‘Umbrella Academy’ showrunner accused of toxic behavior and retaliation

Months before The Umbrella AcademyWhen the series premiered in February 2019, showrunner Steve Blackman knew he had delivered Netflix a hit series. Forty-five million households would watch the first season, making it Netflix’s third most-watched television series that year, behind Strange things And The Witcher. Anticipating a quick green light for season two, he began interviewing new writers.

Among the candidates for the position were a team of female writers, who shared a salary as part of a package deal. Blackman interviewed the two women, one of whom was pregnant and in her third trimester, in person at his office on the Netflix Studios lot in Los Angeles. He then offered them a spot in the writers’ room on a standard 20-week contract. After accepting the job, the pregnant writer informed Blackman that she would be taking maternity leave as the pregnancy neared its end. a month while his writing partner continued to work.

The young mom returned from leave a month before her contract was up. When the writers’ room was extended for an additional 10 weeks so the team could finish the season, everyone except the female writing team had their contracts extended, show sources say.

Blackman reportedly blamed their departure on budgetary issues and a desire for a more experienced writer to replace the duo. But according to a human resources complaint filed in January 2023 with Universal Content Productions, the NBC-owned production company behind The Umbrella Academy, Blackman had repeatedly told others that he felt “ripped off,” complaining that he did not know the woman was pregnant when he hired her. “He told me he fired them because one of them was pregnant and didn’t tell him,” says a screenwriter from this season Rolling stone. Three other sources claim to have heard Blackman make similar remarks. It wasn’t the only time people went out The Umbrella Academy — which returns for its fourth and final season on Aug. 8 — under questionable circumstances, sources say, including a support staff member who refused to give Blackman details of a private conversation and a personal assistant who accidentally received Blackman’s prescription information.

Both journalists declined to comment for this article. A spokesperson for Blackman says he worked with the UCP’s human resources department to ensure the termination of the women’s contracts was handled “in full compliance with all policies and regulations,” and that the decision was “based solely on performance and budget.” Blackman also denied any other allegations of retaliation.

At Umbrella Academy sources Rolling stone Those we spoke to said their experiences with Blackman are representative of a larger industry problem around showrunners. Placed at the helm of massive productions—big budgets, sprawling crews—and given broad creative freedom, they wield enormous power. While they must answer to studio and network executives for general oversight of their shows, they ultimately control both the day-to-day operations and the big-picture creative issues. Newcomers join these teams in hopes of learning the craft, bolstering their resumes, and gaining mentorship, while established writers seek promotions to producer levels, hoping to one day become the next Quinta Brunson or Mike White. It’s a high-pressure, unforgiving environment ripe for exploitation and unchecked behavior.

In conversations with 12 elders Umbrella Academy The writers and support staff who worked on the four seasons—all of whom have experience in the often chaotic world of television production—several called their time there one of the most tumultuous experiences of their careers. “Someone called me, whispering into the phone, all panicked, like, ‘Don’t take this job,’” one writer recalled. “Against my better judgment, I took the job.” (Most of the sources for this article asked that their names be withheld, citing fears of professional retaliation.)

Staff members’ concerns and experiences were represented in the January 2023 HR complaint, reviewed by Rolling stone, which accused Blackman of having a “long history of toxic behavior, bullying, manipulation, and retaliation.” Sources and the HR complaint portray Blackman as a manipulative and chaotic showrunner who fostered a toxic workplace by pitting employees against each other; creating an environment of fear and mistrust; taking credit for others’ work; and allegedly making lewd remarks that sources say they found sexist, homophobic, and transphobic. (Blackman’s behavior was also cited in two other complaints filed by a writing staff member and an actress, Rolling stone has learned.)

“When we have the impression that only one person holds the keys to our career, it’s difficult,” explains one of them. THE Umbrella Academy “They’re like, ‘Hey, write these scenes,’ and they make all these big promises, and we put everything we have into this work only to be rejected. It’s just devastating… If we have protections to be recognized for the work that we do or if we have someone to turn to, I think that can protect us from that kind of toxic behavior.”

Despite three people sounding the alarm over four seasons, a spring 2023 investigation by the UCP largely cleared Blackman of his accusations. But the investigation may not have been very complete. A majority of those named in the January 2023 complaint said Rolling stone They were never contacted to discuss what they considered to be significant experiences with Blackman. And the Writers Guild of America West sided with some of the season four writers over the one “teleplay by” credit Blackman had attempted to give himself, according to a WGA committee report reviewed by Rolling stone.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Blackman broadly denies the allegations detailed in the complaint and by sources, calling them “totally false” and “completely absurd.” “For six years and four seasons, overseeing thousands of crews, actors and writers, Steve Blackman led The Umbrella Academy become a beloved series with dedicated fans, compelling stories and a dedicated team that makes it all possible,” Blackman’s rep said. Rolling stone. “These allegations from a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous, and in no way reflect the collaborative, respectful and successful work environment that Mr. Blackman has cultivated. »

rolling stone sent numerous emails and text messages to Netflix publicists to The Umbrella Academy regarding this article, and has not received a response or acknowledgement of the detailed request. The UCP said in a statement that it is “committed to providing a safe and respectful workplace. When concerns are reported, they are promptly reviewed, thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken.”

Hollywood has long been a place where silence is golden, especially for outsiders trying to break in. Keep your head down, do what you’re asked and don’t complain, otherwise you risk being excluded from the industry altogether. But in recent years, there’s been a cultural shift toward calling out toxic work environments and pushing studios to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for bad behavior.

Showrunner and executive producer Monica Owusu-Breen, who has hundreds of credits across Lost, Agents of SHIELD, Charm, and others, spoke to journalist Maureen Ryan for her 2023 book, Burn It Down: power, complicity and call for change in Hollywood, about the challenges of showrunning, saying it “brings out the worst in you.” “The person I was when I first started showrunning is not the person I am now,” she says. “I apologized to people, because stress is hard.” Still, Owusu-Breen says there’s no excuse for what she and others endured while creating Lost in the hands of showrunners Damon Lindelof and producer Carlton Cuse.

Actor Harold Perrineau told Ryan how he was effectively written off the hit ABC series after defending his character, Michael, to Lindelof and Cuse. “It was really, ‘How dare you,'” he said. Lost writers claimed that the work environment Lindelof and Cuse cultivated was rife with racism, sexism, bullying and retaliation, prompting both to issue public apologies. A year earlier, the writers of Nickelodeon’s Dan Schneider, who had directed children’s shows such as iCarly And Drake and Josh, detailed how he allegedly denied them bathroom breaks and tormented women with misogynistic jokes. In April, Schneider apologized for some of his behavior toward his writers, saying that “the fact that I participated in this, especially when I was running the room, embarrasses me.” I shouldn’t have done it. And last June, HBO The two others ended amid HR complaints against showrunners Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider for alleged verbal abuse and brutally long hours. (The allegations were investigated and both were officially cleared.)

Still, it’s daunting to take on a showrunner — especially one like Blackman, who landed a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix and placed eighth on The Hollywood Reporter2022 list of the best showrunners.

Blackman’s path to Hollywood hasn’t been a traditional one. He went from a brief stint as a divorce lawyer to producing and writing, drawing on his legal background to co-create his first series, the Canadian legal drama The associates. He then worked on Private practice And Fargo before landing the role of showrunner for The Umbrella Academy. The comic book series the show is based on, originally created and written by My Chemical…