The following is an apology from Chris Sniezak, in relation to the investigation from 2020. You can read more about the investigation here: http://misdirectedmark.com/2020/07/15/investigation-into-allegations-completed/, or find the GEM leadership apology here: http://misdirectedmark.com/2022/03/18/a-public-apology-on-behalf-of-gem-leadership/.

Anyone can apologize for something they’ve done wrong. It doesn’t mean much other than they’re able to say the words. But I am sorry. 

I’m sorry I harmed people I worked with. Sorry I took advantage of my position in Misdirected Mark Productions and other organizations. Sorry I let my anger turn into words that harmed people.

Some of this was unintentional due to ignorance and too strong a belief that I was doing something right. This led to tokenism. I should have listened more and talked less. Some of this was anger that I let get out of control. I should have just kept quiet and walked away from those situations until I could vent those emotions in positive ways. Some of it was due to not understanding social situations and power dynamics. Some of it was due to lack of an understanding of my privilege. These errors led to micro aggressions and creating a toxic environment to a variety of people but especially people of color and women. 

So the past two years I’ve listened more, learned more, considered more, put in effort to understand my emotions and myself more. I’ve had coaching, read materials on a variety of subjects surrounding my issues, and listened to lectures on them too. There was a lot of time during Covid to figure these things out. To find the help I needed so these things never happen again. Because I don’t want to hurt people. 

I can’t take back what happened but I have, and will continue to, put in the effort to be a version of myself that will listen, consider, and understand the people around me to the best of my ability.

Chris