Comedy Central and Refinery29 Announce Digital Content Deal Showcasing Female Comedians on the Rise

Comedy Central and Refinery29 today announced a digital-content partnership for two series from Comedy Central Productions produced in partnership with Refinery29 that will identify and showcase an all-female lineup of fast-rising comedians with distinct voices. Slated to premiere next spring, the series will be co-branded and distributed on Comedy Central and Refinery29 digital platforms.

CC x R29: Taking the Stage is a short-form stand-up series featuring a curation of showcase clips from the lineup of comedians, and CC x R29: Speak Up is a short-form storytelling series in which the comedians will share stories about speaking up and being heard.

"We are looking forward to this partnership with Refinery29 to create shareable digital content that elevates female creators," said Sarah Babineau and Jonas Larsen, Co-Heads of Original Content, Comedy Central. "Amplifying female voices and perspectives is a critical, ongoing programming priority for Comedy Central with all formats and platforms, and Refinery29 is the perfect partner to supercharge our efforts in the digital-media space."

"Comedy Central is a leader in championing dynamic storytelling, and as a brand that is dedicated to doing the same, we're so excited to develop the next frontier of female-forward comedy together," said Amy Emmerich, Global President and Chief Content Officer, Refinery29. "As ever, we are committed to being both a megaphone for these emerging female voices and a vital platform for these conversations with our audience."

The partnership builds on Refinery29's ongoing work to identify and amplify inclusive female voices through original content and incubation programs. Refinery29 Originals focuses on strategically developing premium, female-forward content, telling culturally responsive stories with an elevated sensibility and reinventing genres with an eye on gender & identity. Refinery29 previously hosted the Riot Comedy Writers Lab, as part of their Riot comedy platform which has worked with over 100 emerging female comedic voices including Jonterri Gadson; Kim Blanck; Andrea Simons; Christina Anthony; Ariana Seigel and Susannah Bohlke, whose pilot Puffy was developed and distributed digitally.

The deal comes during a period of growth for Comedy Central's studio-production and digital-content initiatives. Since being unveiled in May, Comedy Central Productions has announced deals with Donick Cary (The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation); Derek Waters (Drunk History); Paulilu, the production company from Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs (Broad City, Rough Night); Anthony King (Silicon Valley, Search Party); Irony Point, the production company from Daniel Powell and Alex Bach (Inside Amy Schumer); and Stuart Miller (Klepper, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah). Comedy Central also recorded massive digital and social growth for the fiscal year closed this September, up +41% year over year in video views (6.7 billion) and up +72% year over year in watch minutes (14 billion).

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