Can't say I saw this one coming but apparently the current economic situation is claiming some surprising casualties. Such as Variety Asia. Though there has been no official announcement and the brand may very well continue on in some form, we've just received word that entertainment trade paper Variety have laid off Patrik Frater - the editor in chief of Variety Asia - and Marcus Lim - the web editor - which means that the division has effectively ceased to exist as we know it. I can't imagine that either will be out of work for long - Frater is one of the best connected men in the region and really damn good at what he does - but this is a significant loss.
And for those who are wondering, yes, this will probably also mean an end to Grady Hendrix's popular Kaiju Shakedown blog as both of the men he reports to have just been canned.
This is bad news indeed!
While I feel terrible for Grady (not forgetting Frater and Lim who lost their jobs as well), I feel almost certain that Kaiju Shakedown will be back in some form or another. After all, this isn't the first time the blog has disappeared. But in the meantime, Grady's smart and funny writing will be sorely missed. Come back soon!
Echoing what Jason said earlier, I can't see how this means the end of Grady.
Much like Josh Marshall formed Talking Points Memo dot com based on his earlier work at The New Republic, Grady has built a web identity that can survive w/o the Variety Asia masthead behind/over it.
Sad news for Variety Asia but I'm positive Grady will continue in some form and be better and stronger for it in the long run.
Bummer. I wonder if Variety will continue to carry reports from its correspondents in the region?
Oh, I'm sure Grady will turn up somewhere in some form at some point. He's too good a writer not to. And, honestly, my first email on getting this news was to let him know he has a home here if he wants it. The question is whether it'll be a continuation of the Shakedown as I believe Variety owns the name and domain and - given the way these contracts tend to work - may very well have hit him with a non-compete clause to keep him from writing about Asian film elsewhere.
I don't want to comment on why Variety makes the choices it does - like God, it moves in mysterious ways and is not for us to understand. But I do want to say that it's a shame that Patrick Frater is no longer there. Although he and I occasionally butted heads, he built Variety Asia out of nothing, and made its website run like a finely tuned engine on little more than nickels and dimes. He stood up for Kaiju Shakedown no matter how ridiculous it got, and he was a real pleasure to work with.
Wherever I went in Asia, pretty much everyone knew and liked Patrick and working for him opened a lot more doors than working for Variety. I'm not sure what's next for Kaiju Shakedown, but I'm taking some time to figure it out. Besides, my wife owns a restaurant so it's not like I'll starve - I just may have to wash dishes for a while.
Whatever you do, Grady, just please don't stop writing. I already had to live without Kaiju Shakedown for a year (?), hope I won't have to again.
That being said, while Kaiju Shakedown was obviously Variety Asia's most entertaining asset, I did like the site as a whole as well.
that's a shame. having all the industry news from asian in one place was fabulous service.
After letting Anne Thompson go (a big mistake for Variety), Variety made another big mistake by letting three more smart people go (Grady Hendrix, Patrick Frater, Marcus Lim). Does Variety goes mad?
Anyway, hoping those smart people (who are laid off by Variety) will find new nice jobs sonner (I believe they will!), and I will keep supporting them whatever they do.
Kaiju Shakedown! no that really sucks, i hope he starts a blog up then!