Breaking: Essence Lays Off Digital Team
Via Journalsticks: After relaunching their website last week, Essence magazine laid off its web team today citing budgetary reasons.
“They told us it was downsizing,” says one Essence employee. “We’re very confused. We worked so hard for the relaunch.”
Another insider tells J’sticks: “This is normal practice. Companies relaunch with new [site] schemes that allow them to do more with less, then they cut staff.”
In addition to letting go of the web team, Essence also let go of 4 Editors. Emil Wilbekin remains on staff as the Deputy Editor.
Story developing…
Updated 3:18pm: We are getting reports of about 10 were laid off, one was a Beauty Assistant for both print and digital, no word if she is included in the count for the layoffs in print.
Updated: 3:40pm: 4 cuts from Essence staff include: Fashion Assistant,Work & Wealth Assistant, one of 3 deputy editors and a special projects director who’s been with the magazine since the 70s.
Category: News, web 2.0 | Tags: Essence, essence digital, essence layoffs
About the Author Angela Benton is the Founder and Publisher of BlackWeb20.com. Her experience spans a variety of industries including consultative relationships with companies such as UPS, Bizjournals.com, Realestate.com, and Lendingtree.com.
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It's called business and management. In today's world, that is the reality. I think I people need to be aware of when you are working on projects, if you are working yourself out of a job! It happens everyday.
It's called business and management. In today's world, that is the reality. I think I people need to be aware of when you are working on projects, if you are working yourself out of a job! It happens everyday.
man that is so so wrong – especially in today's world
Man, It's a cold cold world…
This seems to be a trend and WILL be a trend for many publications that made lots of offline cash flow based on subscriptions.
Honestly, in the last year, my family MAY have bought 5 magazines. The content is way to easy to get online.
Good luck Essence and other magazines. Hope you are able to weather the tide…
Wow. Well now I get why they switched to blog format. Wow, a team works hard to launch a redesign and then days later you lay them all off? I'd feel used.
Wow! It IS easy to update a blog. No wonder they simplified.
That's horrible for that digital team and other editors.
I knew this was coming… Don't take much to run a blog… Still I for one would never wish for a fellow brother/sister to lose their job… May they land on their feet soon…
Also big ups to BlackWeb 2.0 for keeping us up to date…