"And now I'll be starting my YouTube channel where I can make more creative and free-will content!"
Sound familiar? Well, during the past few months, and even more pressingly, the past few weeks, notable BuzzFeed employees have been leaving the company one by one. After their departure, most—if not all of them, pursue a YouTube channel after leaving the company.
At first, it was people the viewers haven't even heard about, nor even knew worked at BuzzFeed. But suspicions rose once notable people such as Chris Reinacher, Candace Lowry, and even Safiya Nygaard have all quit the company recently. These three, among others, were featured in many BuzzFeed series and videos, and even developed a quite large individual fan bases. So why did they decide to leave?
I mean, who doesn't love BuzzFeed? I'm an avid viewer myself, and I have certainly grown affections towards many of the employees. BuzzFeed not only makes relatable and hilarious content, but they have produced many inspirational series and shows and within the eleven years the company has been open for, they have a large following and are making quite a huge sum of money from it. How could there be anything wrong with this company that people love so much?
Besides that, many of the viewers like myself have once or twice thought about and desired a career at BuzzFeed. It seemed so dream-like; to make a living doing challenges, eating food, trying on clothes and makeup, even acting. Not to mention being around interesting and beautiful people. How could anyone complain?
Curious, I decided to research more on this topic and watching the videos and reading articles of these ex-employees, I found some surprising and unsettling facts on BuzzFeed.
Although the videos that BuzzFeed produces on their channel seem pretty harmless and naturally funny, it's way more than that. For instance, say you work at BuzzFeed, but you're not one of the well-known ones like Quinta, Eugene, Steven, or Jen, the job becomes less...glamorous.
Ex-employees have stressed that besides working on videos, articles, or quizzes on the website and channels, that they will work long hours on end each day, forced to come with creative, relatable, and funny content that will capture viewers.
The problem here is that creativity simply cannot be forced, and these workers who are not seen in the videos (or those in the videos as well) feel as if they are losing their artistic freedom when working for BuzzFeed and are not paid enough for the crazy hours they have to work.
Safiya Nygaard has expressed in her video that she actually used to be a video producer, not an actress at BuzzFeed (which may come as a shock to many of the viewers), and that she was being branded falsely in that way. She had created Ladylike herself with her friend, Freddie Ransome (who still works at the company), but she didn't get much credit for it. Speaking of which, Safiya is now not allowed to have any current BuzzFeed employees in her videos which goes with the others that have left as well.
The bottom line is, employees at BuzzFeed don't get as much freedom as you think. Even if they're the popular ones. BuzzFeed remains to be a great opportunity for young aspiring people in the entertainment industry, but there lies this huge contract with many things you have to give up to get the little five minutes of fame.
Is it worth it?
