About Complex

Complex

Complex is an American digital media brand covering youth culture across music, streetwear and style, sneakers, food, and sports, founded in 2002 by fashion designer Marc Ecko, the creator of the Ecko Unltd. brand. What began as a print magazine aimed at young men interested in hip-hop, fashion, and pop culture grew into Complex Networks, a global youth-entertainment network reaching millennial and Gen Z audiences through websites, video programming, live events, and commerce. The brand has been headquartered in New York and later Los Angeles. After passing through ownership by a Verizon-Hearst joint venture and then by BuzzFeed, Complex was sold to NTWRK in February 2024 in a $108.6 million all-cash deal. It is currently owned by Commerce Media Holdings, LLC, doing business as NTWRK. Its official website is complex.com.

Founding

Complex was established in 2002 by Marc Ecko, founder of the Ecko Unltd. streetwear label, as a print magazine aimed at providing young men a report on the latest in hip-hop, fashion, and pop culture without regard to race. The name Complex evolved from a slogan developed to promote the Ecko Unltd. website, "Ecko.complex," and the concept drew on the style of Japanese men's magazines, combining editorial coverage with consumer shopping guides. The magazine was designed in two sections — one traditional editorial section and one shopping guide — reflecting Ecko's ambition to merge streetwear and hip-hop attitude with practical consumer advice. The publication started as a bi-monthly magazine and built an audience among the streetwear and hip-hop scenes of the early 2000s.

Building the Digital Network

In 2005, Complex was joined by senior publishing executive Rich Antoniello, who would become the company's chief executive officer, and by Noah Callahan-Bever, formerly a senior editor at Vibe magazine, who became editor-in-chief and chief content officer the following year. By 2006, the magazine had begun to turn a profit, which allowed it to consider expanding its online presence. In April 2007, Complex soft-launched a media network with four websites — NahRight, Nice Kicks, SlamxHype, and MoeJackson — an early bet on digital-native music and fashion coverage that anticipated the broader industry's shift online. In September 2007, the company launched Complex Media to capitalize fully on the trend toward digital content, and the network expanded its roster of verticals covering sneakers, music, style, and culture.

The End of Print

After fourteen years in print, Complex Magazine published its final issue, dated December 2016/January 2017, and shuttered its print edition. The company framed the decision as a reallocation of resources toward the rapid expansion of premium video production across its networks and distribution partners, announcing layoffs concentrated in art, editorial, marketing, and sales while planning to hire in video and digital roles. The closure of the print magazine marked the formal end of Complex's origins as a magazine publisher and confirmed its transformation into a digital-first media company, a transition that many legacy print brands of the era attempted with varying degrees of success.

Verizon and Hearst Joint Venture

In 2016, Complex became a subsidiary of a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Hearst Communications, a deal that provided the company with funding, operational independence, and resources to expand its video ambitions. The venture was framed as a portfolio of emerging digital brands for the millennial and Gen Z audience, with Complex expected to develop content for Verizon-owned platforms including AOL and go90. The investment supported the growth of the company's video output, which became one of its defining strengths, producing hit series that traveled across its own YouTube and owned channels as well as licensed distribution on platforms including Netflix, Hulu, TBS, BET, Apple TV, Roku, and ESPN.

BuzzFeed Acquisition

In 2021, Complex Networks was acquired by BuzzFeed, Inc. in a deal valued at $300 million, placing the brand under an umbrella that included BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed News, HuffPost, and Tasty. Founder and CEO Rich Antoniello took a two-year strategic advisory role to BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti following the acquisition. The deal ended a long period of financial uncertainty for BuzzFeed ahead of its public listing via a special purpose acquisition company, and it gave the combined company one of the largest youth-oriented digital media portfolios in the industry. During the BuzzFeed years, Complex continued to operate its editorial brands while contributing to the parent company's broader entertainment and commerce strategy.

Sale to NTWRK

On February 21, 2024, BuzzFeed announced the closing of its sale of Complex to NTWRK in a $108.6 million all-cash deal, forming a new combined destination for commerce and media. In addition to the purchase price, BuzzFeed received approximately $5.7 million related to the use of its New York offices and employment-related costs. BuzzFeed stated that the divestiture would enhance its profitability and allow greater focus on its remaining brands — BuzzFeed, HuffPost, First We Feast (including Hot Ones), and Tasty — while the cash proceeds strengthened its balance sheet, funded debt reduction, and financed a strategic restructuring that included a 16 percent workforce reduction. Complex is now owned by Commerce Media Holdings, LLC, doing business as NTWRK, and remains active with headquarters in Los Angeles.

Programming and Franchises

Complex Networks became known for a slate of video franchises that defined its cultural influence in the 2010s. In 2012, the company launched Complex TV, an online broadcasting platform, and it went on to produce and license more than thirty-five shows. Among its most recognizable series were Sneaker Shopping, which followed celebrities through sneaker purchases; Everyday Struggle, a hip-hop debate program; The Burger Show, a food series; and Full Size Run, a sneaker-culture show. These programs, distributed across YouTube, owned channels, and licensed partners, built audiences far beyond the brand's written readership and established Complex as a video-first entertainment company. The company's verticals included Complex itself, Complex News, Pigeons and Planes, Sole Collector, and the First We Feast food brand, whose flagship Hot Ones interview series became one of the most-watched celebrity interview formats on the internet.

ComplexCon and Commerce

The brand extended its reach into live events and retail through ComplexCon, a large-scale festival and marketplace celebrating streetwear, sneakers, music, and youth culture, launched during the company's peak expansion years. The event drew tens of thousands of attendees to its editions in Long Beach and Chicago, functioning as a physical expression of the brand's editorial world. Complex also developed commerce operations including the Complex Shop and licensed merchandise, and it managed hundreds of terabytes of video assets as its production operation scaled. The company's emphasis on commerce and live experiences reflected its strategy of monetizing cultural influence beyond advertising, a model that the NTWRK merger — combining a media brand with a commerce platform — was designed to accelerate.

Cultural Standing

Across its history, Complex was named by Business Insider as one of the most valuable startups in New York and among the most valuable private companies in the world, and CEO Rich Antoniello was recognized on the Silicon Alley 100 list of influential New York tech figures. The brand's influence on hip-hop, sneaker, and streetwear culture is widely acknowledged: its coverage helped shape the commercial and critical conversation around those industries for two decades. The company also faced scrutiny, including 2020 reporting in which former employees described a toxic workplace and alleged that the company had profited from Black culture while downplaying its Black audience in advertising sales, allegations that prompted the company to commission an outside cultural audit. These controversies, alongside its business successes, form part of the brand's full record.

Official Website

Complex's official website is complex.com, where readers can find its coverage of music, style, sneakers, food, sports, and youth culture.