Uproxx Media Group Lays Off Staffers, Including Some Writers, To Focus On “High Growth Areas”

Uproxx Media Group recently laid off somewhere between 14 and 20 employees.

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, the layoffs came as part of a change in the company’s overall game plan. Though sources from the company provided few specifics, some told THR that at least a few of the laid off staff worked in the writing department. Uproxx Media’s former editorial director, Keith Phipps, left the company just a few days ago, on May 1. He announced his departure on Twitter.

Just over a year ago, Uproxx Media rebranded from Woven Digital to emphasize the company’s original video content—shows like the HP-sponsored Luminaries, its first original web series, and Honda branded series Uncharted: Power of Dreams. The company operates brands like Uproxx, BroBible, HitFix, and more.

Uproxx Media’s 2017 rebrand followed a round of 2016 layoffs. Then, the company let go of about as many people as it did just now—close to 20. At the time, a spokesperson addressed the layoffs by saying, “This is a very normal part of scaling up and scaling down a business.”

This round, the company spokesperson was a bit more specific in regards to the company’s aims. “To continue our advance in these high growth areas and maintain profitability, we’re shifting resources from one side of our business to another,” he said in a statement. According to THR, this means focusing more on video and less on programmatic and display advertisements.

Most of Uproxx’s revenue comes from branded content, like this video featuring rapper Rick Ross promoting burger joint Checkers. Last July, the company’s CEO, Ben Blank, told the Los Angeles Times that this type of content makes up 75% of the company’s earnings.