Jonah Peretti
 |
Jonah Peretti | |
|---|---|
 Peretti in August 2005 | |
| Born | January 1, 1974 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Known for | BuzzFeed, Huffington Post |
| Notable work | Nike Sweatshop Emails, Black People Love Us |
| Spouse | Andrea Harner |
| Relatives | Chelsea Peretti (sister) |
Jonah Peretti (born January 1, 1974)[1] is an American Internet entrepreneur, a founder of BuzzFeed and Huffington Post, and creator of Reblog.[2][3][4]
Life and education
Peretti's father is Italian-American and his mother is Jewish (Peretti's stepmother was African-American).[5][6] Peretti attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he graduated with a degree in environmental studies in 1996.[3] He completed a postgrad at the MIT Media Lab.[7] While there, he became famous when an email exchange with Nike over a request to print "sweatshop" on custom order shoes went viral.[8] Peretti is the brother of comedian and writer Chelsea Peretti.
Career
The Huffington Post
Peretti co-founded the news website The Huffington Post along with Kenneth Lehrer and Arianna Huffington in 2005.[3] He left The Huffington Post in 2011 after it was bought by AOL for $315 million.[3][7][9]
Buzzfeed
Peretti founded the "Internet popularity contest" site BuzzFeed in November 2006.[10] After he left The Huffington Post, Peretti began working at BuzzFeed full-time.[7] While originally best known for its mix of internet memes and lists, the site gained new attention when it was the first to break the news that John McCain would endorse Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican Primary.[7] The site continued to grow afterward, raising over $35 million in funding from investors the next year.[11]
Contagious Media
In 2005, Peretti hosted the Contagious Media Showdown at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, where he worked as Director of the R&D Lab from 2001 - 2006.[citation needed] During the process Peretti developed the concept of the "Bored-at-Work Network", which he supposes to be larger than some major television network audiences.[12]
References
- ^ Jonah Peretti profile. Cityfile.
- ^ New York Times, Building a Brand with a Blog, May 15, 2006
- ^ a b c d Mesure, Susie. "Jonah Peretti: And at number one on Buzzfeed's list is..." Independent.
- ^ "Disruptors: Media". Forbes.
- ^ http://business.highbeam.com/152499/article-1G1-167309418/interview-chelsea-and-jonah-peretti-discuss-their-controversial
- ^ http://contagiousmedia.org/press/bplu/bplu-nyt.htm
- ^ a b c d Carr, David (5 February 2012). "Significant and Silly at BuzzFeed". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Serwer, Andy (5 December 2013). "Inside the mind of Jonah Peretti". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Gustin, Sam (7 February 2011). "AOL Buys Huffington Post for $315 Million, Arianna to Head AOL Media". Wired. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Beaujon, Andrew. "BuzzFeed CEO: Understanding 'how information is shared' can be as valuable as 'traditional reporting talent'". Poynter.
- ^ Rice, Andrew (7 April 2013). "Does BuzzFeed Know the Secret?". New York Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ *Peretti interview in STAY FREE! magazine