We Support Carlos Watson and OZY Media
Dear Friend,
We stand in STRONG support of Carlos Watson and OZY. We watched Carlos build a meaningful media company which has produced important content over the last 8 years. OZY brings voices, stories and perspectives that we need to hear. We are writing today as people who know OZY, to say we are not going to stand by while OZY and Carlos have their characters maligned. While OZY clearly has made mistakes and can be better, the public berating of the company and one of the few black CEOs in media, is wrong, and we, the undersigned, are in disagreement with the mischaracterization and ill treatment of OZY the entity, and Carlos Watson the person. Our key reasons are below:
It’s hard for us to reconcile how this young media company with significant IP and content across multiple platforms could be compared to Theranos.
- Tesla, Not Theranos — It’s hard for us to reconcile how this young media company with significant IP and content across multiple platforms could be compared to Theranos. We have learned and benefited from OZY’s varied offerings, including their 5 premium newsletters with millions of readers, 12 TV shows across multiple platforms including Hulu, Amazon, and PBS; 1 Emmy Award; 6 top tier podcasts; and 4 premium festivals. OZY has over 30 relationships with Fortune 1000 advertisers; and a reach of 50M+ every month across its various platforms. That real engagement and content clearly distinguishes OZY from other media companies. It is more comparable to the innovative Tesla, than Theranos.
- Ahead of the Curve — OZY was built to help curious people see the world more boldly and more fully. Through hard work across nearly a decade, Carlos turned a plan on a white board into a global company delivering some of the best reporting and storytelling anywhere. Across TV, podcasts, newsletters and festivals, OZY has always profiled the new and the next from a young Amanda Gorman to Trevor Noah, and from AOC to Jennifer Doudna. From the Future of Fertility to Black Women OWN the Conversation, OZY has always tackled fresh and important topics. We appreciate this unique approach.
- Conflicted Competitor — Ben Smith, the former BuzzFeed editor turned NYT columnist, appears to have a conflicted relationship with OZY and Carlos Watson. We may not know all the details, but we expect the NYT to be fair and impartial in their reporting. However, this does not appear to be the case with Smith. Smith downplayed, and in some cases, did not seem to disclose his prior relationship with Carlos Watson, which leaves many open questions about his motivations and ultimate conclusions. For example, as a current owner in Buzzfeed’s stock, Smith has a vested interest in seeing OZY, a competitor, fail, especially in light of Buzzfeed’s potential IPO. Moreover, in Smith’s initial article, he characterized OZY as a “House of Cards,” yet this conclusion doesn’t sit squarely with the fact that after three months of due diligence into OZY two years ago, Smith and his colleague Jonah Peretti offered $225M to purchase OZY, repeatedly. It was an offer that was ultimately declined. We think it’s important to explore this conflict and its implication of the telling of the story, as Slate started to do; or as Dr. Jacqueline Mattis’ medium piece begins to explore.
- Unfortunate Mistake — To be sure, the Goldman call was an unfortunate incident. As we understand it, this mistake was shared with the OZY Board and they jointly decided how to handle it. More, instead of being a single call to secure $40M, the unfortunate call was one of perhaps 50 calls and meetings that took place over three months as Goldman considered an investment in OZY. Fortunately, no investment resulted from the engagement.
- False Charges — While the Goldman call was wrong and salacious, competitors in traditional media seemed to have used this opening to launch a full on attack on every aspect of OZY. We do not think this is fair or right. In fact, there seems to be only negative press about OZY and we want to highlight the good work, and what this young company was able to build on a percentage of the budget of traditional companies.
- Carlos’s Character — Carlos is a man of integrity; he’s inspirational, kind, and generous. He grew up in a modest household and has always been a hard worker and a positive person. It is shocking and heartbreaking to hear the one-sided portrayal of a person we know and respect. We believe it’s time to set the record straight. If you have not seen him on Colbert or GMA, take a look.
- Multiple Platforms — Is there an industry double standard regarding how media audience figures are tabulated? OZY’s unique presence across multiple platforms (newsletters, podcasts, festivals and TV shows) requires an expanded approach to reflect the true audience. The typical counting method only counts primary website visits and excludes so many other points of contact. It’s very interesting that as Carlos and OZY were rising, winning one deal after another, that suddenly, they were deemed fake.
- Racial Bias & Larger Policy Concern — OZY is a bold disruptive media company telling important stories, including the Emmy Award-winning program featuring black women’s voices. We think that in an era of extreme uncertainty and polarization — from disinformation to voter suppression and from racial injustice to economic inequality — we actually need someone other than Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, Jack Dorsey, and Ben Smith helping to define norms and influencing coverage. OZY’s role is critical to help shape everyday conversations. Diversifying subject matter and points of view opens channels of dialog and understanding, versus feeding a culture of divisiveness. It is impossible to ignore that Carlos is one of the few black media CEOs. Why is this small, diverse, minority-owned company getting a disproportionately large amount of lethal media coverage?
It is impossible to ignore that Carlos is one of the few black media CEOs. Why is this small, diverse, minority-owned company getting a disproportionately large amount of lethal media coverage?
We are proud that Carlos and the team are coming back! We need their smart, global content. We know it won’t be easy, but we believe there is an opportunity to learn from this experience and reimagine an even better OZY! We believe that Carlos and OZY are worth a second chance. We look forward to seeing how he approaches this intense time with humility, grace, hard work, and community support. We believe that OZY cannot only survive, but become an even more important force in helping broaden the lens through which people see the world and live in it.
We believe in showing the support for OZY now. Please share this letter on your social media and across your email groups. We want and need OZY!
In Solidarity,
Kamne Thomas
Reverend Jeannette Shegog
Dr. Judith Segura
Dr. Carolyn Watson
Pastor Wayne Jackson
Dr. Simone Peart Boyce
Dr. Michelle Johnson
Dr. Rodney Taylor
Kyla T. Duncan
L.T. Robinson
D.E. Robinson
Phillip Sistena
Susan Cooper
Vicky Del Arenal
Jose Mendez
Allison Estes
George Scott
Laurie Scott
Nakeisha Paul
Regina Scott
Beverly Watson
Tiffany Madera
Dr. Karen Johnson
Ousseni llboudo
Torianno Sistena
Maria Parker
Daniel Segura
Olivia Benson
Ron Duncan
Jennifer Peart
Alexander Browne
Patrice Johnson
Anna Segura
Adrian Wilcox
Fred Burke
Rick Taylor
Marsha M. Johnson, Esq.
Lois Smith
Morgan Taylor
Don Shegog
Amy Troner
Manya Arond-Thomas
Johnnie Hill
Roy Taylor
Andrew Clarke
Andreas Sistena Hessellund
David Segura
Terence Baxter
Betty Segura
Richard Taylor
Evelyn Taylor
