The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences laid off a major contingent of staff members in its archive and library on Wednesday, including Acad

Academy Film Archive Lays Off Multiple Staff Members in Restructuring as AMPAS Announces Expansions to Collection

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2024-11-01 05:30:02

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences laid off a major contingent of staff members in its archive and library on Wednesday, including Academy Film Archive director of 24 years Mike Pogorzelski. A source with knowledge of the changes says that several impacted employees had worked at the Academy for more than a decade. Across archive, library and museum collection, 16 employees were laid off.

The downsizing, announced on Wednesday by Academy CEO Bill Kramer in an internal statement obtained by Variety, comes amid an ongoing restructuring initiative at the organization. The cutbacks place the archive, the library and the collecting unit’s operations under a newly formed Academy Collection and Preservation department. Related Stories VIP+ Why SAG-AFTRA Is Smart to Threaten Holiday Gaming Boycott 'Real Housewives of Orange County' Star Emily Simpson on Alexis Bellino's 'Disaster' Return, the 'Public Humiliation' of Shannon Beador — and Being the Voice of Reason During This Shocking Season

“As part of this work in building the new Academy Collection and Preservation department, some team members will be leaving the Academy this week,” Kramer wrote, adding the note that “less than 2% of our overall workforce” had been impacted. “We know that having to say goodbye to colleagues is incredibly hard. We are deeply committed to providing support for those leaving and are finalizing a new reporting structure that we will share soon.” Popular on Variety