BuzzFeed Names Former Meredith Exec Melinda Lee Its First Chief Content Officer

BuzzFeed Media Brands has hired its first chief content officer: Melinda Lee, who formerly served as SVP and GM of Video at Meredith.

When Lee joins BuzzFeed late next month, she will be tasked with growing the BuzzFeed Media Brands division, which includes the viral recipe hub Tasty, according to Business Insider. Other brands within this portfolio include fashion-focused Nifty, beauty-centric As/Is, healthy food platform Goodful, and Playfull — a joint venture with NBCUniversal that targets millennial parents.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you see more brands from BuzzFeed,” Lee told Business Insider. At Meredith, Lee managed the publishing giant’s video studios across the nation, and oversaw its push into live content, 360-degree video, and virtual reality.

BuzzFeed Media Brands was formed when the company restructured in December amid roughly 100 layoffs. At the time, the company also formed BuzzFeed Studios (formerly BuzzFeed Motion Pictures) to unite its internal video efforts with the projects it has in the works for distribution partners. BuzzFeed also formed the BuzzFeed Commerce division — formerly BuzzFeed Product Labs — to oversee its push into retail, including a line of Tasty-branded cooking products at Walmart.