Broadway Video is an American multimedia entertainment studio founded by Lorne Michaels, creator of the sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live and producer of other television programs and movies.
In Their Own Words:
Broadway Video is a global entertainment and media company founded by Lorne Michaels. Launched in 1979 in New York’s historic Brill Building, Broadway Video has grown into an independent studio that produces and distributes original comedic content for every platform.
Company Size: 51 – 200
Founded: 1979
Executive Producer/Founder – Lorne Michaels
CEO – Jack Sullivan
President, Broadway Video Ventures – David Birnbaum
Chief Creative Officer, Branding and Creative – Elaine Cantwell
President, Above Average Productions – Jennifer Danielson
President and Managing Director, Production Services – Stacey Foster
Chief Communications Officer – Cristina McGinniss
EVP – Kathryn Miller
President, Broadway Video Enterprises – Britta von Schoeler
President, Broadway Video Television – Andrew Singer
Website: http://broadwayvideo.
[additional credits, approximately 200]
Comedy Central has renewed “Detroiters” for a second season, Variety has learned.
The series, currently in the middle of its first season run, stars real life best friends Sam Richardson (“Veep”), from Detroit, and Tim Robinson (“Saturday Night Live”), from Metro Detroit, as small-time ad men in the Motor City. Executive produced, created and written by Richardson, Robinson, Joe Kelly, and Zach Kanin, and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Jason Sudeikis, and Broadway Video’s Andrew Singer, Season 2 will premiere in 2018.
“Sam and Tim’s sweet, goofy friendship is so infectious, we’ve noticed people being nicer to each other,” said Comedy Central president Kent Alterman. “Perhaps we’ll set Season 2 in D.C.”
The guest star list for Season 1 is packed, including Sudeikis, Obba Babatunde, Michael Che, Comedian CP, Steve Higgins, Richard Karn, Rick Mahorn, Keegan-Michael Key, Kevin Nash, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Cecily Strong, Trick Trick, George Wallace, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
Ratings for cable series are less and less a straight barometer for renewal; “Detroiters” has thus far fared no worse than other new cable comedies that have been renewed, averaging a 0.2 in the 18-49 demo and an audience of 381,000, with those numbers showing the usual double-digit increases with delayed and digital viewing. Critical consensus was a strong vote of confidence for the series. Variety‘s Sonia Saraiya called it “a bizarre, rollicking joy to watch. As is fitting for a show named after a place, ‘Detroiters’ is a state of mind — a nice place to visit and stay awhile, to enjoy the world in a completely different headspace.”
Lorne Michaels’ Above Average Digital Comedy Studio Raises $15 Million from Turner, Advance Vixeid Partners | Variety | July 20, 2016
Above Average, the digital comedy studio formed by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, has raised $15 million in funding from Turner Broadcasting and Advance Vixeid Partners, the independent investment arm of Advance Publications and Conde Nast.
Above Average, which launched in 2012, produces web series and content — with a good portion of it featuring talent from Broadway Video’s flagship franchise, “Saturday Night Live” for NBC.
“While digital-first with a talent-first philosophy, we are both a publisher and a studio creating premium smart comedy for talent, audiences and brands,” said Jennifer Danielson, president of Above Average. “This funding further validates our efforts and productions, and we’re excited about the new opportunities for growth it provides.”
Productions from Above Average include “Alec Baldwin’s Love Ride” (pictured above), featuring the actor providing relationship advice to guests in a New York City cab; “Sound Advice” with “SNL” cast member Vanessa Bayer playing an image consultant to musicians; “Seven Minutes in Heaven”; “Hudson Valley Ballers”; and “Everyone’s Upstairs Neighbors.” Its content is distributed across multiple platforms, including YouTube, NBCUniversal’s Seeso, Vessel and Google Play.
In addition, Above Average has launched The Kicker, a sports comedy online destination from Bryan Tucker, co-head writer of “SNL,” and it also produces branded content for advertisers.
Above Average is led by Danielson, who began working at Broadway Video in 2001. Other key execs include Marc Lieberman, VP of biz dev, who formerly worked for the Onion in the same capacity, and director of development Josh Poole, who before joining the company in 2012 worked in production and development at MTV.