Time
Inc. is investing in a new content vertical for advertisers: comedy. The company announced today it is entering a partnership with Jash, a comedy production company.
In a statement, Time
Inc. said the partnership will create “a multi-platform comedy content creation engine for advertisers.”
Jash will bundle its content with Time Inc.’s digital media
and offer it to Time Inc.’s digital audience and advertising partners.
The two companies will likely create native advertising comedy content designed with specific brands, as well as
create content for Time Inc.'s newly formed “over-the-top” video streaming service, the People/Entertainment Weekly
Network, and virtual reality app, Life VR.
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Doug DeLuca, executive chairman of Jash, stated: “The appetite for smart, premium comedy content is high, especially in the branded
world. We’ve seen that reflected in how fast the division has grown at Jash.”
Jash, which was founded in 2013 by DeLuca, Daniel Kellison ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Late Show
with David Letterman") and digital videographer Mickey Meyer ('Epic Rap Battles"), has a YouTube channel initially seeded by Google. Other Jash founding comedians include big names like Sarah
Silverman, Michael Cera, Reggie Watts, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim.
In addition to offering Time Inc. advertising partners its resources and content, Jash will also give them
access to its founding group of comedians.
Jash will now expand into Brooklyn and work out of The Foundry, Time Inc.’s creative lab and content studio, as well as continue to
operate at Jash’s existing headquarters in Los Angeles.
“Together with The Foundry and Time Inc., we’ll deliver this work with brands, at scale, across expanded distribution
and media inventory,” DeLuca stated.