BuzzFeed Studios Taps Karolina Waclawiak As Head Of Documentary

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LOS ANGELES (SEPTEMBER 5, 2024) - BuzzFeed, Inc. (NASDAQ: BZFD), a premier digital media company, today named media industry veteran Karolina Waclawiak as Head of Documentary at BuzzFeed Studios after serving as the Editor in Chief and Executive Editor of Culture at BuzzFeed News for seven years.

In her role, she oversees the development and production of docuseries and documentary features. In her time with BuzzFeed Studios she has executive produced projects for Oxygen, Sky, Peacock, and more.

As Executive Editor of BuzzFeed News, Waclawiak played an important role in guiding the Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom through two national elections and helping refine its coverage strategy. Under her leadership, the Culture Desk earned two National Magazine Award nominations and numerous awards. Waclawiak also edited the culture-shifting feature "How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation," by Anne Helen Petersen, which coined the term millennial burnout. Prior to joining the BuzzFeed Studios team, Waclawiak collaborated with BuzzFeed Studios for several years, actively developing projects in the scripted and unscripted TV space. As Editor in Chief, she revitalized the newsroom's mission, focusing on the intersection of internet life and real-life, while building a new leadership team and managing a broad range of coverage from internet culture to Breaking News to Tech. She currently oversees both scripted and documentary development for the BuzzFeed News archive, HuffPost, and other company properties.

As the Head of Documentaries at BuzzFeed Studios, Karolina Waclawiak is at the forefront of shaping and overseeing the development and production of groundbreaking docuseries and documentary features. Waclawiak executive produced the Oxygen true crime series The Case Died With Her, directed by Skye Borgman, and the Sky docuseries Once Upon A Time In Londongrad, directed by Jed Rothstein and co-produced with Rise Films, building on BuzzFeed News's Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigation From Russia With Blood. Additionally, she produced The Rise And Fall Of LuLaRoe with Left/Right Productions for Discovery+, based on BuzzFeed News's viral investigation into the LuLaRoe multi-level marketing scheme. Her role also extended to the Netflix series Follow This, an Emmy-nominated show which highlighted her story development role as an editor for culture writers Scaachi Koul and Bim Adewunmi. Waclawiak is currently in production on a multi-part investigation based on original reporting from BuzzFeed and HuffPost with Maxine Productions, who produced Quiet On Set. Her leadership at BuzzFeed Studios promises to advance the creation of compelling nonfiction narratives that align with the company's commitment to investigative journalism and impactful storytelling.

"BuzzFeed Studios is thrilled to welcome Karolina Waclawiak as Head of Documentary, where she will oversee and grow our docuseries and documentary features covering topics from true crime to pop culture and beyond," said Richard Alan Reid, President of BuzzFeed Studios. "Waclawiak's experience running a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom and her extensive network of some of the best investigative reporters in the world will position us to get to fascinating and important stories first, run deep investigations and build valuable IP for topics and trends that deserve longform, premium programming in the doc space."

About BuzzFeed Studios

BuzzFeed Studios is a premium content studio powered by digital media powerhouse BuzzFeed, Inc. and its portfolio of beloved brands, including BuzzFeed, Tasty, HuffPost, First We Feast, and Hot Ones. Led by industry veteran Richard Alan Reid, BuzzFeed Studios develops, acquires, produces, and markets genre-spanning scripted and unscripted programming across film, series, digital video, animation, audio, and licensing. With its access to a massive digital audience, BuzzFeed Studios leverages insights and data to create a clear competitive advantage in the market, furthered by its cost-efficient production capabilities, best-in-class industry partnerships, creative excellence, and ability to engage sought-after audiences and demographics.

About Karolina Waclawiak

Karolina Waclawiak is the Head of Documentary for BuzzFeed Studios where she oversees the development and production of docuseries and documentary features.

Waclawiak is an award winning editor and author. She was previously Deputy Editor at The Believer, where her editorial work earned her a National Magazine Award nomination for Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah's influential feature on Dave Chappelle. Essays she edited have consistently appeared in Best American Essays and received widespread acclaim. She has also served as a judge for the National Magazine Awards for a number of years. Waclawiak has written several celebrated novels, including Life Events, The Invaders, and How To Get Into The Twin Palms. The Invaders was adapted for television by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Ellen Fairey for ABC Studios, while Life Events is currently in development for a TV adaptation. Her debut novel, How To Get Into The Twin Palms, will be reissued as a new classic by Two Dollar Radio in 2025. Prior to her role at BuzzFeed Studios, Waclawiak served as the Editor in Chief and Executive Editor of Culture at BuzzFeed News for eight years. In film, Waclawiak co-wrote the feature AWOL with director Deb Shoval, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. Waclawiak was born in Poland, the child of political refugees, and emigrated to Texas. She grew up in Connecticut and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts where she obtained her BFA in Screenwriting and received her Masters in Fiction from Columbia University.

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