Layoffs have hit Fox following the entertainment company’s sale to Disney.
The staff cuts are hitting employees at the SVP, EVP, and president level. Senior staff is expected to be among the first to be impacted. However, the cuts will be deep, with the ax falling hardest of Fox’s film team. There could be as many as 4,000 jobs cut in the merger, according to some reports. On the studio side, the first wave of job losses is relatively small and targeted.
One of the most prominent names to lose his post is domestic distribution head Chris Aronson, who was given his 60 day notice on Thursday.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead the domestic distribution team, which I consider to be the gold standard in the business,” Aronson said in a statement. “While I am disappointed not to continue, I look forward to starting a new chapter in this business during this exciting time of change.”
Heather Phillips, EVP and head of domestic publicity, and Mike Dunn, president of product strategy and consumer business development, were also let go. Phillips was at Fox for a total of almost 10 years, over two stints, overseeing theatrical publicity and awards campaigns. Dunn previously served as president of home entertainment worldwide.
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Disney closed its $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox on Tuesday. It is buying 20th Century Fox, FX, NatGeo, and much of Hulu in a deal that is expected to reshape the entertainment landscape.
Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn and President Alan Bergman were on Fox’s Century City lot for meetings with executives this week. In a memo, Bergman and Horn said they would try to be as open as possible about the changes that will take place at the entertainment company and said they would soon be making announcements about the film division’s senior leadership structure.
“Day-to-day, our top priorities remain the same: to support the great content we’re creating and deliver a superb experience to our consumers, and to continue to build an inspiring, inclusive environment where employees can bring their best to work every day,” the two men wrote. Bergman and Horn also cautioned staffers to expect “quite a bit of change across our organizations.
Some of Fox’s film leadership will remain in place. Twentieth Century Fox Film vice chairman Emma Watts, Fox 2000 chief Elizabeth Gabler, Fox Family president Vanessa Morrison, and Fox Searchlight co-heads Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley are among those making the move to the Mouse House. Fox film chief Stacey Snider will not make the transition.
Fox staffers began receiving layoff news on Thursday morning at 9 a.m. The severance packages are said to be generous with some senior staff getting as much as 9 months of full pay.