When Jim Spanfeller and a private equity firm called Great Hill Partners took over G/O Mediaformerly Gizmodo Media Groupin April, their stated goal was to make the company profitable. The only person that I was aware of that was calling directly on clients was an SVP at The Onion and that was to sell creative services, he said. Im sorry that Mike didnt more clearly convey the information to me., McAvoy said, Jim has a different recollection of the facts., The SVP said she told Spanfeller that she wasnt the only person who noticed this pattern of hiring his former colleagues over women at the company, and that he should be prepared to address it. This guy just seems like he doesnt like women, another added. I Close-Read the 113-Page Complaint Trying to Ban the Abortion Pill in Texas. He would stop into peoples offices with the doors open and scream at them, so everyone knew what was going on., A fourth source, a former senior staff member at The Daily Meal who worked with Spanfeller, confirmed his temper issues and the dysfunctional nature of the workplace. Spanfeller said he asked for the survey; Rogers said he wrote it; and editorial director Paul Maidment said he didnt approve it, but he told Deadspin editor-in-chief Megan Greenwell that he did not attempt to stop it from running on the site when he was filled in shortly before it was scheduled to go up. While cleaning house and bringing in some trusted former colleagues is not entirely uncommon in private-equity acquisitions, Spanfeller filled nearly his entire top layer of management without any public recruitment process; the only woman hired as a department head, head of talent Angela Persaud, was also the only person at that level whose job was posted publicly. I realized that I wasnt communicating my advocacy for the department or our initiatives to upper management and other departments back to the team clearly enough. That union's collective bargaining agreement expires in February. In turn, Spanfeller hired a number of his old media friends and former colleagues from Forbes, Playboy, and other outlets to fill top roles at G/O Media, while also failing to make public job postings for many of these roles. Employees across editorial, sales, and tech have left, but many of these positions, even mission-critical ones, have not been filled. The CEO alleged. The post, published Tuesday evening, proved wildly popular on Twitter. As I said in the article, some of the celebs I mentioned could have changed their political leanings. Ive reached out to Spanfeller for comment multiple times over the past few days and have yet to hear back. The fourth known instance of Spanfeller overlooking a woman at the company in favor of a white male former colleague also happened on the sales team. The two former staffers described Spanfeller as a micromanager who insists on approving minor budget items and sitting in on meetings far beneath his level, like editorial audience meetings with. He also claimed to have hired four women for major roles though, one of these jobs has not been filled yet, as Spanfeller instead claims he plans to give it to a woman. Sole dedication to revenue, getting it the cheapest, quickest way possible. Fuck Jim Spanfeller and Paul Maidment. Jim Spanfeller has 2 current jobs as Founder at The Daily Meal and Chief Executive Officer at G/O Media. Former CEO of http://Forbes.com, Chairman Emeritus, IAB, Sec OPA NYCJoined April 2009 266Following 1,878Followers Tweets Tweets & replies Media Likes Jim Spanfeller's Tweets Jim Spanfeller @JimSpanfeller Mar 13, 2020 Good News! Before we go any further, I feel compelled to acknowledge that nearly everything about this item is a conflict of interest. Mad Money Twitter - Jim . James J. Spanfeller serves as President & Chief Executive Officer of Forbes.com, a leading media Internet company, and as Executive Vice President of Electronic Publishing for . As the former publisher of National Geographic, Mens Health & Maximmy successful presentation & leadership skills are evident.. While the archived version of the post did not preserve the original images, you can view a PDF of the original post below. While these high-ranking women were being overlooked and bypassed, Spanfeller evidently was concerned about retaining at least one other VP on the sales side. Im shocked he would call that a good presentation, said the employee who was in the meeting. [6] Just under two years later, Spanfeller was replaced as publisher by Scott Kauffmann and became the national sales manager of Newsweek magazine in 1986. After two years of mainly working from home, the company wants everyone back in the office four days a week. Deadspin cited an account from a former writer at The Daily Meal, a food and beverage site that Spanfeller founded in 2015, who claims her former boss once started screaming at her because she voiced concerns about writing a story on the websites earning figures, which she felt she was not qualified for. On July 9, he hired Faiza Javaid as deputy general counsel, a position that was posted publicly. Spanfeller declined to answer a question about whether he expressed these sentiments to Klancnik. Editorial director Paul Maidment, who worked with Spanfeller at Forbes and The Daily Meal. In other words, G/O media had effectively broken the redirect at Deadspin2.com, so that the site now redirected to a dead link. A senior vice president who has worked for what is now G/O Media for four and a half years met with Spanfeller in the companys Chicago office shortly after he purchased the company in April. The Daily Meal was acquired by Tronc in 2016. [1] I think it makes him a bad role model for the rest of his team.. "There's a fly and he's a swatter, and that's it," the former executive said. The rigorous and thorough reporting, editing, and legal review process that Greenwell promised to oversee has since been completed, which is why you are reading this story now. "We needed to change a lot of things, and change is hard.". I hold myself to a high regard and ensuring that Im respectful to others and create a community of camaraderie, hire for diversity, and that there is a work life balance, she told Deadspin. I think the biggest problem was the leadership wouldnt get out of the way of everyone, one former employee told Deadspin. . Youre not qualified. According to his LinkedIn, Thompson is the founder of Mediacentric Inc., a multi-media representation company., A man was hired with my same title [vice president for west coast sales] to be my boss, the VP told Deadspin. Asked about the former employees accounts, Spanfeller said he has no idea what this refers to and it is not my recollection of working at The Daily Meal, adding that he doesnt recall screaming at anyone. It was four days old. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. 15 Life Hacks That Are Actually Pretty Good 17,580. Six days after the SVPs exchange with McAvoy, Spanfeller sent an email to the entire staff announcing G/O Medias new company values. James J. Spanfeller Jr. is an American media executive best known for running Forbes.com from 2001-2009. I thought she was going to be great, and it didnt work out by her own assessment., In response to follow-up questions, Spanfeller clarified that there was never a signed offer between Pontius and the company. "There's been a lot of pain in this, but it's worth it to get properties that are as great as these properties are," Spanfeller said of G/O's 11 publications, which include Gizmodo, Jezebel, The Onion, Lifehacker, The Root, and Kotaku. "You're not a 'blogger,' you're a professional journalist. And as the only woman on the previous revenue leadership team, I started to wonder if women were being considered for leadership roles. Indeed, Spanfeller told Deadspin that he first contacted Rogers about the job on June 11. "[17], "Great Hill Partners Agrees to Acquire Gizmodo Media Group", "Great Hill Partners Acquires Gizmodo Media Group", "President & CEO, Jim Spanfeller Named as IAB Chairman", "Alumni Album: Helping Us Connect to the Web", "Advertising; 4 Young Executives On Move at Newsweek", "Playboy Hires 2 New Execs; Title of Publisher Goes to 1", "New Gizmodo boss Jim Spanfeller is an old school digital media vet", "After Days Of Resignations, The Last Of The Deadspin Staff Has Quit", "Deadspin Is ZombifiedBut Gawker's Content Warriors Fight On", "The Media-Sensational Rise and Fall of "Jim Spanfeller Is a Herb", "GMG Union votes no confidence in G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jim_Spanfeller&oldid=1074755870, This page was last edited on 2 March 2022, at 00:52. Other top employees who have left the company since the start of Spanfellers reign include former A.V. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise. Lastly, I firmly believe, personally, that Jim Spanfeller is a herb. The JW Player was an interim step, Spanfeller said. Below are some of the biggest revelations outlined in Deadspins roughly 7,000 word report on their parent company and its new management, which they spoke to nearly two dozen G/O Media employees for. I am a father of three wonderful woman. Whats left of that company is currently called G/O Media. Political affiliation means the state of belonging to or endorsing any political party. Jim has a different recollection of the facts, McAvoy reiterated. Former SVP of sales and operations Kurt Mueller had left the company, and McAvoy told the woman Spanfeller was hiring his replacement. (G/O Medias Collective Bargaining Agreement contains a clause that explicitly states that editorial decisions can only be made by editorial staff members, which Spanfeller is not. That is absurd. In the email, Spanfeller said he was "greatly concerned about the objectivity and core intentions of this piece," and questioned the editorial standards of Deadspin's editors. Oh my God, thats so funny, Carmichael said when I informed her of this latest development. (The people I work for and the people who report to me know what I do, Rogers, 63, told Deadspin in an email.). pretty big scoop from me Jim Spanfeller is a herb https://t.co/gZDCs6mfhC. Never mind that employees called for his resignation last year. Thats not reality, a tech staffer told Deadspin. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like Jim Spanfeller discover inside connections to recommended . 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According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, in April Spanfeller offered the job of head of talent to Katie Pontius, who until recently was the chief of staff for The Onion, Inc. Club executive editor Laura M. Browning and former A.V. The digital media and blogging network, which oversees websites like Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jezebel, A.V. Vacillating Wildly From Dispiriting to Exhilarating. In a follow-up meeting with Spanfeller about the story, she suggested that hard financial data might not be their audiences central interest. Who doesnt like uncompromising commentary or sports stories you couldnt find anywhere else? Political party affiliation trends based on location. In the meantime, Carmichael had her own message for Spanfeller: Congratulations on confirming your herb-ishness.. Initially, we had to move fast because the company was losing money at a rapid pace, he said. Spanfeller said he would go into negotiations "with an open mind and good faith," but a former executive at the company predicted conflict at the negotiating table between the union and the CEO, given their view of Spanfeller's heavy-handed leadership style. Top Women at the Company Expressed Interest in Filling Executive Roles and Were Promised Interview Opportunities Prior to Spanfeller Hiring His Friends, Two G/O Media employees Deadspin spoke to, who are women who have an experienced track record with the company, say Spanfeller promised to give them a chance to interview for upper-level roles. It has introduced real uncertainty in to stocks, and Trump's agenda has become shaky. Its Extremely Revealing. I am and will continue to be a very strong advocate for my team.. The VP had a call with McAvoy and Spanfeller to discuss the process, asking Spanfeller why he hadnt even reached out to her about the position. It definitely feels like its the old boys club, a G/O Media employee told Deadspin. Views. Spanfellers cronies now fill the G/O Media positions of chief financial officer, editorial director, senior VP of marketing, VP of west coast sales, VP of east coast sales, and VP of southern sales. Spanfeller was hired by private equity firm Great Hill Partners to run the company after it was purchased from Univision. These vacant roles have yet to be filled and Spanfeller has not announced an interim editor. Multiple sources say that Spanfeller reached out to VP of media operations Brad Klancnik to tell him he was a valuable employee and that the new owners would like him to stay at the company, but female VPs say he did not relay such messages to them. Both lawsuits detail discrimination personally faced or witnessed by the plaintiffs from Jim Spanfeller, who became CEO of G/O Media in April after private equity firm Great Hill acquired Gizmodo . (Spanfeller says this is inaccurate and that he did consider other candidates for the editorial director role, but Paul quickly rose to the top after he expressed an interest in the position.) Three of the men Spanfeller hired were installed over successful women who had been at the company for years. In two cases, women asked for and were promised the opportunity to interview for executive-level positions for which they were qualified, only to see Spanfeller hire one of his former colleagues before they were given a chance to interview. [15][16] In January 2020 the GMG union, which represents the staff of G/O media, announced a vote of no confidence in CEO Jim Spanfeller citing, among other issues, a lack of willingness to negotiate for "functional editorial independence protections. UPDATE: This article has been updated to remove an incorrect reference to former G/O Media Lynn Oberlander leaving her job shortly after the companys latest round of layoffs. Its hard to imagine what one would not like on that list of items, Reibstein said of the third question. (check all that apply). We had to move fast because the company was losing money at a rapid pace, Spanfeller wrote in a statement. Use this information as you see fit. Elsewhere in the company, G/O Media has pushed staffers at its site the AV Club to relocate to Los Angeles from Chicago, according to a recent report in Gawker, which is now owned by Bustle Digital Group. Sources say the meeting concluded with an agreement that the best course of action would be to explain to Spanfeller why the player would not be finished by August 15. So put this piece on ice. Emma Carmichael is a friend of mine, and we both worked at Gawker Media and, as it was later named after being purchased by Univision, Gizmodo Media Group, or GMG. At least have everybody well briefed on this is what were doing and this is what wed like to learn from it, Reibstein said. Its everything Ive wanted and more.. We may earn a commission from links on this page. But Spanfeller said that he wants G/O Media to keep the voice and mission that made Gawker Media sites singular in the digital media industry. Jim Spanfeller . He started screaming at me, Who told you you were allowed to speak about audience? In an emailed statement to Deadspin, Spanfeller claimed that he did not make the hires, but admitted to making professional introductions for some of these new employees. Who even told you you were allowed to think about audience? the woman alleged. You wrote a 'story,'" Spanfeller recalled telling staff. Spanfeller Media Group ( SMG ), a subsidiary of publishing company Tribune Publishing, is a digital media company based in New York City. G/O Media, the newly formed company comprised of the assets of the former Gizmodo Media, will lay off 25 employees, according to a memo that company CEO Jim Spanfeller sent to staffers on Tuesday. Jack Crosbie, a former Splinter contractor and co-owner of Discourse, said that traffic declined at Splinter because G/O did not refill lost positions. Answering a similar one, he seemed to contradict himself: This concern was expressed to me and I take it very seriously. On July 30, the day after I emailed reporting questions to Spanfeller, Maidment, Rogers, Jesse Knight, and Sean Flanagan, Spanfeller sent a company-wide email under the subject line Reporting on Ourselves; Deadspin Reporting On The Company and Our Executives. In the email, excerpts of which were published by media reporters from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, Spanfeller voiced his opinion on how coverage of the company should work: I believe the solution is to have that reporting reviewed by an impartial outside editor a Public Editor, if you will [] and not just for these situations but for any situation where someone within or without the company has issues with our coverage or reporting. 1. In addition to the annoying ads, G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller also wants Kotaku to only write about video games. Spanfeller said the goal was to find out what the key points of attraction are for our visitors.. [2][3], Spanfeller graduated from Union College with a B.A. Another was more direct: Thats Jim wanting to be in control. Sources say he was retained to consult on sales and how the department could work more directly with clients, which the now-former employee says was her job. In an email read to Deadspin, McAvoy agreed that she was qualified for the role and said he would talk with Spanfeller to ensure she was interviewed for the new opportunity, which had not been posted publicly. He would stop into peoples offices with the doors open and scream at them, so everyone knew what was going on., 5. Im kind of a tipsy at a bar in Paris, she added. Jeremy Gordon Oct292019 03:41PM EST. McAvoy told her she would be able to interview for a bigger role, she said, only to follow up a few weeks later and say that Rogers had been hired. Views. According to sources familiar with the situation, the tech team was instructed by Knight, who was directed by Spanfeller, to push out the survey without consent from anyone in editorial. And Fake. He sent a message back about the importance of diversity and inclusion and a full hiring process. Text. 20 Employees Complained to Deadspin About Spanfellers Management, After interviewing nearly two dozen employees, Deadspin found that 20 people who work for G/O Media expressed frustration with Spanfellers approach to hiring and his new executives lack of knowledge about the company combined with their seeming unwillingness or inability to get up to speed.. Then, Thursday night, after Bernie Sanders tweeted in support of Deadspin, supporter collective People for Bernie tweeted the post at its new URL: After which, sometime today, the post disappeared, only to be replaced by this: Its not entirely clear which of Kinjas guidelines were violated, particularly considering that theres no agreed upon definition of what constitutes a herb. That distinction quickly sparked backlash in late 2019, when the staff of Deadspin resigned over the firing of a top editor and the company's mandate that the site stick to covering sports. Combined with more data-driven metrics like unique views, how long a reader spends on a story, and how many times a story is shared, reader feedback can provide useful information. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. According to Great Hill Partners' website, Spanfeller "has led comparable media platforms and positioned them for successful strategic exit," which probably means something to someone, somewhere,. Spanfeller said no one told him that a female VP was already successfully performing that job before he hired Thompson. G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller said the company would become "nicely profitable" by the end of the year, after it's been . Now that we are closer to stabilizing the company, there can be a more deliberate recruitment and hiring process. I first emailed Spanfeller on June 24, early in my reporting process, telling him that I was working on a story about the new hires hed brought to G/O Media in his first few months. It is also worth noting that multiple internal candidates have expressed interest in the position of EIC of the A/V Club. The Onion union declined to comment, but a source with knowledge of the situation disputed that the union demanded promotions, saying its letter demanded action and used the words We ask for the following when addressing promotions. Who even told you you were allowed to think about audience?, My management was straight-up scared of him, said a staffer who worked at the site for two years and had responsibilities on both the editorial and marketing sides of the company. While Carmichael was on a plane to Paris, I discovered that G/O had changed her accounts URL from emma.kinja.com to lajskhclsahkchkad.kinja.com, while going to emma.kinja.com now redirects to the new URL, at the time of the change, it simply showed a broken page. It's a culture of fear," said the first former employee, who added that staffers sometimes likened meetings with Spanfeller to the "boar on the floor" scene in HBO's "Succession," where media mogul Logan Roy orders his underlings to crawl and oink like pigs. [7], Spanfeller was named associate publisher and senior vice president of marketing of Playboy Enterprises in April 1989.
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