Remember when I announced a little over a month ago that I’d been finally, officially, been elevated to managing editor/team brand manager/whatever you’d like to call it of Jewels from the Crown? And how I didn’t anticipate anything changing, aside from me striving to continue to assemble a collection of writers and contributors to bring you Kings coverage, all year long?
Well, about that.
As many of you may already be aware, SB Nation announced on Monday that they are changing their business model for sites focusing on California teams. This change is in response to a new California law attempting to address gig economy/freelance/independent contractor work that, among other things, limits freelance content producers to 35 pieces of “content” a year before a company would be essentially obligated to consider them an employee, with all of the rights and privileges that come along with being an employee.
In the world of sports — where I would hit that number in about a month and a half, without even considering social media content — 35 pieces of content obviously would go by in a flash.
Because of this, all SB Nation sites for California teams — regardless of if they are currently led by a managing editor outside of California, such as myself — will be switching to a new model in 2020.
What this all boils down to is that my role — and therefore my presence as the managing editor of this site — will be going away in the new year, as SBN shifts to this regional site-running model.
(Yes, even though I don’t live in California. The change is being applied unilaterally to all sites for California-based teams, regardless of where any paid contributors/site managers actually reside.)
This doesn’t just affect me — this also will impact CJ Woodling of Anaheim Calling, Sie Morley of Fear the Fin, and any other paid contributor for SB Nation who either lives in California or writes for a California-based site.
Related
Anaheim Calling is changing, and we don’t know what it will look like yet
What does this mean for all of you?
For right now, and through at least March 2020, you will continue to see much of the same kind of content you’re used to on Jewels from the Crown. Whether it’s breaking news, game recaps, updates on Kings prospects heading to World Juniors, or any of the other articles you come here for — none of that will change.
In the future, you will most likely be seeing new names and faces appearing on the site and masthead. Roles are being introduced that are “Community Managers” and “Community Editors” for California-based team sites, and, as far as I understand it, the individuals in those roles will be taking over the day-to-day running of JFTC, as well as Fear the Fin, Anaheim Calling, and all other CA-based SBN team sites.
Our current lineup of contributors are currently unaffected by these changes, though they are all, of course, here of their own volition, the goodness of their hearts, and their own love/hate relationship with the Kings.
What does this mean for me, Sarah, the person writing this post?
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I have agreed to stay on in my current role through the end of March 2020. I can’t tell you who will be calling the shots around here after March, but I do intend on continuing on here at JFTC in some capacity, even if that winds up being a more relaxed “occasional contributor of articles about Alec Martinez’s face” sort of role.
You aren’t rid of me that easily!
I am very lucky in that I have a day job outside of the hockey sphere that pays the bills, so this won’t impact me from a financial standpoint, although I fully recognize that I am privileged in that regard. This change is going to significantly, negatively, impact a number of SB Nation colleagues who I have come to know and love over my time here. Please keep those folks in your thoughts. I’ll be just fine.
Really! What does this mean for all of us!
Right now, we continue on much as we have been. We still write articles and recaps and share our love/hate/frustration/ambivalence about the Kings with all of you. I cannot tell you what this community — the content, the names on the masthead, the types of work produced — is going to look like after April 1, 2020.
You are welcome to share your thoughts with SB Nation on this change here. I believe there may also be a piece penned by SB Nation management that will appear on this site; if and when that happens, you are welcome to comment there, as well.
I am leaving comments open to answer any questions you may have, though I do ask you to please be civil and respectful in the comments. I know this very fully overlaps with politics, and that inherently makes things messy, and often not chill at all. But please be chill. For me. Thanks.