Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Funny or Die website closed its New York creative office and offered staffers the option of relocating to Los Angeles.
This move comes less than a year after the company laid off 30 percent of its staff (a total of 37 people), in efforts to “double-down and refocus on making the kind of content that made us a household name in the first place.”
Funny or Die spokeswoman Carolyn Prousky issued the following statement to TheWrap: “Funny Or Die has a NY sales office at 44 Wall Street. Last year, we chose to consolidate our creative team in one central office, so we offered our NYC creative team the opportunity to join us in LA, covering the cost of relocation. All the writers and the vast majority of the team made the move back in early January.”
According to the New York Post, the New York office had 13 employees and 10 have accepted the offer to relocate, while three decided to leave the company.
Funny or Die laid off employees last year and closing the New York office is likely a financially motivated move, but the site’s boss found humor in the situation. Editor-In-Chief Dan Abramson, who led the NYC creative office, told TheWrap: “As coastal elites there are only so many cities we can live in. Next year, we’re all moving to Portland.”
The video site launched in 2007 and has become one of the internet’s primary destinations for comedy. It often produces viral content starring big-name Hollywood stars, such as Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Johnny Depp.
Funny or Die also has a massive presence on social media, including over 14 million Twitter followers and 14.7 million likes on Facebook.