Starlee,

Sorry to hear about the outcome of Mystery Show. It’s tough when something you have poured so much of yourself into abruptly ends. You did an excellent job creating such a delightful podcast, you should be proud of your work.

Unfortunately the way in which Alex Blumberg announced that Gimlet has canceled Mystery Show was completely inappropriate. If Alex did not want to go into details about the show’s cancelation then he should have kept it simple and unspecific, or at least not drawn any attention to it in the first place. You never see Leslie Moonves or Stephen Burke announce when a TV show is canceled, especially not in such a dramatic fashion as the way Alex did. When Alex announced that although he usually is “…transparent about a lot of things. But there are certain things that simply need to remain private” he is implying that the discontinuation was due to some drama or conflict that took place. Weather the break was drama free or not is not important, what is important is if the employer (Gimlet Media) approached the situation professionally. Gimlet (and Alex) needs to understand that as an employer it isn’t their place to make any statement (implicit or not) about the show’s cancellation.

Alex has gotten far too comfortable being the bumbling, figuring-it-out-as-he-goes, CEO, and he hasn’t embraced ALL the ins-and-outs of being a business professional. He has been given too much leniency and needs to tighten up his game. This includes knowing when to be quiet and let his brand speak for itself.

Starlee, I too know what it’s like to be a part of a company that doesn’t have a clear direction, and to also be let go from said company. The sting of the situation is only intensified by the fact that the company doesn’t clearly know how to do thing, or what it wants.

So here is my advice f#*@ em! Remember that whatever happened has no reflect on you as a person or on your work as a professional (let iTunes do that). Take it as a learning experience and move on. May your future success be your revenge. I’m not saying you’re not allowed to feel hurt. Sure, take a break. Cry into a pillow and have a drink or two. But then get back out there and kick some ass! I have passively followed your career from TAL to mystery show, and I always enjoyed your work. I selfishly need you to feed my growing hunger to consume more Starlee podcasts (and I’m getting pretty hungry). As your career blooms, and your recognition and fame grows, maybe one day you’ll be reapproached by Alex and you can smile, lean in and whisper quietly into his ear (forcing him to give you his complete attention), and you’ll quietly say “no” as you continue on your merry way.

Starlee your future is so damn bright, your gonna need sunglasses!

Best of luck,

Andino