Matthew Henick, formerly the head of BuzzFeed Studios, is joining Facebook’s media partnerships team, where he will serve as head of content planning and strategy.
In a post on Facebook, Henick argued that the social network is “a storytelling platform at its core,” and it sounds like he wants to help Facebook take advantage of those storytelling opportunities:
Good stories draw the audience in, but great stories deepen the audience’s connection to each other. The future of storytelling is social. As media learns to wield the advantages of the digital world, a completely new video experience is emerging on mobile, with a potential for social and interactivity that we’re only beginning to tap. It resists silos like “first” and “second screens.” I think everyone in the world should be able to touch this experience — whether they want to consume it, create for it or even monetize it — in a singular, unified way. Facebook is in an amazing position to offer that. It’s a clear extension of the company’s mission to bring the world closer together.
Even at BuzzFeed, it sounds Henick’s role was to connect digital media with more traditional forms of storytelling — he led a team focused on turning BuzzFeed content into TV series and feature length films. BuzzFeed announced earlier this year that it was restructuring its entertainment group.
Facebook, meanwhile, launched a new Watch section last year where users can check out original shows.
