Former Channel Awesome Members Release Document Criticising Company Policies

The review and video journal website Channel Awesome has come under fire in recent months from several former contributors. Citing mismanagement, poor working conditions, communications problems, they describe an environment which has been troubled for years. Each of these issues stemmed from the website’s owners, Doug Walker, Rob Walker, and Mike Michaud. Discussions of this on Twitter, particularly with video creators Allison "Obscurus Lupa" Pregler and Lindsay Ellis, gave rise to the #ChangetheChannel hashtag. This in turn led to other former members releasing a multitude of new stories previously unknown to the public. 

These stories have since been compiled into a sixty-nine page document titled Not So Awesome, which outlines a multitude of failings. Previously unknown stories listed in the document include, but are not limited to:

• Beth Elderkin of io9 fame being paid only an hour per day during multi-hour shoots thanks to contractual loopholes

• Benjamin “Benzaie” Daniel, a years long contributor, not being forewarned that his video archive would not be transferred during a website jump from one website platform to the next.

• Abrupt policy alterations with no prior forewarning. A move which led to the removal of Jon “ChaosD1” Burkhardt from the website thanks to being one day late with a video release due to a medical emergency.

• A threat issued to now Anime News Network editor Jacob “JesuOtaku” Chapman, stating that he would be fired for criticising the website in public.

The article itself goes into extensive detail, with some stories covering years at a time and citing multiple failings from the website’s very inception. News of these stories has led to the departure of several members. Among these is nine-year contributor Lewis Lovhaug of Atop the Fourth Wall, Diamanda Hagan, and Chuck Sonnenberg of SFDebris. 

Channel Awesome itself has since responded with an open letter via social media, but this has been met with heavy criticism by fans and former members alike.

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