Outfest Executive Director Damien Navarro Exits Amid Unionization Effort – Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Outfest executive director Damien S. Navarro taken a 45-day leave of absence with Zackery Alexander Stephens stepping in to lead the long-running festival in LA and LBTQIA+ film organization. All of this comes amid a unionization effort and that some staffers, who been pushing for the unionization, have been laid off. Staffers were told earlier this year that Navarro would be leaving Outfest at an undisclosed date, however, the whole unionization push by staffers seems to have hastened his departure.
Deadline reached out to Outfest, which provided a statement. They confirmed, “The Outfest Board of Directors has appointed Zackery Alexzander Stephens as Acting Executive Director. Stephens has stepped away from their role on the Board to support staff navigating through this transition. The Board has initiated measures to support organizational solvency and help realign the organization.”
At the same time today, Outfest staffers who are pursuing the union under the Queer Filmworkers United (QFU), CWA Local 9003, have made known the fest’s internal challenges.
Those included in the layoffs are Martine McDonald, Director of Artist Development, the only
Black employee at Outfest, and union member and Senior Programming Coordinator Gabi Grossman, the only trans woman employee at Outfest. Also included are union members including Development Coordinator Alex Gootter, Marketing Manager Hansen Bursic, and Senior Programmer Daniel Crooke, all of whom were informed of their layoffs today. Gootter was informed of his layoff via email on his day off.
“All laid-off staff were told their last day is tomorrow, September 29. The rationale given for these layoffs, according to termination letters sent to staff by Alexzander Stephens, was a lack of available funds due to ‘Industry Strikes.’”
“The reality of the situation is our remaining members will now have to carry double the workload, precisely at a time when Outfest Artist Development just launched applications for the inaugural Outfest Producers Lab,” a QFU organizer said in statement, “This not only challenges us individually but also jeopardizes the quality and sustainability of our work.”
Also in the statement today, the QFU reports, that “the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, have filed for an official election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the Outfest Board of Directors refused to voluntary recognize the union.” Stephens then “announced layoffs for five staffers, four of whom are union members and represent a majority of the union’s organizing committee.”
“Last Tuesday, September 26, union-qualifying Outfest staffers unanimously voted to pursue the
union under the name Queer Filmworkers United (QFU), in partnership with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. This vote included 12 staff members across the organization whose designations fall below the Associate Director level. They gave Outfest management 24 hours to respond and another 24 hours at the request of the Outfest Board. After that time, the Outfest Board Co-President Nii-Quartelai Quartey responded to the request saying the Board could not come to a consensus on the decision at this time,” read the statement.
“I am heartbroken over the state of this organization which we have labored with love to build
up,” said an unnamed QFU organizer. “We find it disheartening that, in a time of change and
potential growth, the immediate course of action has been one of contraction rather than
collaboration.”
In a statement on the Outfest news obtained by Deadline, Outfest Board Leadership wrote the following: “As an organization, Outfest is dedicated to facilitating a culture of respect, trust, and transparency for both staff and our community. The organization’s core mission is to champion queer storytellers and create opportunity, which is reflected in their programming and events. Earlier this month, the Board initiated measures to support organizational solvency and help realign the organization with that mission in mind. We are working to rebuild a higher-quality organization and workplace.”
Continued the leadership, “Like other nonprofit organizations, Outfest has been severely impacted by the financial climate of the industry. Leadership is in the process of scaling the organization sustainably in order to ensure that it is able to carry out its mission for the next generation of filmmakers.” They added that “Outfest is decidedly pro-union. The work our organization accomplishes wouldn’t be possible without Hollywood unions. As a nonprofit Board and organization, we believe in empowering LGBTQIA+ storytellers which includes our Outfest staff.”
Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is one of the leading organizations working to promote equality by creating, sharing and protecting Queer and Trans stories on the screen. Over the course of the last 41 years, the non-profit has showcased thousands of films from around the world, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers, and preserved more than 40,000 LGBTQ+ films and videos. Outfest programs include The Outfest Screenwriting Lab, which has mentored and helped launch the careers of nearly 150 screenwriters, and The Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, which, in partnership with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, is the only film archive in the world exclusively dedicated to preserving LGBTQ+ images, among others.
The org had just recently announced Shirley MacLaine and Trace Lysette as the 2023 recipients of its Legacy Awards, which had been set to be presented at NeueHouse in Hollywood on Sunday, October 22nd. How the events currently transpiring will impact that ceremony is not yet clear.
