Ben Smith joined BuzzFeed as Editor-in-Chief in January 2012. He is responsible for overseeing and expanding editorial coverage and producing original content for the first true social news organization. Prior to BuzzFeed, Smith was senior political writer for POLITICO from 2007 to 2011, where he wrote a daily blog that Time Magazine named as one of the “Five Essential Blogs in 2010.”
In 2008, Smith covered the Democratic presidential primary, with a focus on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Before POLITICO, he wrote a column and a blog for the New York Daily News. He also started New York’s first political blog, The Politicker, for the New York Observer, as well as the political site, Room Eight, after working as City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Sun.
Smith has written for many leading publications including the Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Slate, The New York Post, The New Republic, Legal Affairs, Reason and In These Times.
Smith graduated Summa Cum Laude from Yale University with a degree in Linguistics. He was born and raised in Manhattan, and now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.
As the Editor-In Chief of BuzzFeed, Ben Smith is on the front lines of a rapidly changing media landscape. In his presentation, he takes audiences behind the scenes of BuzzFeed’s disruptive and forward-thinking social approach, one that has led to over 60 million unique visitors every month. Through his experiences, observations and specific case studies, learn how to not only reach but earn credibility with this new generation of readers, one who is more likely to read something their friend shares on Twitter or Facebook rather than a newspaper’s front page. Combining original content, aggregation, and a mix of stories both hard-hitting and humorous, Ben Smith is at the helm of a “viral–content machine” that is redefining journalism.
Ben Smith has moderated events large and small, interviewing everyone from Senator Marco Rubio to Anthony Weiner. He is equipped to engage in a conversation with any guest or panel, discussing politics, pop culture or whatever else is on the agenda.
