“This was taking the resources of CNN and Time Warner as a whole and applying that to a startup that could then go in the opposite direction. Great Big Story was to be CNN’s answer to this new wave of digitally native media companies, but with the advantage of its parent company and a twist in its approach by concentrating on video quality instead of quantity. At the time, digital media darlings like BuzzFeed and Mic were building seemingly successful businesses by producing short-form videos to distribute on platforms like Facebook and YouTube and selling branded content deals to advertisers. As one former employee said, “The demise of the company started before corona.” The startup and the mothershipĬNN launched Great Big Story in October 2015. In its five-year history, Great Big Story had never turned an annual profit. However, its business struggles predated the pandemic. As of September 2020, Great Big Story had only reached 25% of its sales goal for the year, according to some former employees. The pandemic had certainly taken a toll on Great Big Story. The company did not respond to specific details contained in this story shared ahead of publication and did not make Coupe or Morse available for interviews. But no amount of planning nor prediction could’ve prepared us for the economic impacts of a global pandemic,” said a CNN spokesperson in an emailed statement. Like any startup, it faced organizational obstacles and business challenges over the course of its first few years. Its unique voice, creative producers, award-winning content and passionate audience are proof of its success. “We’re incredibly proud of Great Big Story. Great Big Story lost money and lost leaders and - as a startup within a major news organization that’s part of a massive media conglomerate owned by a debt-ridden telecom giant - ultimately lost the support that some employees said was lacking all along and especially at the end of its run.Īs one former employee said, “Great Big Story lived how it died: with very little thought or planning. Instead, its business was burdened by bureaucracy. With the backing of CNN and the resources of WarnerMedia’s sales organization, Great Big Story would appear to have been born with a silver spoon in its mouth and insulated from the financial struggles any fledgling media company would usually face. And that was true,” said a former employee.įor other employees, however, the end of Great Big Story was inevitable. “A way that Great Big Story was explained to me in the early days was this is the place where you get to make that story that you always wanted to make, but your boss said you couldn’t. It’s unclear how many people worked at Great Big Story at its peak, but a website built to showcase Great Big Story employees who lost their jobs lists 45 employees. And employees on the business side were able to support content that they enjoyed watching themselves and were proud to show to sponsors and their own family members. Editorial employees were able to produce Emmy and Webby Award-winning short-form documentaries about subjects like an Oakland center for disabled artists and an organization working to combat plastic pollution and poverty simultaneously. Working at Great Big Story had been a dream job. 23 that CNN was shutting down the company was a shock. “Immediately everyone was texting everyone, and we all went to bed that night knowing we were going to get let go that next day,” said one of 11 former Great Big Story employees that Digiday spoke to for this article.įor many Great Big Story employees, the announcement on Sept. And the meeting was scheduled to take place in Coupe’s virtual meeting room, which was not the usual location. But this meeting was also set to be attended by Coupe, who had not attended Great Big Story’s morning meetings for some time, and CNN evp and chief digital officer Andrew Morse, another founding member of Great Big Story, who never attended the morning meeting, according to multiple former employees. For starters, all-hands meetings scheduled with short notice are notorious within the media industry as a sign that bad news is imminent and layoffs are likely. The email notified the employees that an all-hands meeting would be scheduled for the following morning at 9:30 a.m.ĭespite being set for the usual meeting time, the invite featured a few irregularities. that evening, Great Big Story employees received an email from CNN vp of digital productions Courtney Coupe, a founding member of Great Big Story who oversaw the media company. The feelings of relief, however, were short-lived.Īt 6:45 p.m.
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