3.17 Branching Out
Damien had just announced to the staff that he was no longer the CEO of Rainy Day Entertainment. The crowd erupted in gasps and people turned to their coworkers to speculate about what was going on.
Damien held up his hand. “Please, before everyone begins to panic, let me explain.” Their voices began to quiet down as everyone looked at Damien expectantly. “I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent at Rainy Day, and I have a lot of respect for the work that’s being done in the company. But that’s not where my passion lies.”
Damien began looking around the room. “My passion is here, in this room. When I decided to expand my role at Rainy Day to producing new forms of digital content, I thought I could still handle my regular duties. Now I realize I don’t have the time to continue my work in the E-Sports division and also foster the work we're doing here. So as of today, Sunny Side Studios is branching off and a new CEO will be taking over my duties at Rainy Day."
The crowd once again erupted with questions. Johnny glanced back at Lucy to gauge her reaction; surely she would know more about the situation. He was relieved to see a relaxed smile on her face.
Damien continued, “I want to assure you that his won’t affect anyone’s pay and I’m not letting anyone go. We’re only getting bigger. We’re still a part of the Rainy Day family, but I'll be devoting all of my time here. And this building?”
Damien gestured around. “The whole thing belongs to us now. That means more expansion, more content, more staff members. Speaking of, there are a couple of people I want to introduce to you.”
A man and a woman who both looked familiar to Johnny turned the corner, both smiling warmly.
“These two amazing people are Celeste and Christopher Michaelson," Damien explained. "If you’re a video game fan, which you should be"--he paused and gave a knowing look the to the staff, who responded with laughter--"I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Christopher will be joining the team as my new Production Manager, and Celeste as Creative Director. They’ll be working with us on developing new projects. Celeste?”
“I know this must come as quite a shock," Celeste acknowledged. "But I promise these changes will only lead to more growth and more opportunities for everyone here. Christopher and I would love to hear all of your ideas and suggestions for where to take things from here.”
“Our ears and offices are open to you,” Christopher chimed in. “Everyone is here because you bring something to the table, so we want to hear from you before we add on any more team members.”
“Celeste, Christopher, and I will be meeting with each department over the next few weeks to hear your suggestions and concerns, so please don’t hesitate to speak your minds. Together, we’re going to make Sunny Side Productions really shine.” The staff began to clap and cheer.
Lucy stopped to talk to Johnny briefly before joining Damien, Celeste, and Christopher in a planning meeting. "You have nothing to worry about," she promised him, seeming to have noticed his apprehension. "This is going to be a good thing."
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