After two years of mass layoffs and the promise of more media and entertainment consolidation in 2025, the mood among executives of a certain age is grim.
The pink bloodbath has deeply affected Generation X veterans in the middle management ranks of networks, studios, talent agencies and public relations firms. This comes at a time when the entire industry
Wrestles with the impact of systemic change – Goodbye, Cable; Hello, live streaming – and the most disruptive technology since the advent of talking pictures: generative artificial intelligence.
However, amidst all the turmoil, there is tremendous opportunity for professional growth for those who have experience, connections, and savvy in how to apply those skills in new arenas.
“People get very anxious about whether there will be another chapter. People shut down very emotionally when they feel vulnerable. If you don’t feel vulnerable when you’re growing up in this business, “You will not be able to achieve what you have achieved.”
Moreover, those with highly specialized skills—research, analytics, marketing, finance—could find themselves in demand as consultants and contract workers by the same companies that have decimated their teams through layoffs.
“There’s so much need because there’s so much disruption,” says Liz Hozarek, 30.
A veteran of Warner Bros. He recently launched the research group Maverix Insights & Strategies with two fellow World Bank graduates. “They’ve all cut their teams, but they still have the same workload. They can bring in our company for a fraction of the cost.”
For many who have made it to the top rungs of Hollywood’s biggest companies, the most humbling thing to accept is losing the perks that come with working at a network or studio.
Ross was ousted from his position as Discovery’s top programming executive in 2018, in the restructuring that followed Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. He remembers feeling a distinct feeling the first few times he stood in line for the show in Los Angeles — after years of being a VIP he was escorted to a reserved seat in the front row. Experiencing how the other half lives was interesting and enlightening.
“At first, it was annoying,” Ross says. “But it also reminds me why I do what I do. Because you have a chance to be around people and have a conversation about ‘What have you seen lately?’ and ‘What do you think about that?’
Hozarek, who has finished her tenure at Warner Bros., confirms: As the executive vice president overseeing research at the studio, launching a business doesn’t happen overnight. It is a commitment that requires mental and financial preparation. The blow of losing your job in a mass layoff takes an emotional toll.
“It took the wind out of my sails when he showed me the door,” Hozarek says. “I loved everything about working for Warner Bros. and all the people I worked with.”
I thought about looking for another research position. “But when I thought about it, I was like, ‘Shit, I’m not going back to the company.’ I’ll bet on me.'” “If I’m going to worry about budgeting, I’ll worry about that for me,” she says. Hozarek also founded the networking group Women of Warner Previous meeting, which meets every three months.
Ross now divides his time between homes in Los Angeles and Milan with his wife, Adam Sanderson, a former Disney marketing executive. The decision to put down roots in Milan has opened doors for Ross, both as a producer and mentor to executives and creatives on both sides of the Atlantic.
“I’m like Dora the Explorer at this time in life,” Ross says.
The biggest factor that helps executives of a certain age — especially Generation
“I’ve seen a lot of people who have taken the approach of sitting there waiting for something to happen. “If you do that, there won’t be anything,” Ross advises. “So let’s talk about your options, whether that’s moving geographically to a new place or Try something new from a creative point of view. Don’t think that at 60 or 63 you’re done, unless you love playing golf every day.