BuzzFeed beefs up its Filipino content

TWO RECENT hires by BuzzFeed gives you an idea why that site is so popular with Asians, Asian/Americans and other minorities.

Last month, Advertising Age, noted BuzzFeed's successful strategy of targeting ethnic groups with their very specific content:

"Asian-Americans have quietly overtaken Hispanics as the fastest-growing multicultural segment in the U.S., albeit from a much smaller base, and brands are taking notice. Combined with the fact that the median household income for Asian-Americans surpasses that of the total U.S. median income by 28%, you have a highly lucrative segment that demands to be courted.

"By publishing content aimed at specific ethnic groups such as "22 Signs You Grew up With Immigrant Chinese Parents" and "21 Annoying Comments Filipinos Are Tired of Hearing," BuzzFeed has become a destination for Asian-American voices that are fresh, funny and truthful." In order to make that strategy work, BuzzFeed knew it had to create relevant content.

In 2013, while in college, Matt Ortile started out as an editorial fellow and summer staff writer for BuzzFeed. He was given free rein to talk about his Filipino identity.

Matt Ortile

Today, Ortile, at the ripe, old age of 23, has been given the role of Buzzfeed Philippines editor.

"It's quite casual, but it's been a lot of fun producing Filipino content for Filipino audiences," he said.

But for Ortile, writing BuzzFeed Philippines  #Asianallows him to stay close to his Filipino roots.

"How I dealt with being someone of color, someone who is gay, it was just really sticking to what I knew -- finding a home in that, really learning to love that part of myself," he added.

A week before Ortile's appointment, BuzzFeed hired Meredith Talusan as its first openly transgender writer assigned to write about issues concerning that community.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In earlier versions of this post, a picture of Manish Dayal was misidentified as Matt Ortile. We apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused.

"My goal is to examine transgender issues for BuzzFeed in dynamic and multifaceted ways," Talusan told The Huffington Post. "I think BuzzFeed is an amazing fit because they also publish in many genres, and I'm really excited to see how I can utilize as many of them as I can to give readers a really deep picture of what it means to be trans in the U.S. and the world today, while still finding ways to have fun."

Talusan, whose background is in academic and creative writing, said she believes in tackling serious issues with a certain level of humor -- what she calls "balancing social commitment with self-care."

BuzzFeed LGBT Editor Shannon Keating told HuffPost:

Meredith Talusan

"Meredith's particular worldview — as someone who grew up in the Philippines, as an academic, as a trans woman well-connected to the world of trans advocacy — will enable her to take on a wide variety of projects," Keating said.

The Philippines is a viral heaven for BuzzFeed. While only 4 out of 10 Filipinos are internet users, the Philippines ranks No. 1, with 6.3 hours, when it comes to the number of hours spent using the internet per day. The U.S. ranks 12th.

When it comes to number of hours spent on social media daily, the Philippines is tied with Argentina for the top spot.

Buzzfeed's Philippine-related stories have gone viral, many reaching more than a million hits.

"Anytime a Filipino topic comes up on a global platform, one of the first comments will always be, I'm proud to be Pinoy right? You can't help but feel so happy and proud to see your motherland on a huge, huge global stage," Ortile said.

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