LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The expected layoffs in preparation of the William Morris/Endeavor merger have begun with WMA shedding 15% of its staff on Monday.
According to the Los Angeles Times, WMA's layoffs hit the motion picture and lit departments the hardest and approximately 40 of the approximately 120 laid-off employees were agents while the remainder was support staff.
Both departments had been weaker than their Endeavor counterparts and the layoffs were not unexpected. WMA's much stronger music and book divisions escaped largely unscathed however, the company's 2 person video games division was eliminated entirely.
Among the departing personnel are Aaron Kaplan, WMA's head of scripted television, who plans to start his own management/production, the Times reported.
The layoffs should constitute the bulk of the merger-related departures from WMA ahead of the merger which got approval from the Federal Trade Commission on May 15th. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
