"Lord of the Rings" special effects studio exposed employees "sharing pornographic pictures" scandal

Weta Digital is a special effects studio founded in 1993 by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings, and Richard Taylor, special effects master. Its most well-known work may be Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now, this New Zealand studio has been accused of a sexist workplace culture, triggering an independent investigation, which has exposed more scandals such as employees "sharing pornographic pictures".

The allegations about Weta Digital's workplace culture have surfaced following a months-long investigation by New Zealand news group TVNZ. New Zealand Workplace Relations Minister Andrew Little has made the allegations public, urging the company to conduct an independent review of the allegations.

Current and former employees have said that Weta Digital's workplace culture included a culture of sharing "pornographic images" in the workplace, with some describing explicit mailing lists hosted on Weta Digital's own intranet. "There was a tradition called Porn Fridays," one unnamed employee told TVNZ. "Every Friday, everyone would send pornographic images to the whole team."

While the pornographic mailing list was eventually removed by the company, employees say the move caused a backlash from some of those who enjoyed it. There have also been allegations of sexual harassment and bullying in the Weta Digital workplace that management did not take seriously or, in some cases, were perpetuated by Weta Digital management employees.

A former Weta Digital employee broke the news: "It is well known that the film industry treats employees like dogs, and Weta Digital is no exception. They will make employees work until they are exhausted or resign. This workplace culture is a mixture of gentleman's club mentality, brutal bullying and casual sexism. I don't recommend anyone to work there."

Weta Digital said in an official statement that the allegations "do not represent the current situation at Weta Digital studio."