UPDATED: Several editorial staffers and contractors have been laid off at Tudum, Netflix’s fan site that’s devoted to behind-the-scenes news relating to the streaming giant’s content.
The cuts were part of a restructuring of Netflix’s marketing department, with Jonathan Helfgot, VP of Marketing for Netflix Original Films and Shelly Gillyard, VP of U.S. series marketing, named co-heads of marketing for the U.S. and Canada. They fill the position left vacant when Marian Lee was named Netflix chief marketing officer, replacing Bozoma Saint John when she exited last month.
Meanwhile, Lucinda Martinez who’d joined Netflix several months ago as VP of multicultural marketing, has left to start her own company.
All in all, 25 positions were eliminated, the bulk at Tudum. The site launched in December and was named after Netflix’s signature sound cue. The streamer uses the platform to offer up more content related to its series and movies. It was created after Netflix launched its first global Tudum fan event that September, offering up stars and creators from more than 100 series, films and specials in a virtual event that focused on exclusive news and first looks.
“Our fan website Tudum is an important priority for the company,” a Netflix spokesperson told Deadline today.
One of the panels during that Tudum global event was moderated by then-Netflix CMO Saint John, who later repped Netflix in introducing the site in a December blog post, saying, “I’m excited to introduce Tudum for fans to dive deeper into the stories they love, fuel their obsessions and start new conversations.”
Saint John exited the company in March after less than two years on the job.
Several now-former Tudum staffers took to Twitter today to share the news.
So. I got laid off from Netflix/Tudum today. Media is gonna media even when it's not technically media, I guess.
— Tijuana Maxx (@byalexzaragoza) April 28, 2022
Netflix recruited me seven months ago only to lay me and a bunch of other talented people off today. I’m going to take time off to just exist, so please get in touch if you’ll have editing and content strategy opportunities open after August. EvetteDionneWriter@gmail.com
— Evette Dionne (@freeblackgirl) April 28, 2022
Just got laid off from Netflix/Tudum, effective today. Email me with opportunities at reinasultan@gmail.com so I can pay my rent and help my parents survive!
A bunch of my incredible colleagues got laid off, too. You’d be incredibly lucky to work with any of them.
— Reina Sultan (she/her) (@SultanReina) April 28, 2022
Uh oh! Looks like I have to do this tweet again. Is anyone hiring? Netflix just laid off my team (my job included). It was an incredible few months and I'm grateful for it but I'm stoked about whatever's next. Email is in bio.
— josh terry (@JoshhTerry) April 28, 2022
The news comes as Netflix shed $54 billion in market value in one day last week, the day after it reported disappointing Q1 2022 earnings. Investors collectively were taken aback by the company’s surprise admission of slowing growth and discouraged by the long lead time and lack of clarity around potential solutions.
Netflix’s Russian Subscribers Sue Over Halted Service
In the earnings report, Netflix unveiled a loss of 200,000 subscribers in the first three months of the year (the number would have grown by about 500,000 ignoring the impact of turning off the Russian market). It also anticipated a dip of 2 million subs in the current quarter.
Nellie Andreeva contributed to this report.
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