Journalist and author Richard Rushfield will open a Los Angeles bureau for BuzzFeed, covering the movie industry for the new corner of the site. Rushfield left the L.A. Times in 2009 and published his book, Don’t Follow Me I’m Lost: A Memoir of Hampshire College in the twilight of the 80’s.
Journalist Kate Aurthur will be the site’s chief L.A. correspndent. Journalist Michael Hastings, author of The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan, will aslo join as correspondent-at-large.
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti explained: “The most creative storytellers in the world live in Los Angeles and finding a way to cover entertainment in a powerful, shareable way is a real priority to us. We’re launching a new era of BuzzFeed with this bureau and are confident that this team will lead the best, most creative crew of renegades in LA and prove that the web is no longer a sideshow for TV and movie coverage. Los Angeles will be home to BuzzFeed Video, led by Ze Frank, and a west coast special ops team, editors focused on viral content, both which will be key in preserving BuzzFeed’s DNA while creating New York’s evil twin sister on the west coast.”