{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep. 35: The Disney Layoffs 2026: Regroup, Recalibrate, Ready!","description":"This week of April 12, 2026, Disney laid off 1000 employees. My LinkedIn filled with 86,000 impressions in my written response to lazy AI slop about \u201cstreaming failure.\u201d Disney+ is a streaming success. But 1000 careers were cut. I see you. You have value. You\u2019re not done and your success will land anew.  I\u2019ve been out of work 18 months. That\u2019s not a trauma dump: that\u2019s my receipt. I\u2019m still here. I\u2019m still making things. And if I am, you are. The layoff ended your job. It didn\u2019t end your career. This episode is for Disney employees and any worker in the world who just lost their job and can\u2019t see the horizon right now. How could you? It\u2019s fresh. So, here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned in 18 months: no timelines, just truth. Process it. Give yourself permission to feel it before you fix it. The shock is real.   Get referrals. Your network remembers how you treated people, not your badge number. Kindness outlasts credits. Message or talk to people you work with since referrals are at a premium in this current job market. Know your metrics. List the things you did at Disney that exist outside Disney. Streaming launches. Franchise management. Global rollouts. Subscriber growth. Churn reduction. Marketing successes. Your three biggest achievements are your passport. Not your title. Not your tenure. The wins you drove. Write them down. Those go on every call, every email, every intro. That\u2019s what travels. Create a sandbox resume. Everything you\u2019ve done and know how to do. Every show, every deal, every fire you put out. Plug it into AI engines you trust to contextualize it. Next, frame it in your own voice. AI can organize. Only you can own it. Don\u2019t let it write you; let it reflect you. You could even start a podcast like I did. Mine runs on donations. They\u2019re modest and all appreciated and the podcast will grow. I don\u2019t have ads. It\u2019s not my job. But if you build it, the community will grow around you. The point isn\u2019t money, the point is building and connecting with your audiences who trust you. This isn\u2019t hustle happy talk. It isn\u2019t \u201cjust network harder.\u201d It\u2019s reality. You\u2019ll be okay, even if the horizon isn\u2019t in sight right now. Regroup. Recalibrate. Ready. Not on my schedule. On yours. Let\u2019s Talk About Hollywood\u2122  is written and produced by Karl Gibson. New episodes on Thursdays or Fridays. 621 downloads. 31 countries and counting. The podcast will always be free and runs on audience donations. I'll thank you on the air in an episode! Thank you! \ud83d\udc9b To support the podcast and help keep it independent, donations can be made from 96 countries here:   https:\/\/letstalkabouthollywood.com\/support or to support my GoFundMe here, international currency donations available:  https:\/\/gofund.me\/9fa60a3b2 ","author_name":"Let\u2019s Talk About Hollywood\u2122","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/593375","html":"