Background:

John Lasseter officially departed the Walt Disney Company on December 31st, 2018. He worked solely as a creative consultant during his last six months with the company after taking a leave of absence from Disney, following reports of harassment toward employees at Pixar. Lasseter, who is well-known for hugging employees and others in the entertainment community, was also known by insiders for “grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes.”

Skydance Media:

Just today, it was announced that Lasseter would be named head of Skydance Animation. He starts later this month. According to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison:

“John is a singular creative and executive talent whose impact on the animation industry cannot be overstated. He was responsible for leading animation into the digital age, while telling incomparable stories that continue to inspire and entertain audiences around the globe.”

Response:

Time’s Up responded to this hiring in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter following the hiring news:

“Skydance Media’s decision to hire John Lasseter as head of animation endorses and perpetuates a broken system that allows powerful men to act without consequence. At a moment when we should be uplifting the many talented voices who are consistently underrepresented, Skydance Media is providing another position of power, prominence and privilege to a man who has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace.”

Here’s the memo Ellison released to employees in order to address any potential concerns and fears:

Dear Colleagues:

I wanted to share with you first some news that we are announcing today. 

Industry visionary John Lasseter is joining us to lead Skydance Animation.  John will be based in Los Angeles and will report directly to me. 

Bill Damaschke will be transitioning from his current role, and we are hopeful he will choose to remain within the Skydance family.

The attached press release outlines the news more fully, but I wanted to share a few things that have informed our decision to bring John on board.

First, no one can dispute John’s legacy building Pixar and Walt Disney Animation into the leadership position they now enjoy.  His creative vision and forward-looking approach to animation has transformed the entire industry.  At his heart, John is a storyteller – with a unique ability to tell beautiful and emotionally-driven tales that resonate and inspire audiences around the globe. 

Second, I know many of you are aware of John’s admitted mistakes in his prior role helming those studios. John has been forthright in taking ownership of his behavior, apologized for his actions and has spent the past year on sabbatical analyzing and improving his workplace behavior.

Third, we employed outside counsel to thoroughly investigate the allegations, which we considered serious and have warranted our full attention as we made this important decision.The senior leadership team and I have all carefully evaluated the findings of this extensive investigation. 

Let me be clear:  we have not entered into this decision lightly.

While we would never minimize anyone’s subjective views on behavior, we are confident after many substantive conversations with John, and as the investigation has affirmed, that his mistakes have been recognized.  We are certain that John has learned valuable lessons and is ready to prove his capabilities as a leader and a colleague.  And he has given his assurance that he will comport himself in a wholly professional manner that is the expectation of every Skydance colleague and partner. 

We are very hopeful and excited about what the coming years will bring, as John’s art transcends generations and cultures, while deeply resonating on a fundamental level with what makes us uniquely human. 

The senior leadership team and I will be hosting a town hall for all Skydance Animation colleagues shortly to speak with you directly about this transition.  Additional town halls at SDM and SDI will take place today and tomorrow.

Skydance Animation colleagues, please be on the lookout for a call-to-gather email.   I look forward to speaking with you in person.

Thanks,

David

What do you think of Lasseter’s career transition and Skydance’s move to hire him? Sound off in the comments below.