{"id":2351410,"date":"2024-10-06T16:34:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T20:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/major-hollywood-studio-lionsgate-offering-us-workers-voluntary-severance-after-ai-deal-announced-report\/"},"modified":"2024-10-06T16:36:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T20:36:49","slug":"major-hollywood-studio-lionsgate-offering-us-workers-voluntary-severance-after-ai-deal-announced-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/major-hollywood-studio-lionsgate-offering-us-workers-voluntary-severance-after-ai-deal-announced-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Hollywood Studio Lionsgate Offering US Workers \u2018Voluntary Severance\u2019 After AI Deal Announced: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmajor-hollywood-studio-lionsgate-offering-us-workers-voluntary-severance-after-ai-deal-announced-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2351410&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Lionsgate Studios\u200d is currently restructuring \u200cand\u200b has announced\u200d a\u2063 program offering voluntary severance and early\u200b retirement options to \u200cits U.S.-based employees. This\u2064 initiative, confirmed by CEO Jon Feltheimer in a memo, stems from \u2062the challenges posed by a contracting media and entertainment landscape, as well as \u2062recent \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-calls-travel-lid-for-wednesday-an-hour-after-bobulinski-interview-airs\/\" title=\"Biden Calls Travel Lid for Wednesday an Hour After Bobulinski Interview Airs\">business dealings<\/a> that include the acquisition of eOne and \u2064a significant partnership with AI startup Runway.\u2062 The voluntary nature of the severance options has drawn skepticism, as future layoffs\u200d may occur if not enough employees accept the offers. The industry\u200c is \u2062also concerned about the potential impact of AI on jobs\u2062 and content creation, especially \u200cin light of Lionsgate&#8217;s\u2062 new agreement allowing \u200bRunway\u2064 extensive\u200b rights over its content library. Critics argue that this \u200dmove reflects \u2064a troubling trend of studios seeking to leverage AI while simultaneously risking job \u200closses for human workers. These severance options have reportedly been in \u2063development for \u2064some time \u200band are not\u2063 solely a \u2064reaction to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-mulvaney-transgender-actor-cast-for-major-role-in-iconic-disney-franchise\/\" title=\"Transgender Actor Mulvaney Cast in Disney Franchise\">recent box office failures<\/a>, \u2064raising\u200b questions about the studio&#8217;s strategies amid ongoing industry shifts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Regardless of how connected the matters actually are, critics of artificial intelligence are going to have a field day with this one.<\/p>\n<p>According to a Monday report from <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2024\/09\/lionsgate-offers-voluntary-severance-early-retirement-entertainment-industry-1236103390\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deadline<\/a>, major Hollywood heavyweight Lionsgate Studios is offering its U.S.-based employees &ldquo;voluntary severance&rdquo; and early retirement options as the company continues to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meta-platforms-pauses-hiring-warns-of-restructuring-bloomberg-news\/\" title=\"Meta Platforms pauses hiring, warns of restructuring \u2013 Bloomberg News\">restructure amid<\/a> a turbulent industry landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Deadline obtained a memo from Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, confirming the news.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are offering Lionsgate U.S.-based employees a voluntary severance and early retirement program that will allow us to adapt our workforce to the disrupted business environment,&rdquo; Feltheimer wrote in the memo.<\/p>\n<p>As to just how &ldquo;voluntary&rdquo; these severance options are, Deadline noted, &ldquo;as these things go, layoffs could be a next step depending upon how many staffers take up the packages, which are focused at Lionsgate Studios.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Deadline attributed a number of reasons for why the Hollywood studio &mdash; known for some blockbuster franchises like &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/john-wick-crushes-woke-competitor-box-office-wins-fans-outstanding-95-rt-score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Wick<\/a>,&rdquo; &ldquo;The Hunger Games,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Saw&rdquo; &mdash; decided to start down this path.<\/p>\n<p>A &ldquo;contracting media and entertainment landscape&rdquo; is one reason given, as is the studio&rsquo;s business dealings, like when it &ldquo;absorbed&rdquo; eOne (now Lionsgate Canada).<\/p>\n<p>Another recent business dealing that Lionsgate was in the headlines for? An unprecedented deal with Runway, a &ldquo;first-of-its-kind&rdquo;deal that was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/media\/lionsgate-studio-behind-john-wick-signs-deal-with-ai-startup-runway-f2180245\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> on by the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 18.<\/p>\n<p>That deal, which gave Runway&rsquo;s generative AI models nebulous and wide-reaching powers over Lionsgate&rsquo;s content library, was met with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/john-wick-studio-fire-unprecedented-generative-ai-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">less-than-enthused response<\/a> from onlookers.<\/p>\n<p>One common critique is that Hollywood isn&rsquo;t as worried about AI stealing copyrighted material as it is of having its own AI doing its bidding.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Over a year ago, I told you that I assumed the studios were NOT sending lawyers to the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AI<\/a> companies over their models injesting their copyrighted films, because they wanted their own custom versions.<br \/> Well, here you go. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/t21mtqEGT8\">https:\/\/t.co\/t21mtqEGT8<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eucJw709sK\">pic.twitter.com\/eucJw709sK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JustineBateman\/status\/1836417823444435444?\">September 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Others, perhaps presciently, were more worried about whatever jobs that AI would take from workers in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ok people, tell me generative AI won&rsquo;t take filmmaking jobs again now Lionsgate has a deal with Runway AI. This isn&rsquo;t going to stop and it is only going to speed up.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Gavin Michael Booth (@GavinBooth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GavinBooth\/status\/1836433578713899346?\">September 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t going to stop and it is only going to speed up,&rdquo; filmmaker Gavin Michael Booth lamented on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-beauty-guru-to-launch-make-makeup-great-again-line\/\" title=\"Conservative Beauty Guru To Launch \u2018Make Makeup Great Again\u2019 Line\">social media shortly<\/a> after the WSJ report came out.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it is worth mentioning that Deadline is reporting that these severance options have reportedly &ldquo;been in the works for some time and are not related to the company&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/year-flopbuster-2023s-10-biggest-box-office-failures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent bum box office run<\/a> &mdash; although that likely hasn&rsquo;t helped.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That, in turn, does beg the question: If these weren&rsquo;t spontaneous reactions, were the AI deal and other similar business dealings meant to help mitigate the inevitable transition from &ldquo;voluntary severance&rdquo; options to involuntary ones?<\/p>\n<p>The truth of the matter may never come to light, but the timing of these reports naturally lends itself to murmurs and hearsay.<\/p>\n<p>And that&rsquo;s the last thing an already struggling studio needs.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Critics of artificial intelligence are likely to seize on this situation. A report from Deadline reveals that Lionsgate Studios is providing its U.S. employees with &#8220;voluntary severance&#8221; and early retirement options as part of a restructuring effort in a challenging industry environment. CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed this in a memo, stating that the program aims to adjust the workforce to the changing business landscape. However, there are concerns about how &#8220;voluntary&#8221; these options truly are, as layoffs may follow depending on employee uptake.<\/p>\n<p>Deadline cites several factors for Lionsgate&#8217;s decision, including a &#8220;contracting media and entertainment landscape&#8221; and recent business moves like acquiring eOne (now Lionsgate Canada). Additionally, Lionsgate recently made headlines for an unprecedented deal with Runway that grants generative AI models extensive rights over its content library\u2014a move met with skepticism by many who fear AI could replace jobs in filmmaking.<\/p>\n<p>While Deadline notes these severance options have been planned for some time and aren&#8217;t directly linked to recent box office struggles, it raises questions about whether such deals were intended to ease the transition from voluntary severance to potential layoffs. The timing of these developments has sparked speculation at a time when the studio is already facing challenges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2351411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lionsgate.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41478,42452,26772,42451],"class_list":["post-2351410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai-deal","tag-hollywood-studio","tag-lionsgate","tag-voluntary-severance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lionsgate.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2351410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2351411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2351410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2351410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2351410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}