Netflix executive behind Tiger King and To All the Boys I’ve Before exits streamer

The executive behind a string of Netflix hits including Making a Murderer and Tiger King has exited.

Netflix’s top ranks have been shaken up with the exit of executive Lisa Nishimura.

Nishimura had been with the business for 15 years, since Netflix’s DVD rental days, and was highly regarded within the wider entertainment business.

The veteran was cut in a round of restructuring, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

She was responsible for Netflix’s lower-budgeted original films as well as its documentary output.

Among her high-profile successes include Making a Murderer, Tiger King, Wild Country, Chef’s Table and Oscar winners American Factory, The Power of the Dog and Icarus.

Her team also cemented Netflix’s rom-com dominance, starting with titles such as Set It Up and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. And she worked with auteur filmmakers such as Charlie Kauffman on his acclaimed movie, I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

Her lieutenant, Ian Bricke, also departed as a result of the restructure.

Lisa Nishimura was in charge of documentaries and indie features. Picture: Netflix

Speaking with news.com.au in 2020, Nishimura explained that while Netflix’s famously comprehensive sets of data was useful as a directional tool, a lot of the job was still instinct.

She recalled how striking on something such as To All the Boys We’ve Loved Before signalled an appetite for rom-coms.

She said at the time, “With something like To All the Boys, which was a wonderful surprise, if you watch the film, just qualitatively, you knew there was something really special and appealing about it on a lot of different levels. There was a wonderful positivity to the film, and an inclusive energy in the casting.

“We were delighted with the audience that showed and continues to show up for To All the Boys, and that helps us understand the size, scope and potential of that storytelling audience. It gives us the confidence to further lean into that space.

“We didn’t have all that when we said yes to To All the Boys. We just knew that the filmmaking team, Jenny Han’s books and the idea of putting a new face to a heroine was something we were deeply committed to and excited about.”

Lisa Nishimura was responsible for hits including To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Nishimura’s culling is being seen in the industry as an attempt by Netflix to consolidate its multi-pronged original films approach amid a wider production scale-back by the industry including streamers.

The Hollywood Reporter also wrote that her departure is seen as the closing of a chapter at Netflix. One unnamed industry veteran told THR, “It’s a signal that the most thoughtful, taste-driven era is being driven out”.

Netflix has undergone significant personnel changes in the past few years as the company moved from being a bold disrupter to a mainstream volume business.

Its most notable change was when co-chief executive and former chief content officer Ted Sarandos sacked its originals lead Cindy Holland in 2020, replacing her with Bela Bajaria.

Holland was associated with Netflix’s launch into original programming, commissioning prestige TV shows such as House of Cards, Bojack Horseman and The Crown. Bajaria’s background is in network TV and her recruitment correlated with a shift in its strategy to be more “everything to everyone”.

The streamer is now also faster to cancel TV shows after one or two seasons.

Tiger King was among Nishimura’s many successes.

Last month, Netflix pulled the plug on a Nancy Meyers rom-com after the company and the filmmaker failed to compromise on its budget. Meyers wanted a $US150 million budget while Netflix was only willing to go as high as $US130 million.

Netflix often paid high upfront fees for big talent because its business model meant there was no back-end profit participation payout. Deadline reported that $US80 million of Meyer’s ask was earmarked for talent salaries. The likes of Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Owen Wilson were reportedly circling roles.

Meyers is in talks with other studios about taking the project.

The entertainment business at large is going through a period of contraction as studios and streamers attempt to get their costs under control after a robust period of trying to outspend each in the face of increased competition.

The past few years have seen a number of new entrants into the market including deep-pocketed tech companies such as Apple.