Disney is preparing its biggest wave of layoffs yet, and this time the film studio and TV networks are both in the crosshairs
CEO Josh D'Amaro has asked some managers to cut annual costs by as much as 20 percent. Bloomberg, Deadline, Variety, and CNBC all reported the same week: thousands of jobs are going.
In brief
Disney is preparing its biggest wave of layoffs yet, and this time the film studio and TV networks are both in the crosshairs
The word came down Monday, and by Tuesday it was everywhere. Bloomberg first reported that The Walt Disney Company is laying the groundwork for thousands of job cuts, with some division managers told to find up to 20 percent in annual cost savings. Deadline, Variety, and CNBC all confirmed it independently. This is not a rumor. It is four separate newsrooms pointing at the same thing.
The scale matters. If it goes forward, this would be the fourth round of layoffs in 2026 under D'Amaro, who took over as CEO from Bob Iger in March, and the largest so far, according to Variety. To put that in context: Disney employed about 231,000 people at the end of fiscal year 2025. The cuts are coming for a company that is already deep into restructuring mode.
According to sources cited by Deadline, the new round of layoffs will be made across multiple divisions, including TV networks and the motion picture studio, at varying amounts. That is a meaningful expansion from previous rounds. Disney cut about 1,000 roles in April and several hundred more in July, with Pixar and National Geographic among the units most affected, Deadline reported. The parks took a hit too: the October round impacted those across all parts of Imagineering, the creative and technical arm that brings to life theme parks, attractions, resorts, cruise ships and live entertainment.
So what changed? The short answer is the math stopped working. CEO Josh D'Amaro is reportedly facing challenges from growing AI use, weaker box office revenue, mounting competition from streaming challengers, and a slowdown in theme park attendance abroad, according to Bloomberg. The company's president and chief creative officer, Dana Walden, addressed the situation at Bloomberg's Screentime conference last month. "I think like all of our similarly situated competitors, and certainly all of our competitors in the tech industry, there is a need to constantly evaluate how you're structured," Walden said, adding that cutting costs "frees up capital to reinvest aggressively in what drives long-term value: new content and next generation guest experiences."
D'Amaro has said the same, in slightly more corporate terms. "When our teams work smarter, we can serve more people across our parks and digital platforms and do it more cost-effectively," D'Amaro said on the company's most recent earnings call, Deadline reported. The plan, per Bloomberg, is to put the savings back to work: D'Amaro plans to reinvest part of the savings into film and TV programming, technology, and the theme parks and cruise ship businesses.
The timeline is still fuzzy. The timing of the cuts is unclear, according to Deadline. Full fiscal 2026 earnings come out on November 17th, and that call is the next scheduled chance for D'Amaro to address the cuts publicly. People inside the company will be watching that date closely.
What is clear is the trajectory. There have been ongoing layoffs at Disney throughout 2026 following Josh D'Amaro taking over as CEO from Bob Iger on March 18, and Disney is now preparing for more, with thousands poised to be impacted. The "One Disney" strategy D'Amaro outlined when he took the job aimed at unifying the company's many divisions. He stepped in as CEO in March, replacing longtime chief executive Bob Iger, and has prioritized a strategy dubbed "One Disney" that aims to better align the company's many divisions and integrate compatible businesses. Whether that consolidation is producing efficiency or just uncertainty is a question every writer, animator, and marketing director in Burbank is probably asking right now.
Meanwhile, in a very different kind of corporate recognition...
While Disney was making grim headlines, Apple Music was handing out what might be this year's most debated trophy in hip-hop. Apple Music placed Drake front and center on its "Rap Life: Best of 2026" playlist, naming him its Best Rapper of 2026, recognizing a year defined by massive streaming numbers and renewed commercial momentum.
The numbers back up the choice, at least on the platform's own terms. Apple Music noted that ICEMAN became "the first 2026 rap album to cross 2 billion streams," framing it as his return to the top of rap's hit machine. He became the first ever artist to notch the top three spots on the Billboard 200. He also became the first artist to surpass 350 million RIAA-certified units.
Apple Music called it his "loudest comeback in years," built around a three-album release weekend that covered rap, R&B, and dance music all at once, bringing ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR into the world together, a move Apple Music described as a "genre spanning gamble" that "landed as critical and commercial lightning."
The complication, as The Source and VICE both noted, is that Drake will not be collecting a Grammy for any of it. According to Billboard, Drake did not submit any of his three 2026 albums for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, and sources confirmed he did not submit any songs from ICEMAN, HABIBTI, or MAID OF HONOUR to the Recording Academy. He said as much on the albums themselves. On the closing track of ICEMAN, titled "Make Them Know," Drake rapped: "This album, I'm never submittin' it," per Billboard.
There is also the question of how much a streaming service's year-end honor reflects anything beyond its own data. With awards season still ahead and more year-end lists on the way, the Apple Music nod looks more like an opening move than a final verdict on his year, as DancehallMag put it.
Grammy nominations for the 69th ceremony drop November 16. Drake will not be on the ballot. His streams will keep climbing anyway.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
