Interactive Storytelling Platform Playbuzz Hires BuzzFeed Exec

Interactive content company Playbuzz Ltd. announced Tuesday it appointed a former executive at social news platform Buzzfeed to lead North American operation. Matt Trotta, who served as senior vice president of agency strategy at BuzzFeed, will oversee Playbuzz’s U.S. sales, business development, and operations.

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Founded in Tel Aviv in 2013 by Shaul Olmert and Tom Pachys, Playbuzz began its way as a content creation platform offering interactive content formats such as polls, listicle, and quizzes. The company later expanded its activity to offer branded content for commercial partners published on third-party websites.

In 2017, Playbuzz announced a $35 million funding round, bringing its total investment received to $69.8 million, according to Pitchbook data. Among Playbuzz’s backers are Disney and Saban Ventures, the investment arm of Saban Capital Group Ltd. In June, Calcalist reported that BuzzFeed had let go 25 of its 180 employees citing organizational restructuring. In an interview that month, Playbuzz CEO Olmert said that the company was in the process of a strategic pivot.

Playbuzz is now headquartered in New-York, operating additional offices in Moscow, London, São Paulo, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Hamburg, and Lviv, Ukraine.