Netflix UCAN Scripted Restructures By Genre, Ups Galvin To VP — SkimNews
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- Jinny Howe is restructuring Netflix's UCAN Scripted Series division into genre-specific pods — Drama/Thriller/YA, Genre/Action/Crime, Comedy, Studio, and Current/Specialty — to deepen curation and match material to executives with specific expertise.
- Cole Galvin is being promoted from Director to VP to lead the female-skewed Drama/Thriller/YA lane alongside VP Michael Azzolino, who retains the male-skewed Genre/Action/Crime pod; Neil Thomas is elevated to Director of Studio Scripted Series.
- The reorg had been in the works well before last Wednesday's 1,000-person layoffs and the executive shakeup that installed Peter Rice as CCO in place of Bela Bajaria — Howe's decision to restructure on her own terms is what kept her seat while Head of Film Dan Lin was ousted over the weekend.
- Howe stepped up to land The Apology, a hot Gwyneth Paltrow project with a two-season order, and Rice has spoken with her about working together, signaling her survival in the new regime.
- Howe's slate drove roughly 35% of Netflix's overall revenue with about 50 greenlights this year, and 83 of Netflix's 111 Emmy nominations came from scripted series and variety specials on her roster.
Why it matters: Howe's UCAN division is Netflix's largest single market, generating about 35% of overall revenue — so her decision to reorganize on her own terms rather than being reorganized is exactly what distinguished her from the executives who were pushed out this week. With 83 of Netflix's 111 Emmy nominations coming from her slate and high-profile wins like The Apology and The Corrections, stability in this division matters more than usual during a leadership transition.
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