Snap Promotes Ben Schwerin to Head of Content and Partnerships
In a reshuffling of Snap’s content group, the Snapchat owner has promoted Ben Schwerin to the newly expanded role as SVP, content and partnerships.
And in another executive change, chief strategy officer Jared Grusd — the former HuffPost CEO who joined Snap more than two years ago — is shifting into an advisory role at the company, focused on Snapchat’s long-term strategies and initiatives.
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Schwerin, who joined Snap in January 2015, was previously VP of partnerships. He’ll now oversee all the company’s efforts related to content and partnerships globally.
Under the new structure, Schwerin’s direct reports are Sean Mills, who will continue as head of original content; David Brinker, senior director of content, business and operations, who will lead media partnerships; Mike DiBenedetto, director of content strategy; and Nana Murugesan, managing director of international markets. Schwerin will continue to lead Snap’s platform, games, talent and AR creator partnership teams.
Schwerin takes over the Snap content team as the company looks to expand Spotlight, its recently launched user-generated content feature that presents videos in a personalized, TikTok-like feed. Snapchatters who contribute to Spotlight are eligible to get a cut of more than $1 million daily, and the company has already paid out more than $1 million to several individual creators.
Snapchat is looking to hire a senior exec to head up Spotlight, who will also report to Schwerin.
In a statement provided to Variety, Snap CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel said, “Ben has been a part of our team for six years and he has done a wonderful job building our partnerships around the world across sports, music, media and creators. Most recently, we’re really excited with the growth we’ve seen in Snap Kit, Games, and AR.”
Regarding Grusd’s new role, Spiegel said, “Jared plays an invaluable role in growing our business. I’m grateful to Jared for his friendship and for the many contributions he made to Snap in his role as chief strategy officer. I look forward to his contributions in his new role as strategic advisor, where we can leverage his strategic insights as we look for opportunities to accelerate our long-term objectives.”
The Snap exec changes were first reported by the Information.
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