- HBO’s Casey Bloys Talks Emmy Wins & Updates On 2025 Hopefuls ‘The Last Of Us’, ‘Euphoria’ & ‘White Lotus’; Calls On Gay Twitter For ‘Gilded Age’ Support Deadline
- ‘The Last of Us’ Cast Reunites on Emmy Awards Red Carpet 1 Year After Show’s Premiere Yahoo Entertainment
- Casey Bloys Reflects on HBO’s Emmys Dominance, Looks Ahead to 2024 — and 2025 Hollywood Reporter
- Here Are The Eight Emmys ‘The Last Of Us’ Won For HBO Forbes
- How Many Emmys Did ‘The Last of Us’ Win in 2024? Parade Magazine
Tag Archives: Bloys
HBO Boss Casey Bloys Apologizes for Using Fake Twitter Accounts to Troll TV Critics: ‘Dumb Idea’ – Variety
- HBO Boss Casey Bloys Apologizes for Using Fake Twitter Accounts to Troll TV Critics: ‘Dumb Idea’ Variety
- HBO Bosses Used ‘Secret’ Fake Accounts to Troll TV Critics Rolling Stone
- HBO’s Casey Bloys Responds To Report He Trolled TV Critics On Social Media: “Very Dumb Idea To Vent My Frustration” Deadline
- HBO Boss Explains Trolling TV Critics With Secret Twitter Accounts TVLine
- HBO Chief Casey Bloys Concedes Fake Twitter Accounts Were a “Very Dumb Idea” Hollywood Reporter
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Casey Bloys Would Have Taken “Another Two Seasons” of ‘Succession’ – Hollywood Reporter
- Casey Bloys Would Have Taken “Another Two Seasons” of ‘Succession’ Hollywood Reporter
- HBO Exec Opens Up About Ending Critically Acclaimed Show Despite Wanting More Screen Rant
- ‘Succession’ creator decided to end the show despite HBO being hungry for more NME
- ‘Succession’ Creator Jesse Armstrong On What To Expect From Final Season & Which Episode Will Shock The Hollywood Reporter
- HBO Content Chief Casey Bloys’ Heartfelt ‘Succession’ Sendoff, A Series That Weathered A Few Real-Life Corporate Mergers Deadline
Casey Bloys Addresses HBO/Max Reorg, “Painful” Layoff Decisions – Deadline
At the end of a day that saw about 70 (14%) staffers in his divisions getting laid off, Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO & HBO Max, just sent an email to his team about the cuts as well as his new (old) senior HBO/Max scripted executive team of Amy Gravitt, Francesca Orsi and Sarah Aubrey which includes new responsibilities for Gravitt and Aubrey.
In the memo (read it in full below), Bloys lays out the responsibilities for his top executives on the scripted and documentary side who are staying on and also highlights the accomplishments of the top executives who are leaving as a result of the layoffs, Jennifer O’Connell, Jennifer Kim; Michael Quigley and Linda Lowy.
“Although I am confident these structural changes will allow us to sustain a thriving business model, these decisions have been extremely painful to make,” Bloys wrote. “We operate in an environment where we must adapt in real-time to industry and company exigencies. None of this lessens the blow of parting ways with such talented, trusted, hardworking, and celebrated teammates.”
Here is his email:
Team,
First, I want to thank and acknowledge all of you for the unparalleled, incredible work you’ve done across all of our programming efforts. This team has achieved successes over an unprecedented stretch of challenges—from 140 Emmy nominations across our brand to the recent coverage celebrating HBO Max as one of the best streaming services in the market. I commend your focus and commitment to excellence through these very uncertain times.
Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly, and it is up to us to continue to refine our model to chart a course for long term success. As you heard from David Zaslav during our last earnings call, producing top-tier HBO/Max scripted content is crucial to WBD’s future. Part of this process involves an honest assessment of what we need moving forward.
To best align our strengths and strategy with the challenges and opportunities ahead, I am announcing the following organizational changes.
Max Scripted Originals
Sarah Aubrey will continue to oversee the Max Originals drama slate as well as expand her responsibilities to include a key strategic global role. Since the platform’s inception, Sarah has been an indefatigably dynamic leader, with a diverse and long list of successes including The Flight Attendant, Peacemaker, And Just Like That…, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and The Staircase, among many others. Building on this, and as our company grows in its global aspiration and reach, Sarah’s remit will include working alongside Gerhard Zeiler and his team to define and implement our international programming strategy. Joey Chavez, EVP Programming, will continue to report to Sarah as the lead for Max Originals drama, and together they will focus on developing and producing tentpole IP series such as Peacemaker, Dune, The Penguin, and Green Lantern.
Suzanna Makkos will now report into Amy Gravitt, Head of Comedy and EVP, Programming for HBO. Suzanna has led an incredibly successful comedy slate for Max Originals, punctuated by the acclaimed, Emmy-winning series Hacks, as well as The Sex Lives of College Girls, Rap Sh!t, and Julia, and also animated series including the upcoming Velma and Young Love. This transition will align our scripted comedy slate under one powerhouse, genre-redefining team; and by unifying this department under Amy, we’ll be able to maximize our effectiveness in continuing to build out our slate across both the HBO and Max Originals brand. Suzanna will also continue to lead Adult Swim adult animation programming.
Besides Amy now overseeing a combined HBO/HBO Max comedy group, HBO leadership remains unchanged. Francesca Orsi, HBO’s Head of Drama and EVP Programming will continue to lead the HBO Originals drama team. Nancy Abraham, EVP Programming, and Lisa Heller, EVP Programming, will continue to lead HBO’s documentary slate, and Nina Rosenstein, EVP Programming, continues to lead our late-night, talk, and specials content.
As we contemplate the Discovery content offering joining HBO Max for an eventual combined platform, we have had to make the incredibly difficult decision to disband or restructure the following teams, none of which reflects the contributions of the individuals impacted here.
Max Originals Non-Fiction & Live-Action Family Originals
Jen O’Connell and her talented team have led a diverse, impactful, and entertaining slate, with titles ranging from competition series including the Emmy-winning Legendary to FBOY Island, 12 Dates of Christmas, and Finding Magic Mike; to documentaries such as Class Action Park, The Way Down, and On The Record; and family programming such as Gordita Chronicles. I can’t say enough about my respect for Jen’s talent, vision, and passionate commitment to inclusive content. As we move forward, we will not add new reality/documentaries to the Max slate. For existing Max reality programming, we will make renewal decisions based on traditional measures of success.
International Originals, HBO Max
In light of Warner Bros. Discovery’s sizable International footprint, led by Gerhard Zeiler, we will no longer have a U.S. team dedicated to pursuing these opportunities. During her time at HBO Max, Jeniffer Kim, SVP International Originals, was responsible for programming international content including the acclaimed limited series It’s A Sin, and the Peabody Award-winning Sort Of. I extend my sincere gratitude to Jen and her team for all of their inspired work. Going forward, similar to the model employed at HBO for titles such as Years and Years, I May Destroy You, and My Brilliant Friend, the individual drama and comedy teams will evaluate and pursue any international co-productions they may find valuable outside of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Casting, HBO Max
To mirror the model that has proved successful over the years at HBO, we will no longer have an in-house casting department for Max Originals. Linda Lowy, EVP Casting, is one of the most gifted casting executives in the business. She and her team have a great deal to be proud of, and the impact of their contributions can be seen across the breakthrough Max Original series.
Content Acquisitions, HBO & HBO Max
Our model here will also change, with a significant reduction in the size of the team. This reflects an evolving need as the industry moves away from third party Pay 1 deals and acquisitions, and as a company we leverage our own library from the Warner Bros. portfolio. Michael Quigley, EVP, Content Acquisition, who joined the HBO Max team shortly before the platform’s launch, will be departing. In his time with the company, Michael spearheaded key acquisition deals—including South Park—and has led a talented team based in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles. He has been a deft leader in the changing marketplace, and I wish him all future successes. Royce Battleman, SVP, Content Acquisition, an essential member of HBO’s Acquisitions team for close to three decades, will lead the newly restructured department and now report to Glenn Whitehead, President, Business Affairs & Production for HBO & HBO Max.
Although I am confident these structural changes will allow us to sustain a thriving business model, these decisions have been extremely painful to make. We operate in an environment where we must adapt in real-time to industry and company exigencies. None of this lessens the blow of parting ways with such talented, trusted, hardworking, and celebrated teammates. I extend to each of them my deepest appreciation as they transition to their next opportunity.
More to come soon as I’ll gather my core team, where I can provide more insight on these changes and the road ahead, and I will do my best to answer any questions that you may have.
Casey
HBO Boss Casey Bloys on 2022 Emmy Nominations Haul – The Hollywood Reporter
Casey Bloys found himself in a familiar position Tuesday after the 2022 Emmy nominations were unveiled: alone at the top of the pack of the most-nominated outlets as HBO — even without the benefit of HBO Max — easily topped Netflix.
HBO had five of the most-nominated programs this year, with Succession (25) leading the pack that also included The White Lotus (20), Hacks (17), Euphoria (16) and Barry (14). Warner Bros. Discovery, for the first time ever, led all conglomerates with 155 combined nominations.
The executive, who oversees originals for the premium cable network and its streaming counterpart, saw a combined 24 HBO/HBO Max programs collect 140 total nominations while Netflix saw 35 programs earn 105 total nominations.
Bloys is used to having to compete with Netflix’s big spending on a myriad of content as the streaming giant attempts to be a catch-all for viewers. Instead, HBO and HBO Max’s programming teams curate slates that off-set one another. (While HBO has a lot of male-skewing content, HBO Max programs for more female viewers, etc.)
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bloys opens up about the futures of Succession and Westworld as well as what shows could be the talk of the Emmys 2023 including the highly anticipated take on The Last of Us.
HBO topped Netflix this year without the benefit of HBO Max. To what do you attribute that success?
It’s the same as every year: talented programming teams at HBO and HBO Max working with talented creators and everybody doing their best to put the best work out in the world. There’s no secret to it other than keeping your head down and trying to do our best across the board.
The TV Academy decided against breaking out nominations by outlet this year. How do you see that narrative evolving over time?
I think it’s a lot of hand wringing over nothing. We have the same programming management over both HBO and HBO Max. When HBO was linear only, we were still competitive. Now it’s a more level playing field where we have a streaming service as well. It makes perfect sense to combine them. Ultimately, what matters is the shows that are recognized.
HBO and HBO Max had fewer shows overall get more nominations than Netflix (which had 35 programs nominated) …
That’s always how it is. We don’t have the volume that they do so every show has got to work harder.
You guys had some snubs in The Staircase, Julia, Winning Time, Gilded Age as well as And Just Like That. How are you feeling about these significant snubs?
On a day where we got 140 nominations … obviously, you want all your shows to be nominated but I don’t think today is the day to worry or obsess about the snubs. We will be back at some of them and we’ll do our best but today is about celebrating nominations as opposed to feeling cheated in any way. This is the game; not everybody can win.
Was there anything you were especially surprised about or happy to see among the nominations?
Because Station Eleven aired in December and we’ve had so many shows air between January and June, it was nice people remembered that one. The same with The White Lotus. To stay in people’s minds is a hard thing to do.
Is there a way to make Emmy categories more reflective of the nature of the industry? Do you think Julia was hurt by only kinda being a comedy while White Lotus wasn’t hurt by only kinda being a limited series?
The thing with Julia is, that’s coming back next year. Part of it is you have to keep at it. Julia deserved some noms and that cast and crew will put out an excellent second season. The thing about the Emmys is being consistent, and that entire cast deserved recognition as well as for the writing and directing.
What’s changed for you now that Discovery’s David Zaslav has taken control?
David has been nothing but supportive of what we’re doing creatively. He appreciates me and the team and makes it clear he values what we do. It’s been nothing but support. This happened when AT&T took over, a lot of business as usual decisions were recast in a, “Well, AT&T must be making them do this” fashion. Whether it was Demimonde or a show cancellation or renewal, we’re running a programming service that has daily needs and decisions that need to get made. There’s no scenario where David is looking over my shoulder and weighing in on if we should renew or cancel something. Everyday decisions have been getting recast as reflective of what the new regime is doing and that’s not the case here.
When can viewers expect new seasons of Euphoria, White Lotus and Succession?
We haven’t announced dates yet but I’d imagine White Lotus, Succession, Barry and Hacks would all be within next year’s Emmy eligibility window.
What’s the future of Succession beyond season four?
For a decision like that we do defer to showrunners. It’s up to Jesse Armstrong to decide. They’ve started shooting the fourth season and broken stories and he wants to go through that process to see if he does have more story or themes to explore. It’s up to him. If he wants to do more, great. If this is all he’s got, great.
In a world where hit shows quickly get spinoffs as franchises continue to be incredibly important to streaming platforms, have you had conversations with Jesse about a Succession spinoff — especially considering how big that world has become, as evidenced by the volume of acting nominations the show received this year?
A world like Game of Thrones where George R.R. Martin has an entire universe and thousand-year timeline and multiple families and wars and history, that’s not what Jesse has set up. There’s no scenario where a Succession multiverse is in the cards.
Give the people what they want: a teaser about Succession season four.
More family dysfunction! (Laughs.)
HBO is developing a Game of Thrones Jon Snow sequel. What changed that you want to revisit the finale of the flagship series?
I have nothing to report on the Jon Snow development.
What’s the future of Westworld beyond season four? Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan’s deal includes two more seasons. Is that still the case?
Like with any show, we’ll see how it does. We haven’t talked to them about ideas for a season five but we’re only three episodes into season four and we’ll see how it goes. No decisions have been made.
When should we expect The Last of Us to arrive?
It’s closer to early 2023.
Looking ahead to next year, what’s on the docket that you’re excited about that we could talk about this time next year?
By that time, we’ll have gone through Sex Lives of College Girls season two, White Lotus 2, The Idol, Last of Us, Succession, Julia, Hacks, Barry and Righteous Gemstones. It’s a pretty packed lineup again. We could be talking about any number of those shows!
Interview edited for length and clarity.