Puck is stepping into the sports arena. The buzzy digital subscription publication that offers readers an inside look into the media, technology and politics sectors — and the ego-obsessed titans who lead them — told CNN on Monday it had hired veteran journalist John Ourand to lead a new sports vertical, marking the outlet’s first foray into the sprawling and lucrative business powering leagues and athletes.
Puck News co-founder and CEO Joe Purzycki is leaving the company, according to an internal note sent from co-founder and editor-in-chief Jon Kelly to staff Monday obtained by Axios. Purzycki exits as Puck looks to finalize a new financing round. In his note to staff, Kelly acknowledged that Purzycki was “incredibly gifted at operationalizing start-ups during the incredibly fraught zero-to-one stage,” and that now the company is looking for a chief executive who can lead Puck through its “next phase of execution.”