Hallmark Eliminates 30 Jobs; “We’re Taking Steps to Transition Our Workforce To Meet Needs Of Business Today”

Hallmark eliminated 30 jobs on Wednesday in an effort to “transition our workforce to meet the needs of the business today.”

Among those who were impacted by the layoffs was Jimmy Holcomb, the Vice President of Production at Hallmark Media. He oversaw the physical production of MOWs, series, and specials for Hallmark Media’s broadcast channels and was also credited for creating new ventures for Hallmark Media throughout the world. One of his projects for the Hallmark Channel included The Watsons Go to Birmingham, which was financed by Walden Media.

“As the industry continues to traverse a significant period of transformation, Hallmark is taking steps to transition our workforce to meet the needs of the business today,” according to a Hallmark spokesperson. “This means an ongoing exploration of specific roles and functions.  While these decisions are never easy, we have eliminated 30 roles across multiple areas of the organization and have restructured parts of our business with the goal of investing in capabilities that will propel our business into the future.”

Earlier this month, Hallmark demonstrated a desire to move back to the basics by rehiring Michelle Vicary, who helped to establish Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama with fan-friendly programming like When Calls the Heart. She returned to the network to oversee all production and original programming across Hallmark’s content platforms.

Vicary previously served as Crown Media’s lead programming and production executive before exiting in 2021. She had been at the company since its inception by developing popular series like When Calls the Heart and Good Witch. She also led the nine-year run of Emmy-nominated daytime show Home & Family.