“A Once-Great Company.” - Creative Services Director Starz Employee Review

I was a longtime employee in Creative Services in Denver; at one time a thriving, award-winning and respected department at Starz and within our industry. Several years ago, with the changes in the upper management team in LA, that all changed. The promos for Starz Original Series became more generic and by-the-numbers as many of our projects were farmed out to agencies who were chronically late on delivery, riddled with errors and over budget. Management’s micromanagement and lack of talent eventually forced out our excellent manager Creative Services in Denver - who left Starz to head an agency that won Agency of the Year at Promax the following year. Projects that the staff producers created under management’s direction became micromanaged and more generic as well. Awards and even nominations evaporated. We shot less. We produced less. We would receive orders from management’s flunkies in LA, some of whom were answering phones the year before. Except for employees in the LA office, a total freeze was placed on promotions and raises. Denver employees were marginalized, devalued and ignored. When the inevitable layoffs occurred, management only spoke to us for a total of 32 seconds and exited - leaving HR representatives to fill in the gaps. There is a complete lack of class and talent in creative management at Starz, and I think we’re all better off to be rid of them (although our careers may never recover). It was such a shame that a formerly fun and exciting company such as Starz had become a dreadful and dreary place to work.