Follow-Up: Two Key Staff Members Leave SPJA/AX (Updated)

Following up on a previous post and according to another internal email sent anonymously to me, two key AX staff members in 2008 Convention Chair Liyin Liang and staff member Philip Donnelly have apparently left the SPJA parent organization over issues with the CEO and the Board of Directors first reported here in October.

Issues in the email echo those in the previous post, ranging from the increasing distrust of the CEO and Board of Directors by management staff, the attempted censure of discussion and other internal issues coming to a flashpoint.

Read More for the email in question.

Update: After discussing the PR policy I have in place in an email to AX Director of Marketing Kim Groomes, she has given an official response on behalf of the SPJA and AX, which is found at the end of the article.

Subject: We must take action now!!!

It seems like everything is spiraling out of control, we must take
action now more than ever.

Today, I found out about the situation regarding Liyin Liang and Phillip
Donelly. To me, this shows the continuing ineptitude and the lack of
foresight that our Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors
have.

The Board of Directors since AX 2008 has been a catastrophic failure on
many levels:

They rescinded continued promises of transparency when they fired a much loved CEO, not giving the staff any information on what prompted such action.

The board of directors pushed forward CEO candidates and gave the staff and management little time to know the future heads of the organization. They hired a CEO who knows very little about the anime hobby, nor does
he understand the convention culture and the culture of volunteer staff.

The board continues to back an inept CEO who continually shows us that
he in incapable of grasping a complex organization like Anime Expo and
the industry that it promotes and develops.

Justin and many managers have laid out an extraordinary list of
grievances of our CEO and the Board of Directors. The CEO responded in a slanderous tone, arguing, “The information I learned about the rumors
led me to believe that ex-exployees have been involved in the negative
rumors circulating in small pockets of the SPJA.”

This is absurd, because this groundswell of opposition towards the organization’s direction is from within. There are many managers and division directors who are concerned with the direction of the organization, the email sent by Justin was not due to outside influences. On top of that, he took the same leap of logic that he assumes we do, but without the proof that we provided.

The open letter by the CEO, and the subsequent letter by the BOD shows the ineptness of the people who now lead the organization. They wanted
to silence it by cutting off Justin from his zimbra account.

Then they forbade any discussion or debate about the subject through official channels. After that, they do the height of stupidity by sending an open letter to ALL staff. What they wanted kept private is now open for the world to see, to laugh at, and to sneer at.

They did not even counter any of Justin’s points, which further puts suspicion on their actions. Then I found out about Liyin and Phil, two people who has helped the organization immensely. They separated from the organization with nary a word, two excellent people who has served the organization by putting so much blood, sweat, and tears into it.

In November 21st, there will be an open meeting with the staff and
managers. No doubt a propaganda show that Dr. Joseph Goebbels will be
proud of. We will be inundated with spin, bad PR, and lies from the
people who helped bring the organization to where it is today.

From what I know, and from what I am learning, we are heading on a one way trip to oblivion, and the train is speeding up.

Sorry for the long email, but this is me officially taking a hard-line
stance. The knowledge of recent events kept under wraps pushed me over the edge. We must fire the CEO and the BOD, no questions asked.

Dear Readers,

During my short tenure with the SPJA, I have read many articles maliciously orchestrated to create rumors and libelous statements about this organization and its management. These are bias acts of slander – remember, readers, you are getting only one person’s opinion. It appears these individuals have decided to bring SPJA down rather than build it up. Woodrow Wilson once said, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” It would seem their ultimate goal is to project an illusion of instability where it doesn’t exist. This is an organization that they supposedly support or have supported but rather than act constructively, they use gossip as a weapon.

Every organization, small and large, can fall victim to drama; however it appears there are a handful of unknowns who wish to act anonymously and communicate false iterations through the Internet simply for personal gain. The truth is this: SPJA is transitioning into a business-focused and professional entity with proven leadership, while still maintaining its ideals of fandom and volunteerism. Change isn’t always easy, but it’s a necessary prerequisite for a company seeking to grow and survive in an unstable economy.

Furthermore, SPJA is incredibly disappointed to see such irresponsible journalism by AnimeNews.biz. We’d be happy to speak with any of you if you would like to hear, firsthand, the truth. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this very public attack.

Sincerely,

Kim Groomes
Head of Corporate Communications & Marketing

My Response: Not the first time my “journalism” will be criticized and it won’t be the last either. This part of my primary statement to Ms. Groomes when she left her response as a comment earlier tonight: