We know the recent challenges faced by legacy brands like ESPN and Sports Illustrated, both of which were forced to reduce their staff amid budget cuts, slashing costs while allocating fewer resources to on-air programming. But the weight of a stagnant economy struggling to get back on its feet following a nearly three-year pandemic has also impacted smaller, less-established names.
Jomboy Media, which announced a $5 million influx of financing last May, has also had to make some cost considerations. Despite its meteoric rise, ascending to mainstream status with podcasts helmed by Chris Rose (The Chris Rose Rotation), David Cone (Toeing the Slab with David Cone), Trevor Plouffe (Sequence with Trevor Plouffe), and Ian Happ (The Compound), Sportico is reporting that Jomboy recently reduced its workforce by 10 percent.
Even with “economic headwinds” swirling, the Bronx-based content creator remains confident in exceeding last year’s revenue. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Sportico’s source was unsure what positions were being eliminated. At its height, Jomboy staffed as many as 64 employees.
BREAKING: Jomboy Media cuts roughly 10% of its 60-plus person staff. The fast-growing startup raised $5M in VC funding last year and tripled its employee count over the last 2 years. https://t.co/l2Kd6F09Dr
— Kurt Badenhausen (@kbadenhausen) May 9, 2023
Founded by friends Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien and Jake Storiale, Jomboy was first launched in 2017, raising its profile with a viral video deciphering what exactly Yankees manager Aaron Boone said during his infamous “Savages in the Box” tirade, admonishing umpire Brennan Miller in profane fashion. Buoyed by O’Brien’s amusing “breakdowns” of baseball clips and bloopers on social media, Jomboy has gained a huge following, amassing a YouTube subscriber base of 1.75 million.
In 2022, they announced a partnership with YES Network in early 2022 to produce original, exclusive videos on linear TV and the YES App. The company also introduced Andew Patterson as its new CEO.
UPDATE: The Shea Station podcast announced it would be discontinuing amidst the changes at Jomboy Media.
Important announcement regarding the Shea Station podcast pic.twitter.com/iAsJyC7Nqw
— jack (@Jolly_Olive) May 12, 2023
[Sportico]
About Jesse Pantuosco
Jesse Pantuosco joined Awful Announcing as a contributing writer in May 2023. He’s also written for Audacy and NBC Sports. A graduate of Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a master’s degree in creative writing from Fairfield University, Pantuosco has won three Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut and never misses a Red Sox, Celtics or Patriots game.