Netflix to shed film staff as division splits into genre teams under new chief Dan Lin

Netflix is reorganising its film division as it comes under the leadership of new boss Dan Lin, who assumed the post this month following the departure of Scott Stuber.

Dan Lin

Under the new structure, the streaming giant’s film division will be split into teams focused on specific genres, including science fiction, thrillers, faith-based movies and holiday titles.

Ori Marmur will oversee action, horror, sci-fi and fantasy; Kira Goldberg thrillers, dramas and family films; Niija Kuykendall faith-based, young-adult and holiday movies; and Jason Young comedies and romantic comedies.

Around a dozen employees will be leaving as a result of the restructure.

The Hollywood Reporter, which was first to report the news, said that while Lin has been in the film chairman role since April 1, the divisional restructure has been in the works for more than a month. He had been consulting with chief content officer Bela Bajaria, as well as some internal and external personnel, on the restructure prior to officially starting the job last week.

Lin, who founded film production company Rideback, which produced the series adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender for Netflix, was announced as the streamer’s new film chief at the end of February. Before that, he was senior VP of production for Warner Bros Pictures, overseeing titles such as Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.

At one point, Netflix was making around 70 films per year as it raced to build up a library of original titles and courted some of the world’s biggest filmmakers with big cheques and creative freedom.

Over the past two years, it has started to reduce the number of films it commissions in a move to prioritise quality over quantity, a strategy that Lin is expected to double down on.