#metoo Women in Film Slam Skydance for Hiring John Lasseter: It ‘Endorses and Perpetuates a Broken System’
By MATT DONNELLY
Matt Donnelly
Senior Film Writer
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Top watchdogs for women’s issues in Hollywood have issued scathing responses to
Skydance Media’s naming of John Lasseter to the company’s top animation job. Lasseter’s new job comes months after
he was ousted from Pixar in the wake of sexual harassment scandals.
Time’s Up, the activist group founded in response industry gender disparity and the abuse exposed by the accusers of Harvey Weinstein, said Lasseter’s deal “endorses and perpetuates a broken system that allows powerful men to act without consequence.”
Women in Film, a longtime advocacy group, said the disgraced Pixar leader and top Walt Disney Company executive’s “inappropriate touching and kissing has been reported by a number of women – from colleagues to subordinates,” and questioned
Skydance CEO David Ellison’s pledge to keep his employees safe by hiring outside investigators and speaking with Lasseter at length about his past.
“For women in this industry to feel safe, we need more transparency than the above statement and we need to know what the company plans to do to ensure that safety. By saying
Skydance has conducted an independent investigation and then proceed to hire Lasseter, do they mean to suggest that they are hiring him in spite of the numerous accounts of women and colleagues? We do think that people can learn and change, and we look forward to men who model this, but true reparation requires transparency.,” WIF President Amy Baer and Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer said in a joint statement.
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The news comes after Lasseter has been trying, and largely failing, to drum up interest from studios in recent months, having met with Warner Bros. and other players. Many major studios and technology companies were wary of partnering with Lasseter because he was ousted from Pixar in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.
Read the full statements:
Time’s Up
“
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,” the group said in a statement.
People often ask when a man who has abused his power “gets” to “come back.” There is no simple answer. But here are a few first steps:
1) Demonstrate true remorse.
2) Work deeply to reform your behavior.
3) Deliver restitution to those you harmed.
That’s the bare minimum.
Hiring decisions have consequences. And offering a high-profile position to an abuser who has yet to do any of those things is condoning abuse.”
Women in Film
“Lasseter’s innappropriate touching and kissing has been reported by a number of women – from colleagues to subordinates. In the statement from Skydance, David Ellison says, ‘Lasseter 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.’ He also says that Skydance had ’employed outside counsel to investigate the allegations.’
What does this mean? For women in this industry to feel safe, we need more transparency than the above statement and we need to know what the company plans to do to ensure that safety. By saying Skydance has conducted an independent investigation and then proceeded to hire Lasseter, do they mean to suggest that they are hiring him in spite of the numerous accounts of women and colleagues? We do think that people can learn and change, and we look forward to men who model this, but true reparation requires transparency.”
John Lasseter Contract at Skydance Contains Ironclad Legal Protections (EXCLUSIVE)
By BRENT LANG
Brent Lang
Executive Editor of Film and Media
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John Lasseter’s contract with Skydance Media contains provisions that make the former Pixar Animation chief financially responsible for any legal claims involving sexual harassment, according to multiple insiders.
The pact to bring Lasseter in as head of the
company’s animation division is said to include “ironclad” provisions that require the executive to not only pay for legal issues arising from future misbehavior, but also indemnify Skydance from any past misdeeds that had not come to light in the due diligence process conducted by an outside law firm. One person familiar with the findings reported that Disney never settled any harassment claims against Lasseter during his more than two decades-long tenure at Pixar, nor did Lasseter personally settle any claims.
In order to get the job at Skydance, Lasseter met with an outside legal team to address allegations that he inappropriately touched or kissed former Pixar staffers. He was expected to give an exhaustive account of any behavior that was deemed unacceptable. The legal team conducted interviews with more than 20 people as they pieced together a report on Lasseter’s behavior, according to knowledgeable insiders.
In a letter to staffon Wednesday, Skydance Media CEO David Ellison said senior management at the company had evaluated the report thoroughly.
“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,” Ellison wrote. “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.”
If Lasseter is found to have lied to lawyers, he will be fired.
“David has been clear with John about what is expected in terms of his behavior,” said an insider. “If there is any daylight between them in terms of that, there will obviously be severe repercussions.”
Lasseter’s deal with Skydance, where he is expected to transform the media company into a major player, is a rich one. Not only does he command a generous seven-figure salary, he receives performance incentives, in the form of bonuses, tied to the box office results of movies he produces.
Before he was ousted from Disney and Pixar, Lasseter was considered to be a pioneer in the animation field. At Pixar, Lasseter combined stories with commercial appeal, involving lovable robots, rodents with culinary skills, and loyal toys, while also encouraging his staff to take creative risks — one film, “Wall-E,” had only minimal dialogue. Another, “Inside Out,” documented the warring emotions that accompany adolescence.
Disney did not technically fire Lasseter, but rather put him on sabbatical and paid him in full up until his contract expired on Dec. 31, 2018.
But Lasseter’s hire has inspired a backlash. It has been slammed by advocacy groups such as Time’s Up and Women in Hollywood, who argue that it rewards a person who has previously abused his power. Skydance hosted a town hall meeting on Wednesday to address employees’ concerns. Lasseter is also expected to address the staff and answer questions in the coming days.
