About

Above Average Productions is an online comedy distributor featuring short videos and satirical news articles written by "the industry's top creators, celebrities, rising talent."^[1]

History

Above Average is a subsidiary of Broadway Video, a creation of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock producer Lorne Michaels.^[2] Though Michaels used the "Above Average" moniker in the late 70s, the online comedy network "Above Average" is known as today did not launch until June 2012.

Launch

Above Average was conceived when SNL writer Michael Patrick O'Brien needed a venue for his web series idea.^[3] This became 7 Minutes In Heaven, an interview series in which O'Brien interviewed comedians, actors, and actresses inside a closet. The show launched as part of Yahoo's first Newfront slate and convinced Broadway Video to do more with the short-form comedy platform.

Focus

Above Average focuses on partnering with online comedy creators and giving up-and-coming comedians an opportunity to show off their talents. Comedians such as Broad City's Ilana Glazer and SNL's Sasheer Zamata were featured on Above Average well before their successful television careers.^[4]

Above Average has 72 channel partners, including The Lonely Island, Jay Pharoah, The Harvard Sailing Team, and more. It is home to 77 original shows.^[5]

The Kicker

In October 2015, Above Average launched "The Kicker," an original sports comedy site focusing on videos, articles, and other content similar in tone to Above Average.^[6]

Online Presence

Above Average posts their content primarily on Youtube. Their network has over 9 million subscribers and over 2.6 billion views as of August 3rd, 2016.^[7] They also have over 1.2 million likes on Facebook^[8] and almost 43,000 followers on Twitter.^[9]

Search Interest

External References