EXCLUSIVE: Nashville comedy curator 800 Pound Gorilla has inked a deal to become the official audio and video distributor for the YouTube specials of Nateland Entertainment, the rising media company of top comic Nate Bargatze.
Separately, 800PG has announced the launch of a new Film & TV division.
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The Nateland partnership will bring more clean comedians to the 800PG network, along with exclusive second window video distribution of comedy specials from Aaron Weber, Nick Thune, and Greg Warren, among others, bringing additional visibility to material that’s to this point been released only on the YouTube channel of Bargatze’s Nateland. The deal is in the same vein as those 800PG has struck with comedian-driven companies like Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network and Bill Burr and Al Madrigal’s All Things Comedy.
“With both of us calling Nashville our home base, teaming up with Nate Bargatze and Nateland felt like the obvious move,” said 800 Pound Gorilla Co-Founder Damion Greiman. “Nate led the global comedy touring numbers last year, and he’s mapping even bigger plans as Nateland’s audience grows. We are excited to be partners in helping propel that growth.”
Commented Nateland’s SVP of Production, Adrian Kulp, “At Nateland we’re building a farm system and platform for clean, comedic talent. Partnering with 800 Pound Gorilla gives us the muscle to expand the reach and voice of creators who reflect the heart of what we do and deliver even more laughs to audiences everywhere.”
800 Pound Gorilla’s launch of a Film & TV division comes ahead of the release of Are We Good?, an acclaimed doc on comedian Marc Maron, where they served as executive producers and investors. Directed by Steven Feinartz, the film premiered at SXSW and was subsequently featured at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
The 800 Pound Gorilla network recently crossed 500k subscribers on YouTube and reaches over 20 million comedy fans a month. The company’s mission has been to lay the foundation for a multi-format comedy home where stand-up is just the beginning, with projects in scripted, unscripted, and the documentary space to follow.
Founded in 2016, 800PG has produced or distributed acclaimed specials like Mark Normand’s Out to Lunch and Matt Rife’s Only Fans — both of which found success in going straight to YouTube — as well as specials for major streamers, including Leanne Morgan’s I’m Every Woman on Netflix and Sean Patton’s Number One on Peacock. Distribution partners include Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network, Burr & Madrigal’s All Things Comedy, and its own legacy label, Clown Jewels, which has released works from legends like Lucille Ball, Robin Williams, The Smothers Brothers, and Bob Newhart.
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