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Kevin Hart is more than just a comedy actor. His name is already an iconic brand within the media and entertainment industry, and his company, Hartbeat, is on a mission to keep the world laughing.
On the latest episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Thai Randolph, CEO of Hartbeat, joins Suzy founder and CEO Matt Britton to discuss how the multi-platform media company keeps the world laughing together, plus content creation, monetization strategies and workplace diversity initiatives.
Randolph is an award-winning marketing, business development and operations leader. She has a proven track record of developing brands, audiences and revenue for big names in advertising, technology and entertainment such as WPP, Publicis, Sony and Facebook. In 2018, she was named to Cynopsis’ It List, as well as Variety and Entrepreneur’s Women of Impact lists in 2021.
Stream the new episode below, listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or find it on Spotify.
Key takeaways:
- 06:51 – 09:46 – Where Comedy Meets Culture – In 2017, Randolph joined Lionsgate with Kevin Hart to launch Laugh Out Loud (LOL), a direct-to-consumer streaming platform for comedy. The app’s success, with 1 million downloads in 100 days, led to partnerships with SiriusXM, Old Spice and NBC News/Peacock.
- 14:24 – 16:48 – Content Creation Strategies – Hartbeat creates and delivers content through its three divisions: Hartbeat Studios, Hartbeat Media and Hartbeat’s branded content studio. The company places a significant emphasis on “non-Kevin content,” investing in other entertainers, artists and scalable IP with global appeal. A prime example is its Die Hard series, produced for Quibi/Roku, which became the top-performing original IP with worldwide popularity across multiple platforms.
- 18:45 – 20:45 – Monetization Strategies and Partnerships – Hartbeat collaborates with multiple brands as part of its monetization strategy, including the Sundance Institute and Chase Sapphire to elevate Black women comedy writers through the Women Write Now program. Another project is Hart’s Cold as Balls show with Old Spice as the presenting partner.
- 24:46 – 28:50 – Driving Diversity – Women of color represent some of the most over-mentored but under-sponsored people in the entertainment industry. Hartbeat focuses on building a diverse team; currently, 53% of its employees are women and 72% are people of color. Randolph aims to have the most diverse and dynamic group of people at the table making decisions to increase the chances of appealing to a global and diverse audience.
