WEBVTT - The Mind Behind Hartbeat, Kevin Hart's Media Venture 0:00:07.960 --> 0:00:11.520 Welcome to another episode of Strictly Business, the podcast in 0:00:11.520 --> 0:00:13.760 which we speak with some of the brightest minds working 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:17.600 in the media business today. I'm Andrew Wallenstein with Variety. 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:20.320 Kevin Hart has got to be one of the busiest 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:22.840 people in show bidz. In addition to appearing in a 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:26.079 steady stream of movies, TV shows and more, he also 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:29.080 owns a company with dozens of active projects across a 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:33.200 wide range of platforms and media. But because heart can't 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:35.720 be everywhere at once, he turns to my next guest 0:00:35.760 --> 0:00:40.159 to oversee his operation. Ty Randolph is the CEO of 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.040 Heartbeat Get It, and she's with us today to walk 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.199 us through Hearts Empire. We'll be back with her in 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:58.320 just a moment. We're back with Ty Randolph, the producing 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:01.319 partner to Kevin Hart and the any many projects he's 0:01:01.400 --> 0:01:06.040 overseeing through his Heartbeat company. Thanks for joining us, Tie, 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:09.479 Thanks for having me such a great way to start 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:12.560 the morning. Sure, so, I'll have you know you are 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:16.040 the two hundred and fifty seven podcast. We've done it 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:19.440 Strictly Business. And I tell you that because the very 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:22.039 first one we did four and a half years ago 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:24.800 was with a gentleman by the name of Kevin Hart, 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.959 and so I'm curious, after all this time, over these 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:32.039 past four and a half years, what has it been 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:36.720 like watching the growth of the production side of what 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:38.959 he does. Because when we first talked about it with him, 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:43.399 it seemed like something that was kind of almost besides 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:46.800 the point in terms of his career, and now it's 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.720 quite an empire. It's really interesting that you referenced the 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:52.200 four and a half year mark. I had been in 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:55.920 Kevin's ecosystem for about five and a half years. It'll 0:01:55.960 --> 0:02:00.200 be six in April next year. In the four and 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:05.040 a half year reference point is really significant because that 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:09.200 was around the time that Kevin launched to Laugh Out 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:13.040 Loud with uh Lionsgate. It was a joint venture and 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:16.000 it was one of the entities that would be emerged 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:19.720 into what is now Heartbeat, and I think it marked 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:24.080 a real entrepreneurial evolution in his career. He had Heartbeat 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:27.320 Productions and that was the banner through which he was 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:31.560 producing his stand up specials and you know, had a 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:36.680 really interesting theatrical debut with Night School. That film's producer 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:38.480 about twenty onlion dollars and went on to gross over 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.480 one hundred in the box office and UM and and 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:43.800 so there was this commercial success and he was in 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:47.240 the film. There was this entrepreneurial hustle around producing and 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:51.200 even financing his earlier stand up specials UM, but Laugh 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:56.160 Out Loud was really going into a business partnership with 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:59.440 a studio, and it was a different way of doing business. 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.320 It was also very future focused. The goal was to 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:07.800 create the UM future of comedy is We used to 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:12.280 discuss it and create a platform for new version. We 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.160 haven't even smaller one now at Heartbeat we talk about 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:18.320 existing to keep the world laughing take together, so just 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.720 the whole globe, you know. So it was, it was. 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:26.240 It was very ambitious. But what we realized in targeting UM, 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:29.400 you know sort of like youth audiences and a really 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:34.400 multicultural global audience, was that having a single destination for 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:38.560 us in our proposition UM wouldn't really fully fulfill that 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:41.680 that that ambition of creating the future of comedies. Around 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:48.960 twenty nineteen, UM, you know, Kevin maybe we architected a 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:51.560 deal with lions Gate that saw Kevin buying out the 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.800 majority of their interests UM and really taking this independent 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:59.320 and when we move the team from lions Gate UM 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:03.000 to en seing know, a really a different culture was 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:06.600 was born. He had these two enterprises literary really you know, 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.880 under the same under the same roof, and the synergy 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:13.360 and the opportunity started to snowball. On the laugh Out loudside, 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:17.240 we brought on nbc U as an investor, UH the 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:21.560 peacock nbc U and UM we got into television and 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:25.159 the team grew, and then the commercial traction grew. We 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:29.039 were profitable upon carb out and we would go on 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:31.920 to double revenue year over year for the next couple 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:34.720 of years. Later that year, so later in the year, 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:38.520 in March, Kevin asked me. Later I was already CEO 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:41.440 of laugh Out Loud, Kevin came and asked me to 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.520 expand my role to Heartbeat as well. So we set 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.920 up the shared services into team between and I started 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.200 to oversee the business operations and strategy for both ORGS 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:56.440 and UM and so and then again we were small 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:58.800 at the time, you know, about a dozen employees at 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:02.960 both both companies, a dozen eaves. So you know, I'm 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:07.200 told me something employees and in both are having banner years. 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:11.320 You know. On the harpy production side, we UH had 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.640 partnered with Netflix on on the feature side and had 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:19.880 a multi picture deal there for Kevin and then you 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:22.360 know this this overall on the film side. So we 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:25.400 were seeing tremendous traction. On the Lackout Loud side. We 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.839 were partnering with Peacock to create some really amazing vitrel hits. 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:32.320 Our brand partnerships business was growing. What was the ration 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:35.599 now for bringing these companies together? You know, it was 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:40.320 very clear that independently these were interesting organizations. Together though 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.560 we had already assembled under our hood the capability and 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:47.320 the personnel to really make market and monetize any type 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:50.280 of communic ip we could imagine, and so we were 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:53.520 simply stronger together. It was a you know, in our belief, 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:57.600 one plus one equals you know, one billion or more proposition, 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:03.000 and and that was you know, sort of the thesis 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.480 for the merger the other, you know, sort of just logistically, 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:09.440 we were growing into each other's backyard, right Heartbeat had 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:13.040 been television and film laughout that laugh out Loud was 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.320 starting to do a lot more on the television side. 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:19.720 Heartbeat was getting into more brand partnerships. Both had audio 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:23.560 relationships and imprints, so um, you know, they're they're just 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:26.040 it didn't make any sense to keep those things separate. 0:06:26.080 --> 0:06:30.720 But also when we combined UM all of those assets 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:34.040 and and that team, uh, all of a sudden, it 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:36.280 was just sort of like really impressive platform. Right when 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.440 we looked across the ecosystem, at the talent relationships that 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:43.240 we had, commercial partnerships that we had UM, and just 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:48.279 the expertise that was in the organization, Uh, it all 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:51.920 made sense. So that happened in July one. We merged 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:55.120 the company, uh within the next you know, five and 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:59.920 a half months. So we lifted the UM, the curt 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:06.640 and on heartbeat the combined entity on January of two. 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:11.200 And then we would go on to further capitalize the 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.680 company through one million dollar cash infusion from a private 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:17.640 equity group. Every partners that when we closed that deal 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.240 at the end of April two. And what did you 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:23.200 sell avery on? Why were they ready to invest it 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:27.080 quite a big level? Yeah, So you know, one, we 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:28.600 sold them on the idea that we are a mission 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:30.920 driven company, right like our mission is to keep the 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:36.640 world laughing together. So there was this big unifying idea 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:39.720 and purpose that really set us apart in the industry. 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.840 We also had not only the number one, uh, comedian, 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.280 and that's not from a subjective standpoint, but by you know, 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:49.880 pretty much every commercial measure um you know, at the HELM. 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:54.240 So there was no one more qualified to pursue that 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:56.840 endeavor than him and to execute on that. We just 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.440 had really solid case studies about how impact so he 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.400 had been and how impactful the company had been. When 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:09.160 we went in, we had doubled revenue from one as 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:12.240 a combined entity if we look back, and we were 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.560 on track to do so again in that year that 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.480 we were closing, which was two. We went on to 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:20.960 fulfill that right. So post close, we went on to 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:23.480 deliver on those goals that we projected. And so it 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.920 was just a solid commercial organization. We were living a nimble, 0:08:28.080 --> 0:08:31.600 really hard working but also very focused on the bottom line. 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:34.840 And I think that combination of big ambition but bottom 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:38.040 line focus was what did it. But I'm curious, you know, 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:40.480 when you sell a private equity company and the idea 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.719 of you know, conquering the comedy world. As you know, 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:47.360 comedy is a tough business right now in film Kevin's 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:50.560 probably one of the few draws left, uh, and it's 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:54.800 not easier anywhere else. So what makes you guys so 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:58.319 confident you can sort of succeed in a place where 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:02.400 there's plenty of failure. We don't fashion ourselves a comedy company, right, 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:04.920 We're an entertainment company. Remember I said our mission was 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:08.720 to keep the world laughing together. Um. But the focus 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:11.040 there is together laughter, which is at the core of 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.960 what we do, not everything that we do right in truth, 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.760 and a few people know this just because Kevin is 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:20.640 at the Helm, but all around seventy pcent of our 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:23.800 projects are comedic, right that that are currently in market. 0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:26.560 When you look to the year ahead, um, and the 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.680 years ahead, you see that ratio still having that comedy 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.640 is the focus in the majority. But what happens outside 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:36.280 of comedy and connected to comedy, at the intersections of 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:40.720 comedy and culture, comedy and sports, comedy and you name it, um, 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:43.600 you know, start to grow. What we do is program 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.880 with humor, heart and heat. Well. I think another big 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:50.160 opportunity is companies like yours in general in the past 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:54.480 few years have been attracting a ton of investment there. 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:57.440 I think it's, you know, the the explosion of the 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:00.480 streaming world and all the selling opera tune and needs 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:04.120 that that creates has made companies like Heartbeats so hot. 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:08.240 You've gotten this infusion from private equity. Could you guys 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:11.800 eventually sell to a high bidder or is this something 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:14.840 where you know Kevin is going to take stay in 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:19.040 control as long as Pete wants to. Really good question, 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:22.160 you know with what one of the things I've been 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:26.520 really impressed by is just Kevin's entrepreneurial acumen. You know, um, 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.160 not just with Heartbeat, but he has other ventures outside 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:33.680 of the entertainment space. And while he is the consummate entertainer, 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.200 you know, he's also the consumt entrepreneurial. So this is 0:10:36.240 --> 0:10:38.800 a commercial in deavorens one. It's fueled by passion, but 0:10:38.840 --> 0:10:41.320 this is not a vanity project where you know, he 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:43.880 or any of the management team and a are sitting 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:47.960 around and saying, um, you know, we do stuff only 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:51.720 because we want to and we're not focused on, you know, 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:55.360 the commercialization of the business and that um you know, 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.400 our our business is actually and not for Kevin, but 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:00.959 the business a Heartbeat is actually larger than the brand 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:02.600 of Heartbeat right now. So you know, one of my 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:05.720 big objectives going into this next year is to really 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:11.480 um let our audiences are our content buyers, consumers, you know, 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:14.440 co creators, know everything that's under the hood and everything 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:16.160 that the company is capable of it is doing, and 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:19.240 make sure that attribution happens um because it's a it's 0:11:19.280 --> 0:11:22.120 a really significant business and it's one that's scaling in 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:24.679 terms of you know, sort of the long term plan. 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:28.120 We are trying to grow and we will grow the 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:31.640 healthiest business possible. And I say that because we want 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.480 to maximize you know, profit, we want to maximize potential, 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.520 but maximize optionality. Um. You know, I think we want 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:40.679 to keep advancing this vision to keep the world laughing 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:43.199 together and that could take lots of different forms um 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.040 in terms of how that is executed, but also in 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.040 terms of what the ownership structure with the cap table 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:52.640 looks like. We're going to be right back with more 0:11:52.640 --> 0:12:03.280 with Tyrandolph's CEO of Heartbeat m. We are back with 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:07.120 Ty Randolph, who works very closely with one Kevin Hart 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:11.160 on the company known as Heartbeat Ty. I gotta ask, 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:13.600 I mean, what is it like working with a Kevin 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:16.360 Hard who I mean, obviously he's a hard working guy, 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:19.400 but he's you know, he's off shooting stuff and there's 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:21.559 all the things he's doing in front of the camera. 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:26.000 How active is he really in, you know, running things 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:31.239 alongside yourself? Unbelievably active? I don't. It's hard to articulate 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:33.040 because he would have to assume that he has more 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:34.920 hours in his day, and I'm not convinced that he 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:43.320 does not, but you know, he is one. So there's 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.800 this before, you know, before a merger the two companies. 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:49.200 On on the Hartbeat side, our logo was this sort 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:51.959 of echo cardiogram, right like a pulse going through a 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:55.439 heart and on laugh about Wold it was l L 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:59.359 with an exclamation point. And I think those two symbols 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:04.760 um really represent the role that Kevin plays in the organization. 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.040 So one, he's the pulse, right he's the heartbeat of it, 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:10.360 pun intended, and so we get our pace, our passion, 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:13.440 our persistence from him. The energy that you see and 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:17.120 I think anyone who's met him in on set or 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:21.480 you know, in in business capacity, you know, there's just 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:25.400 sort of like kinetic by right like, and it's pretty infectious. 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:28.520 So that's the energy that he sort of seeds through 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:34.400 the organization, and it really sparks a hunger to win 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:38.520 and a belief that all things are possible. I get it. 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:41.440 He's the real deal. So you mentioned branding is a 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:43.960 big priority for the coming year. I know also you 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.599 guys are looking towards expanding your experiential business. What what 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:49.880 does that going to look like? Yeah, so you know, 0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:53.080 back to that mission keeping the world laughing together. There 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.720 is a big global de demand UM for comedy in 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:00.560 particular on the live events space. Now that that you know, 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:03.840 we figured out at least you know, for now the 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:08.400 world over is relatively open and so Kevin has been 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:13.800 seeing UM on his personal tour. Uh, just a wild 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.760 demand for tickets selling out, you know, just about everywhere, 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.880 multiple shows and cities. People want to connect, right, They 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:23.520 want to be together again. They want that high impact entertainment. 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:27.080 And so we really drafted off that next year and 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:30.480 so you know, we will be rolling out global experiences 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:37.000 in Africa, Europe, will be activating domestically UM in in 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.520 ways are obvious to to us, and you know, sort 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:44.640 of like both being an intimate comedic experience but also 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.200 really honing in on that comedy and culture piece. Right. 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:50.920 So um, everything that the Heartbeat brand represents, so comedy, 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:54.440 our intersections with music and sports, but also um in 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:58.520 some areas be too, be an industry component to it, 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:01.280 where there will be a thought leadership component in some 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:03.520 of these markets. But we'll bring you know, really bright 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:07.280 minds across the industry, whether it's entertainment or creativity and technology, 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:11.920 um around sort of business opportunities. So we're really excited 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:16.400 about um that from a consumer engagement perspective, but also 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:19.200 a brand building perspective, right, you know, the experiential the 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:21.440 experienial side of our business is a really big way 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:24.920 um to advance the Heartbeat brand globally. You guys have 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:30.640 like seventy different projects in development. What are the priorities 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:33.680 for three? Are there any big releases we should be 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:36.440 expect from Heartbeat? Well, I mean we're really excited that 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.760 we're continuing, um, you know with some of our existing franchises, 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:44.440 you know, whether they be branded or television or films. So, um, 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.760 you know we're working on We just rend production on 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:51.440 our next installment of our diehar Our Diehart franchise with 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:53.880 with Roku or in the final stages of production through 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:56.840 that road post production. Um, you know, we'll see cold 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.840 as Balls come back again. Like I said, it's in 0:15:59.880 --> 0:16:01.640 as favorite sports show, and we still have a lot 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:04.320 of fun doing it. UM. You know, there's audio expansion 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:06.760 on our business. Will be rolling out new audio properties 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.160 with you know that aren't Kevin with some really unique 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:12.640 and exciting voices both in podcasts and radio, UM and 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.880 and really expanding the footprint at business. We've got some 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:19.520 really exciting audio books lined up VRR you know deal 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:25.360 with UM Audible. We'll have a new film project that 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:28.120 I'm not I can't say much about coming out Netflix 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:32.840 next year. UM Peacock NBCU who's a really deep partner 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:36.440 of ours. There's a big slate in pipeline there unscripted, 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:40.320 scripted UM across the board. So it's it's been really 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.120 really robust for us UH and and in terms of 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:47.960 just overall priorities outside a project are unscripted business UM. 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.400 You know, we're really leaning into and looking to create 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:55.360 buzz of your formats UM and and continue down the 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:57.840 path that we've been on. There's a project that we're 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:00.000 working on right now with Nick Cannon that was actually 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:06.040 really inspired by UM a prank UH those prank mechanisms 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.040 that he and Kevin had going back and forth, and 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.159 so now you'll see that come to life in a 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:12.840 new in a new format on television. And I know 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:16.520 you've got something important to you coming up at the 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:21.640 Sundance Film Festival, the return of the Women Right Now franchise. Uh, 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.439 tell me a bit about how that came together, what 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:27.879 it is. So, you know, at Heartbeat, we pride ourselves 0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:32.800 on our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and I'm 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.920 really proud of the composition of the company. We are 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:42.199 it's current day. We are people of color and I 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:44.600 say that sometimes and people feel like we're over indexing, 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:48.080 but actually the world is people of color. So it's 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:52.119 a very kind of reflective UM organization in that way. 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.359 We are at this moment women again, the world is 0:17:56.400 --> 0:18:01.040 fifty one and so UM you know, we it's really 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:04.920 important for us to you know, provide opportunity and create 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:08.760 a real meritocracy across the board. That said, UM, you 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.320 do that by recognizing that everyone could do better. There's 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:15.160 always opportunity in rooms to improve. So one of the places, UM, 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:17.919 you know that I was particularly attuned to was the 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:20.600 idea that comedy can feel like a boy's club, right, 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:24.320 and comedy writer's ums in particular can feel that way. 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:26.359 And then when you double drilled down and you say, well, 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:29.800 how many black women get in those those places? All 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:32.800 of a sudden, we've narrowed down on this very specific 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:36.840 insight right where there's this very you know, significant disparity 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:41.960 and where we were in our uniquely positioned to action 0:18:42.119 --> 0:18:46.760 and improved that reality. So we UM, based on based 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:50.320 on that insight, came up with a program called Women 0:18:50.400 --> 0:18:53.879 Right Now. We co founded it with Sundance Institute, so 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:57.320 with a partnership with them, and you know, the idea 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:01.040 was see something, say something, but also do something about it. 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:03.840 So we put up our own money of at Heartbeat 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:06.760 and said we're gonna launch this program and partnership with Sundance. 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:09.600 We went to Sundance because you know, there's no organization 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:13.720 that cares for cultivates artists better. And we wanted a 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:16.560 no barrier to entry program. So there are no fees 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:19.200 to participate if you're a black woman, and you can 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:21.639 run right if you write us an original short. We 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:23.800 didn't no matter how many submissions that we get, and 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:26.840 you know that was nearly a thousand last year, and 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:30.600 so UM we narrowed that down to three who go 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.320 through the program. These three fellows and they get this 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:39.159 really immersive experience with hearty executives and creative Sundance Institute 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:42.879 program Uh, you know, administrators and creatives. But also we 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:46.399 bring together this community and we had folks from a 0:19:46.640 --> 0:19:51.840 MC and P Peacock and most of the talent agencies 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:58.800 and publicists and wonderful showrunners and writers who really spent 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:02.080 two weeks with these women going through this immersive program 0:20:02.520 --> 0:20:05.280 UM to really get their project from spirit to screen. 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.760 And then because when you start to do good, that 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:12.600 snowball's right. Um, we found an opportunity to you know, 0:20:12.840 --> 0:20:15.960 help solve another challenge. We and and this was said, 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:18.679 I gotta give Jeff Plan again, our chief distribution officer, 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:21.400 um the credit for action. And as he said, yeah, 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:23.639 you know, writers have a tough time, but I've noticed 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:27.320 that black women in film actresses have a harder time 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:32.080 making the transition from acting to directing, right. And so um, 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:36.280 we pair these writers with first time directors who are actresses. 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:41.320 And then we produced these films for them with this 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:46.119 a significant budget. Uh. And so they're held by Heartbeat, 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:49.199 our Heartbeat production team. We put real money into the 0:20:49.200 --> 0:20:51.359 programs and then we take them all to the Sundance. 0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:53.080 So it said with their work, they all get first 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:58.560 looks um with with Heartbeat and we'll be announcing more 0:20:58.640 --> 0:21:01.160 about you know what happen with the fellows in terms 0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:04.040 of distribution. But in the last cycle all the films 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:07.600 were distributed on Peacock thanks our partnership with the NBC Universal. 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:11.439 Chase Sapphire came on to write the program and so 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:14.520 they allowed us so much more with them and then, um, 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:17.240 you know, one of the writers received a blind script 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:23.080 deal from UH from Universal uh last cycle and we've 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:25.959 got some really interesting distribution and commercial opportunities lined up 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:28.720 for them this year. Well, it sounds like this could 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:31.200 be a real growth here, not just for that program, 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:34.560 but for Heartbeat in general and yourself and so uh 0:21:34.600 --> 0:21:38.720 TI thanks for coming on, wishing you a great thame 0:21:38.760 --> 0:21:47.119 to you, Thanks for having me. This has been another 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:50.280 episode of Strictly Business. Tune in next week for another 0:21:50.320 --> 0:21:54.159 helping of scintillating conversation with media movers and shakers, and 0:21:54.200 --> 0:21:56.480 please make sure you subscribe to the podcast to hear 0:21:56.520 --> 0:22:00.199 future episodes. Also leave a review in Apple podcast Us 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:01.720 and let us know how we're doing.