AEW hires Jennifer Pepperman as VP of Content Development

[markymark]

Feb 22, 2024 10:27:22 GMT -5 raymondo316 said:

Hopefully she doesnt feed Mercedes with lines like "Seth Rollins is Codys girlfriend" like Dwayne said yesterday lol.

[Cyno]

If she was just Mercedes' personal writer, she would've quit WWE awhile ago. It just comes off like being intentionally reductive of a successful woman's body of work because she also worked closely with Mercedes during her WWE career.

[XIII]

J. Pepperman about to tell long boring stories about taking her Emmy to the wilds of Laos and Cambodia until she runs out and has to buy stories from Danhausen, until he runs out and has to buy bunion stories from Otis.

[polarbearpete]

Feb 22, 2024 10:38:34 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

Not to dispute that Mercedes didn't play a part, but I find it weird that Pepperman would be one of the people in charge with what made TV just keep Mercedes happy

I heard weeks ago that Mercedes was getting one of her writers from WWE hired by AEW. I’m pretty sure Tony wouldn’t have a problem giving her this position if it was a condition of Mercedes signing. Especially when she seems qualified.

[polarbearpete]

Feb 22, 2024 11:51:09 GMT -5 Cyno said:

If she was just Mercedes' personal writer, she would've quit WWE awhile ago. It just comes off like being intentionally reductive of a successful woman's body of work because she also worked closely with Mercedes during her WWE career.

No one is saying she’s just Mercedes personal writer, nor that she’s not qualified for the position. But it’s been rumored that Mercedes was getting one of the WWE writers hired into a position in AEW. It’s fair to say this may not have happened if Mercedes didn’t go to AEW. That can be true and she can be more than qualified for the position at the same time.

[Allie Kitsune]

I'd say it's less "Just to keep Mercedes happy" and more "An indication that they're going all in on Mercedes".

[lucas_lee]

I kept thinking about where I heard Peppermans name before. Wasn't she one of the named defedants in the lawsuit from an ex-WWE writer of color?

[kidkamikaze10]

Feb 22, 2024 12:07:24 GMT -5 lucas_lee said:

I kept thinking about where I heard Peppermans name before. Wasn't she one of the named defedants in the lawsuit from an ex-WWE writer of color?

Not the main person in that lawsuit, but yes, one of them.

If it means anything, Naomi, Mercedes/Sasha, New Day (namely Big E), and former writers like Kazeem Famuyide, all had great things to say about her.

So it could be a "everyone sucks while working for Vince" thing.

[Deleted]

I am sure her qualifications were an easy hire but let's not kid ourselves that her hire was not at first and foremost at the request of Mercedes.

TK is making sure that woman is happy at every level.

[stoptheclocks]

Feb 22, 2024 9:20:50 GMT -5 polarbearpete said:

Feb 21, 2024 22:18:45 GMT -5 bob said:

if I remember correctly, she was did creative for the great build to Otis vs Dolph Ziggler at Wrestlemania 36

That was Andrea Listenberger.

Pepperman was one of the writers that was sued in that lawsuit a writer filed last year for race discrimination. I believe it settled.

Edit: yes, it was settled in October. These are the allegations that were against Pepperman:

Abrahams also alleges that senior WWE writer Jen Pepperman, who is white, "discriminatorily treated Plaintiff and other black, and African American WW employees poorly compared to their similarly-situated white, and Caucasian counterparts." The complaint alleged Pepperman would "just snap" at Abrahams and other black, African-Americans, "deliberately berate them in front of everyone else", had "zero patience" for Abrahams and others and that Pepperman's "tone and countenance routinely differed from when she spoke to or engaged with Plaintiff’s white, Caucasian counterparts."

The lawsuit claimed "Pepperman's comments and conduct had the purpose and effect of humiliating and intimidating Plaintiff, and their severity and pervasiveness dramatically altered Plaintiff’s work environment for the worse."
…

After that assistant was fired, Abrahams states the company questioned her about her experiences with Callahan and whether she had witnessed or been the victim of harassment on the creative writing team. She states in the lawsuit that she described "the discrimination and hostile work environment she had been subjected to" by Pepperman, as well as what she had witnessed Pepperman allegedly do to other "minority employees."

Probably gives a lot of added context to the Emmy story if she was seen as (at best) a bit of a bully.

[markymark]

Feb 22, 2024 14:14:28 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

Feb 22, 2024 9:20:50 GMT -5 polarbearpete said:

That was Andrea Listenberger.

Pepperman was one of the writers that was sued in that lawsuit a writer filed last year for race discrimination. I believe it settled.

Edit: yes, it was settled in October. These are the allegations that were against Pepperman:

Probably gives a lot of added context to the Emmy story if she was seen as (at best) a bit of a bully.

The people who hated it were...Kevin Dunn and Michael Hayes.

[polarbearpete]

Feb 22, 2024 15:35:56 GMT -5 markymark said:

Feb 22, 2024 14:14:28 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

Probably gives a lot of added context to the Emmy story if she was seen as (at best) a bit of a bully.

The people who hated it were...Kevin Dunn and Michael Hayes.

This is what Fightful reported at the time:

Fightful Select was told that during Monday's WWE Production meeting, Pepperman actually brought her Daytime Emmy award and placed it on the table in front of her. Those we spoke to called the move "blind arrogance," and was seen walking around backstage after the production meeting with the Emmy. Several members of the team "zinged" her about the gesture, but she thought they were all joking in regards to it. In addition, it was said that she flew commercial with her Emmy accompanying her.

Several WWE Superstars congratulated Pepperman on her win, and we're told she's generally well liked by staff, the team, and the roster. Considering WWE has never managed to win an Emmy Award, the move was said to gain immediate heat backstage, though she seemed oblivious to it, with one person we followed up with suggesting that she may have just been on "cloud nine" to the point she didn't notice.
.

[stoptheclocks]

Feb 22, 2024 15:35:56 GMT -5 markymark said:

Feb 22, 2024 14:14:28 GMT -5 stoptheclocks said:

Probably gives a lot of added context to the Emmy story if she was seen as (at best) a bit of a bully.

The people who hated it were...Kevin Dunn and Michael Hayes.

Is that true? I'm basing this off the report in the original thread posted on P1.

[Jumpin' Jesse Walsh]

Weird. I got heat in my office for carrying a photo of Jennifer Pepperman carrying her Emmy.

[Lance Uppercut]

I just realized,

Isn’t this company, one of their selling points to wrestlers, is that they don’t have writers?

I remember Jon Moxly going

“I respect what they do, but their jobs shouldn’t exist”

[Lizuka #BLM]

Feb 22, 2024 21:29:39 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

I just realized,

Isn’t this company, one of their selling points to wrestlers, is that they don’t have writers?

I remember Jon Moxly going

“I respect what they do, but their jobs shouldn’t exist”

There's still use in having an experienced writer in a creative position even if she isn't directly scripting things out. There's a lot she could potentially bring in terms of new ideas, product cohesion, continuity, streamlining story beats...

[polarbearpete]

[kidkamikaze10]

Anything Eric likes worries me, but thankfully, other people like her too.

[This Player Hating Mothman]

Feb 22, 2024 21:32:21 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Feb 22, 2024 21:29:39 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

I just realized,

Isn’t this company, one of their selling points to wrestlers, is that they don’t have writers?

I remember Jon Moxly going

“I respect what they do, but their jobs shouldn’t exist”

There's still use in having an experienced writer in a creative position even if she isn't directly scripting things out. There's a lot she could potentially bring in terms of new ideas, product cohesion, continuity, streamlining story beats...

"Bookers" are writers, too. It's all writers. WWE just calls them writers and has them sit in a room together to write promos for people that they have to follow word for word. In theory, having someoen with a television writing background and breaking out of the kinda braindead bullshit of wrestling industry 'creatives' could give them a little something, if they can find the right balance.

[Mozenrath]

Yeah, if promos become scripted, particularly heavily, expect some people to balk or even walk. It's the kind of inorganic horseshit that fans and wrestlers alike got bored of, slick to the point of being plastic.

If it's just angles being outlined and some people who favor having bullet points to follow, etc, having that provided, then that's fine and basically just booking.

Given Tony Khan's fondness for the early '90s and earlier in wrestling, as well as ECW, it's more likely the latter.