A few days after Ozy Media’s board of directors said the digital media company was shutting down, CEO Carlos Watson is saying not so fast.
“We’re going to open for business,” said Watson, a former MSNBC anchor, during an interview on NBC’s Today Monday.
“This is our Lazarus moment, if you will; this is our Tylenol moment,“ Watson said. “Last week was traumatic, it was difficult, heartbreaking, in many ways.”
Watson conceded that operations were suspended on Friday with plans to shut down.
“And as we spent time over the weekend we talked to advertising partners, we talked to some of our readers, some of our viewers, our listeners, our investors,” said he claimed plans changed.
“I think Ozy is part of this moment, and it’s not going to be easy, and I think what we do with newsletters, what we do with TV shows, original TV shows, podcasts and more, I think has a place,” he said.
Ozy appeared to quickly collapse last week after a New York Times article indicated that Ozy’s chief operating officer impersonated a Google executive during a fundraising call with Goldman Sachs.
Watson called the New York Times story a “hit job” in a tweet last week.
Heartbroken by the ridiculous hitjob from the NYTimes. But we are strong and undeterred. Building something new, fresh and worthy is not for the weak. Here is what I sent our team. pic.twitter.com/qcH4m9zqM2September 27, 2021
