Part (just PART) of the reason I feel this way is because media culture is just so fucked up and horrible. So myself and my whole company pretty much are just people who aren’t good enough at getting traffic to work at BuzzFeed. The only reason to read the site I work for is if you’ve read everything on BuzzFeed already and are still bored at work (like we’re literally a BuzzFeed clone despite having started years before BuzzFeed). I work at one of the biggest websites in the world, true, but I’m still not happy because working in the NYC media is soul-draining. Stotlz did Anaconda - not far off from what I’m doing in terms of abject shittiness. I feel like Eric Stoltz after getting fired and replaced by Michael J.
How can I ever feel good about myself or my life knowing I’ll never have any what I described? That I fucked up the biggest opportunity I’ll ever have? That I could’ve been a figure of massive importance in the media industry but instead I’m just a nobody - at least compared to any BuzzFeed editorial staffer. Now compare it to the rest of the industry… Think of all the sycophants and all the Twitter followers and all the swag and every other perk of working there. Like just think about getting hired there in 2011/2012 and now being one of the most important people in the entire media world and getting an interview with literally whoever you want (like imagine being able to host a BuzzFeed Brews with Chris Pratt where before you couldn’t get an interview with anyone) because you’re working for the hottest brand. The people they hired instead are now HUGE there - a big deal in the company and on (media) Twitter too.
I applied there a few more times over the last several years and never got another series of interviews. They didn’t hire me though (I told them I didn’t want to write more clickbait than substance - what the fuck was I thinking?). The worst part is that I almost did work for them! I came really close to getting an editor position there a few years ago - before they were famous and huge.
Would you answer this if I was having an existential breakdown over Mother Jones or the Washington Post? How can you feel good about yourself if you don’t work for such a massive, popular, successful company? Even the fact that you might answer this is a testament to how popular they are. Everyone is talking about it and everyone (even the celebrities) reads it.
BuzzFeed is the hottest entertainment/news/advertising/whatever property on earth right now. Seems like every time I check an awesome person’s Twitter bio it’s changed to “Staff writer at BuzzFeed” or “Editor at BuzzFeed’ or whatever. They hardly ever fire anyone (save for an unlucky few) and are ALWAYS making huge hires. And BuzzFeed is in perpetual growth mode. Digiday, Adweek, and every other media rag writes about BuzzFeed’s new innovations every single day. BuzzFeed is so powerful they can make the president use a selfie stick. They’re past being just a website/media organization. BuzzFeed is the most widely recognized media brand among young people and will inevitably eclipse the major media organizations and one day become a super-hegemonic media power the likes of which we’ve never seen. BuzzFeed is the future of the media business. Buchanan diss it all the time (despite founding the tech vertical there - weird) and lots of people sneer at it but it’s the truth.īuzzFeed is the most successful media company of our time. I’m sure you think this is some kind of joke since Awl editors Mr. I hate myself because I can’t work for BuzzFeed. The Concessionist gives advice each weekend about the sordid choices of real life.