Snap Inc. VP of Content Nick Bell is leaving the company, marking the latest high-profile executive to leave the Snapchat parent company in recent months.
Bell, in a outgoing memo shared with TheWrap by a Snap spokesperson, said his five years at the company has been “incredibly rewarding and an absolute blast. I leave now with amazing memories, many lifelong friendships, and a huge amount of excitement for the future of Snap.” Bell said he’ll be transitioning out of his role by the end of the year, and doesn’t know what his next stop will be.
Bell had led the expansion of shows on Snapchat’s Discover page and had been pushing the development of more scripted original shows. The company announced last month more scripted content was on the way, signing partnerships with the Duplass Brothers and “Riverdale” writer Tessa Leigh Williams. Jared Grusd, Snap’s recently hired chief strategist, will now lead the company’s content team.
“We are so grateful for Nick and everything he has built at Snap. It has been an incredible journey that began with our vision for what content could be on mobile,” Snap chief Evan Spiegel said in a statement. “Today, more people are watching more premium content on Snap than ever before, and we couldn’t be more excited about the momentum we are seeing with Snap Originals. We will miss Nick, and we wish him all the best.”
Bell is the latest Snap executive to leave the company, after former chief strategist Imran Khan announced his departure in September. CFO Drew Vollero left earlier this year.
You can read his full exit memo below:
After nearly 5 years and a once in a lifetime ride, I have let Evan know that I am leaving Snap to take some time off to recharge before deciding on my next adventure.
From my very first meeting with Evan, I knew this was going to be an extraordinary journey. Thanks to the hard work of our amazing team, we have built Discover into a world-leading media platform. We have established vertical video as the industry standard, built hugely successful partnerships with some of the world’s best media companies and storytellers, produced incredible stories, launched a fantastic slate of Original Shows and built a robust advertising business. This experience has been incredibly rewarding and an absolute blast. I leave now with amazing memories, many lifelong friendships, and a huge amount of excitement for the future of Snap.
Although I am announcing this news today, I will be transitioning out of the role between now and the end of the year. I am so proud of all that we have achieved together at Snap, and most proud of the team I leave behind to continue to execute against the vision.
Thank you,
Nick