User:Cleazy/Comedy World

Comedy World
Comedy World was originally launched in January 2000 as a 24-hour entertainment network. By mixing live audio, streaming video, animation, interactive features and games that could be accessed via the Internet Comedy World was able to produce and broadcast original comedy programming across audio, video, text, radio and the internet.

Since 2009, Comedy World is now the proud home of the world’s largest inventory of comedy tickets at the for some of the largest comedy venues across the United States.

Company Overview
Launched in January 2000 with just 16 employees, Comedy World grew to more than 150 employees. This included more than 20 comedians and more than 30 writers in offices located in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In April of 2001 Comedy World filed for bankruptcy before emerging in 2009 as the leading ticket provider for comedy shows in the United States.

Comedy World's goal was to serve two markets at once: radio stations looking for a new way to draw the hot 18-34 male demographic away from their competition, and comedy fans in search of edgy topical humor they can enjoy any time, anywhere. With that in mind, Comedy World offered radio stations the opportunity to join Comedy World 24 hours a day or the option to syndicate individual shows.

On February 1, 2001 Comedy World was able to secure new broadcasting stations located in Chicago, IL, Memphis, TN, Syracuse, NY, Baton Rouge, LA, Mobile, AL, Reno NV, and Atlantic City, NJ.

Prior to going bankrupt, Comedy World also secured deals with Sirius Satellite Radio to distribute its content via the satellite radio network as well as the Burly Bear Network, a broadcaster targeting colleges and universities.

Funding
In October of 2000, Comedy World received its first round of series B financing ($20.5 MM) from Moore Capital Management and Silicon Valley venture capital firm Attractor, which led ComedyWorld's series A funding in January 2000 from Attractor Investment Management - a Silicon Valley venture capital firm with more than $750 million in capital under management.

Former Employees

 * Frank Murphy joined Comedy World as both producer of a talk show co-hosted by comedian Allan Havey and actress Susan Olsen and as host of his own weekend talk show called FM in the AM.


 * Ken Ober, a rising star best known from hosting MTV's game show Remote Control.


 * Allan Havey, who for three seasons hosted his own talk show on Comedy Central,has also appeared on Letterman, Seinfeld, and Comic Relief. Havey has teamed up with Susan Olsen, who spent her childhood playing Cindy Brady on The Brady Bunch.


 * Harland Williams, who first appeared in the movie Dumb & Dumber, and has since appeared in more than a dozen movies, including The Whole Nine Yards. He's also had parts on TV shows like Ellen and MAD TV. Comedy World tapped him to produce original content, participate in chat boards on the web site, and contribute to the fans' newsletter.


 * Eddie Griffin, best known for his role on the WB show Malcolm & Eddie, Griffin also has appeared in the films Armageddon, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, and The Mod Squad.


 * Ahmet Zappa, musician and television personality.


 * Kennedy, aka Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, an American political satirist, radio personality, former MTV VJ, and current host of Kennedy on the Fox Business Network. Montgomery left Seattle in 2001 to co-host a morning radio show with Ahmet Zappa on the ComedyWorld Radio Network. The show was titled The Future With Ahmet & Kennedy, and like her show in Seattle, consisted of news and current events with a comedy bent. She later co-hosted the morning show with Malibu Dan entitled The Big House, her final show on the network before the network went off the air.

External Sites
Official Site