EXCLUSIVE: Change is afoot at Funny or Die, Deadline has realized, with Kathy Goodman now to function CEO of the esteemed comedy studio.
After serving as Senior Advisor to proprietor Henry R. Muñoz III since his acquisition of the corporate a number of years again, Goodman steps into the function of Mike Farah, who quickly will depart Funny or Die after a run of greater than 15½ years. Also departing is Joe Farrell, who has been with the corporate for almost 13 years, serving as Chief Creative Officer for the previous few.
While transitioning out of their present govt roles, Farah and Farrell will stay govt producers on After Midnight, CBS’s lately launched late-night recreation present hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, and proceed to provide the slate of tasks they’ve created. Michelle Rosette stays aboard as CFO, with the seek for a brand new Chief Comedy Officer in control of growth in its ultimate phases. Goodman begins her work as CEO on Monday, March 18.
In a Monday memo to workers, which you’ll learn in full under, Muñoz shared that Funny or Die will proceed to provide some “premium long form content” going ahead. First and foremost, although, the main focus might be on reimagining and reinvigorating the model, as “an integrated, multi-platform content studio for a diverse new generation of comedic talent.” In an effort to evolve alongside an evolving media panorama, the corporate will now place nearly all of its concentrate on creating short-form digital content material for a number of platforms, we’re advised.
The studio behind the current, Emmy-nominated TV film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Funny or Die was based in 2007 by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy, famously launching in brief kind with “The Landlord,” which our sister publication Rolling Stone credit as considered one of “The Viral Videos That Built YouTube.” Watching as Ferrell is accosted by his foul-mouthed, two-year-old landlord Pearl (daughter of his then-creative companion McKay), the quick achieved its mission of constructing model consciousness for the fledgling media firm, happening to be seen many tens of millions of occasions over the a long time.
In addition to comedy specials like Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted, Funny or Die has produced Zach Galifianakis’ beloved internet collection Between Two Ferns and affiliated Netflix movie, truTV’s Billy on the Street, Comedy Central’s @midnight, CBS’s After Midnight, and extra. Muñoz acquired the corporate from stakeholders together with AMC Networks, WarnerMedia and Sequoia Capital in 2021.
His new CEO, Goodman, started her profession as a finance lawyer earlier than transitioning into worldwide movement image finance and launcing manufacturing and finance firm, Intermedia Films. Shortly after that firm went public on the German Neuemarkt, and earlier than becoming a member of Funny or Die, she left the leisure trade to show public highschool in Los Angeles, throughout which period she additionally turned co-owner of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
For extra on the evolution of Funny or Die, keep tuned.
Funny or Die colleagues:
I needed to take a second to share just a few updates to our firm priorities and imaginative and prescient.
Following many months of planning, the senior management of Funny or Die have created a plan that places us ready to evolve together with the altering media panorama. This second presents an important alternative to reimagine and reinvigorate our work in the identical impactful method Funny or Die did when it pioneered digital comedy 17 years in the past.
The time to make these daring modifications is now so as to keep forward. We will embrace and pioneer a singular new method to innovation at FOD. This might be an method that’s rooted in digital inventive excellence and prominence.
We will proceed to provide premium lengthy kind content material with the purpose of reworking into an built-in, multi-platform content material studio for a various new era of comedic expertise. Funny or Die and the 40 million guests we welcome each week would be the place for the following era of modern creators within the comedy area.
Starting Monday, March 18, Kathy Goodman, who has been my Senior Advisor since day considered one of this journey, will step into the function as CEO, working carefully with Michele Rosette, our CFO, who has additionally introduced years of enterprise planning expertise and monetary acumen to FOD. I’m excited to see what they may accomplish. They will quickly be joined by a brand new inventive colleague as we’re within the ultimate section of our seek for a brand new Chief Comedy Officer. We have set this function as one that can curate the expertise and content material for FODigital and align with our Funny Original and Diverse mission.
I’m very grateful to Mike Farah and Joe Farrell for his or her a few years of stewardship and for his or her dedication to creative high quality. Although they’re transitioning out of their present govt roles, they may stay Executive Producers on After Midnight and proceed to provide the wealthy slate of tasks that they helped create. I wouldn’t be right here at FOD if it weren’t for them, and we stay united by our
shared understanding that humor could be a highly effective instrument for social and cultural understanding. This is what introduced us collectively in the course of the pandemic and extends again to us working collectively to have President Barack Obama sitting Between Two Ferns. It will all the time be our core worth as an organization and as three buddies.
I’m additionally grateful to Jairo Alvarado, of ReDefine Entertainment for main this planning course of over the previous couple of months and I sit up for his continued steering.
I’m proud that the colourful inventive group I joined and have invested in during the last three years has been acknowledged for the creative high quality of our work, simply this 12 months profitable so many awards, together with the Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie and breaking new floor in late night time tv with After Midnight. The previous three years have been each difficult and thrilling for me, however greater than ever, I sit up for the way forward for Funny or Die, and to constructing upon its distinctive place in American common tradition alongside you all.
More to come back, Henry