G/O Media Remains Stable Through Pandemic into 2021 with New Hires and Bright Diversity Statistics

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- G/O Media, one of the leading digital publishers in the country, announced today the promising outlook for the business in 2021. Operating profitably for the second half of 2020, a year which ravaged much of the media landscape, G/O Media remains stable and looks to grow rapidly in 2021. The company is currently on a hiring spree, bringing in fresh, creative new talent across editorial, technology and sales, while continuing to embrace and sustain in-house diversity and inclusion. 

The Coronavirus pandemic initially slowed hiring considerably across industries, with many publishers pushed to major layoffs, loss of revenue, and reduced or furloughed salaries for employees. G/O Media saw minimal employee reductions in 2020, and salary reduction during the pandemic was asked only from the top ten most highly compensated employees at the company, all on a voluntary basis, to ensure that the majority of the staff would not be affected. In 2021, G/O Media is pushing back even stronger with it's talent search - aiming to hire more than 30 new employees between Q4 2020 and the first few weeks of the first-quarter 2021 encompassing editorial, sales, marketing, and technology positions. With 81 new full-time hires in 2020, the end-of-year headcount ultimately exceeded where it began in 2020, with that number only slated to grow further in 2021. 

G/O Media is investing strongly in its editorial staff, with over 20 new job openings for editorial positions. This is an investment in the business's core competencies - embracing the writers, editors, researchers and the diverse minds behind the publisher's award-winning sites; Gizmodo, The A.V. Club, Deadspin, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker, The Takeout, The Root, The Onion, and The Inventory.

"Though 2020 was a difficult year -- and our staff continues to face daunting and unprecedented challenges surrounding working and living though the ongoing pandemic --  the work that they have been able to do has been inspiring ," says Executive Editorial Director, Jim Rich. "That tireless work, along with this new set of editorial hires across G/O Media brands, positions our teams for an incredibly strong 2021."

Says Brian Kelly, Chief Revenue Officer, G/O Media, "Like many others across the digital landscape, our 2nd and 3rd quarters were a tight race to hit budgets. However, since mid-Q3, we've started to see a dramatic increase in revenue across the business. We remain optimistic given our partner conversations that this trend will continue and gain momentum."

G/O Media believes that a diverse workplace is a powerful one and continues to invest in its diversity, equity and inclusion practices to ensure that the company attracts and retains the most innovative and fearless talent in 2021 and beyond. G/O Media's diverse employee base strengthens the company's place as an industry leader in journalism and content creation that resonates with readers from all walks of life. G/O Media's 2020 Employee Diversity Breakdown was as follows:  

• 63% of current staff are diverse
• 51% of managers are diverse
• 48% of staff is female
• 69% of new hires on-boarded since July 16, 2019 are diverse

"G/O Media is thrilled to share that it continues to gain ground despite what has been called one of the most brutal years in media," says Jim Spanfeller, CEO, G/O Media. "In a rough market climate brought on by the Covid epidemic, we were able to control the economic effects on our team, and ensure the safety and health of our community. In addition to minimizing employee disruption during the pandemic, we're also delighted to be able to continue to build on our diverse and inclusive employee base which helps greatly in setting us apart from competitors in the digital space and, more importantly, in connecting with our young and diverse audiences. We give a big tip of the hat to our Human Resources and People leaders at G/O Media for their extraordinary work throughout the pandemic, focused on sourcing great new talent and continued dedication to maintaining and encouraging an employee base that is inclusive, diverse, and equitable."

About G/O Media
G/O Media reaches more than a third of all Americans online each month with over 100 million unique visitors, including its extended network. This collection of digital-first brands serves a young, diverse audience with content that reflects their shared values and passions, including category-leading sites focused on tech and science (Gizmodo); pop culture and entertainment (The A.V. Club); sports news (Deadspin); car culture (Jalopnik); modern women's interests (Jezebel); gaming  (Kotaku); lifestyle (Lifehacker); food and drink (The Takeout); African American news and culture (The Root); humor and satire news (The Onion); and e-commerce (The Inventory).

G/O Media Contact:
Liz Martin
VP, Communications
[email protected]
(201) 704-1600

SOURCE G/O Media

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