Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.
Last August, Lionsgate and Kevin Hart launched a digital comedy hub called the Laugh Out Loud Network. Six months later, that venture’s YouTube channel has surpassed one million subscribers.
Laugh Out Loud has succeeded by combining the skills and promise of up-and-coming comedians (it announced the launch of a creator-centric program earlier in February) with the appeal of Hart and his funny friends. Hart’s Laugh Out Loud appearances have included his role as the interviewer in the series Cold As Balls, which has established itself as one of the channel’s most popular offerings. To get a Laugh Out Loud status report, we checked in with Jeff Clanagan, the President of Codeblack Films, Laugh Out Loud, and HartBeat Digital.
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Tubefilter: How does it feel to surpass one million YouTube subscribers? What do you have to say to Laugh Out Loud fans?
Jeff Clanagan: It’s an amazing achievement to get a YouTube gold play button, and to know that fans of Laugh Out Loud are enjoying the content we’re putting out there. Thank you for watching, and this is just the beginning of our robust slate coming to the platform including larger than life prank shows, animation, and a game changer in the sketch comedy world.
TF: What would you say is Laugh Out Loud’s mission statement?
JC: To make the world laugh, and continue to make big bets on comedic voices you may not know yet.
TF: YouTube brands led by film/TV personalities have often struggled to attract significant viewership. When launching Laugh Out Loud, what mistakes did you make sure to avoid?
JC: Laugh Out Loud knows our audience. We find new and innovative ways to listen to our audience, and create virtual events for them to feel as if they are a part of the party at Laugh Out Loud.
TF: How did you select creators to partner with for Laugh Out Loud content?
JC: We look for people with a unique point of view, and something to say. We recognize and champion diverse voices with an authentic take on comedy.
TF: Lionsgate has worked on a lot of projects with YouTube stars. How has the studio’s experience in that regard helped shape Laugh Out Loud?
JC: We want to encourage and empower influencers to constantly be innovating their approach to content. Working with King Bach and giving him his directorial debut is just one of many ways we empower this generation of creators to push past their boundaries.
TF: Kevin Hart is a famously hard-working comedian. Has his work ethic influence Laugh Out Loud productions in any noticeable ways?
JC: Absolutely. As a network, we match his drive on consistently finding ways to surprise and delight our audience through our content. Each show should outdo the last, and we measure our success by continuing to push ourselves past our last milestone.
TF: Why do you think viewers have been excited about Cold As Balls in particular?
JC: It’s a fish out of water experience and really puts the interviewer in an uncomfortable position, when it’s usually the other way around.
TF: Format-wise, Cold As Balls reminds me of Hot Ones, the hot wing interview show. Was that series a direct influence on Cold As Balls?
JC: Ironically, it was not. Cold As Balls was our take on finding the funny in the intersection of sports and comedy. We take some of the hottest athletes at the top of their game, and partner them with the most relatable and unfiltered comedian Kevin Hart who asks the questions we all want to know!
TF: What’s next for the channel? Any fun plans?
JC: We’ve just launched a new all comedy channel on Sirius XM and have a new YouTube Original series called Kevin Hart: What the Fit launching in March. Overall we are looking to create more interactive experiences with our audience.
