​Jim Berk stepped down as CEO of Participant Media on Friday, and founder Jeff Skoll will act as interim CEO as he searches for a replacement.

Berk’s resignation from the parent company of cable channel pivot was effective immediately. He led the 11-year-old company for the past eight years.

News of his departure was first reported by Variety.

Earlier this week Variety reported that Skoll—the tech billionaire and first chief executive of eBay—had brought in an outside consulting firm to conduct a strategic review of Participant’s operations amidst his own concerns about employee morale and the company’s growth.

During Berk’s tenure, Participant grew from Participant Productions—a small film company focused on documentaries and feature films that promoted social change—to Participant Media, a global entertainment company that includes digital brand TakePart, cable channel pivot, and TAG, a creative services consultancy that advices brands on cause marketing and social impact campaigns.

“I am grateful to Jim for leading Participant over the last eight and half years, expanding the company to span film, television and digital, serving a global audience of socially conscious consumers,” Skoll said in a statement. “Jim has been instrumental to Participant’s success, and we all wish him well as he embarks on the next stage of his career.”

pivot has undergone its own leadership reshuffle as it has struggled to grow its footprint in across America. Kent Rees took over as general manager of the channel after founding president Evan Shapiro left in November. At the time, pivot was in 47 million households. Shapiro has since headed to NBCUniversal, where he is helping launch their new comedy-centered OTT service.

Read More: Variety

Brief Take: Participant’s founder is looking for new leadership to help the company deliver on its brand promise of producing entertainment that inspires social change.

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