into something negative, ”she wrote. “Reaching the top of the mountain just means you’re sensitive to high winds. They are fierce, they are strong and they are much colder… I am not superhuman. I happen to be super good at what I do.

Meanwhile, Saint John continues to put its mark on the marketing department. Recent hires include Seduce Editor-in-Chief Michelle Lee and Vice President of Spotify and Global Co-Head of Music Marian Lee Dicus. Saint John also recently parted ways with nine-year veteran VP Eric Pallotta. In a statement, Saint John said, “Over the past 9 years, Eric Pallotta has helped create passionate fan communities for our titles around the world and created the playful and entertaining brand voice that defines us today. hui. We wish him the best in his future endeavors. “