This has been a year of upheaval for the entertainment industry as a combination of the pandemic-triggered freeze in business and the impact of cord cutting prompted several of the big companies to slash costs and trim their executive ranks. At the same time, streaming giant Netflix reshuffled key positions, as it routinely does, leading to some departures there. The result is that a lot of executive talent with experience in entertainment is between gigs.

For that reason, we’re publishing this special edition of our Free Agents series, focusing only on entertainment executives. The group includes three veterans of AT&T’s WarnerMedia, which went through a big restructuring as it combined several divisions, and two from Netflix. Most are midway through their careers. One of the big questions facing this industry is whether the cuts reflect a permanent shrinkage of the workforce. Will this crop of Free Agents stay in entertainment or move into adjacent industries like gaming?