WotC Greg Tito On Leaving WotC: 'It feels good to do something that doesn't just line the pockets of *****'

We reported earlier that WotC's communications director Greg Tito had left his 9-year stint managing the Dungeons & Dragons brand for a political appointment as Deputy Director of External Affairs for the Washington secretary of state's office.

Greg Tito Leaves Wizards of the Coast

Greg Tito, formerly the communications manager in charge of overseeing messaging for the Dungeons & Dragons brand, is departing Wizards of the Coast for a career in the public sector. Tito announced that he would be joining the Washington secretary of state's office starting this week, ending an...

www.enworld.org

In a surprising turn of events, Tito criticized his former employers, saying "It feels good to do something that doesn't just line the pockets of a**holes." He later went on to clarify "Sorry. I meant "shareholders".

Tito is now Deputy Director of External Affairs for the Washington Secretary of State office in Olympia, WA.

 

[KYRON45]

Can you elaborate?

He used an expletive to describe the public (share holders are in fact the public). Doesn’t seem like a rational decision for someone that works in….public relations.

Doesn’t matter to me; my idea of public relations is avoiding the public all together.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

I just think the standards are a little high. Don't make enough eye contact, so you're unhirable? That hardly seems fair.

I didn't say unhirable! But it does make the climb a bit steeper. Whether accurate or not, it conveys a lack of confidence and ability to stand up for oneself (in the 'good' way... not the hyper-aggressive, heart on your sleeve way!).

 

[I'm A Banana]

He used an expletive to describe the public (share holders are in fact the public). Doesn’t seem like a rational decision for someone that works in….public relations.

Doesn’t matter to me; my idea of public relations is avoiding the public all together.

Hypothetically, share holders are "the public."

In reality, the major shareholders of HAS are private finance industry corporations like Vanguard Group, Capital Research Investors, BlackRock, State Street, Citadel, etc., etc..

Maybe not a great idea for someone who works in investor relations or in private equity or something to call these folks expletives, but these glass tower capitalists aren't really the "public" in public relations.

 

[Scribe]

Doesn’t matter to me; my idea of public relations is avoiding the public all together.

 

[KYRON45]

Hypothetically, share holders are "the public."

In reality, the major shareholders of HAS are private finance industry corporations like Vanguard Group, Capital Research Investors, BlackRock, State Street, Citadel, etc., etc..

Maybe not a great idea for someone who works in investor relations or in private equity or something to call these folks expletives, but these glass tower capitalists aren't really the "public" in public relations.

Are you sure you don’t work in public relations?

 

[Clint_L]

"Virtue signalling?" That's for when people are dishonest about their beliefs in public for some benefit.

noun: virtue signalling

1. the public expression of opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or social conscience or the moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue.
   "it's noticeable how often virtue signaling consists of saying you hate things"

Edit: and, to be clear, I am not nor have I suggested he was being dishonest.

 

[TheSword]

I can’t help feeling folks are putting waaaaaay to much importance on a throwaway response to a tweet.

He won’t be the first person who joins the government to try and do something meaningful for much less money.

I would image trying to manage this community would be enough to drive anyone to something of more substance.

 

[Morrus]

Basically, he's virtue signalling.

Ugh. So (1) please re-aquaint yourself with the rules here; and (2) you won't be participating further in this thread.

 

[Hussar]

Is it really that hard for people to connect the dots here? It’s not rocket science.

Here’s a guy who rode shotgun from WotC’s nadir at the outset of 5e. He’s given the Herculean task of rebuilding all the bridges that 4e had burned. WotC at the time has gone from over a hundred employees to less than ten. It’s a shell of its former self.

And he does it. Not alone of course. But he does it. 5e is a smash hit and WotC is back in everyone’s good graces.

Then comes the OGL debacle which has its genesis in shareholders meetings. He has to spend the next year trying to rebuild all that lost goodwill. I imagine he might be just a tiny bit annoyed at this point.

But then we have DnD’s 59th on the horizon. This is a career defining moment for someone in PR. This is the brass ring.

And just before what should be a huge proud moment, Hasbro leaves burning poo on his doorstep with the layoffs which are 100% the result of shareholders. And again he has to spend all this time trying to rebuild bridges with a very pissed off fandom when he rightly expected to be riding a huge wave of bonhomie from the anniversary.

Again is it really that hard to understand why he might be the tiniest bit resentful? Really? To the point where he quits at the point where he should be on top of the world?

I get the rap for being soft on WotC. Fair enough. I do think that people make mountains out of molehills but holy crap. Even I’m totally understanding why Greg Tito is saying this.

 

[OptionalRule]

If that's how he feels then that's how he feels. Staying and cashing the checks for 9 years seems odd. If you have an ethical problem with it, that's fair, but move on. Anyway, good for him now that's he's onto the ethical clarity of marketing in State Goverment.