Laughly, a streaming app dedicated to stand-up comedy, announced three strategic hires Tuesday. The company, which boasts albums and routines from more than 700 funnymen and women and was named Best New Startup in the Entertainment & Content category at South by Southwest this year, named Mark Seman as Head of Programming & Original Content, Kelly Anneken as Head of Product, and Elliott Peters as acting General Counsel and Strategic Advisor.
Seman recently spent three years as managing editor of comedy website The Laugh Button, where he created and launched The Laugh Button Weekly Podcast, producing more than 100 episodes with household names including T.J. Miller, John Leguizamo, Norman Lear and The Impractical Jokers. Seman also created and produced the Warped Tour’s first-ever Warped Comedy Tent. created, produced and hosted the first TLB Presents: Super Hero Fantasy Draft at New York Comic Con, and produced the annual SXSW Showcase: The Laugh Button Live. Before TLB, he was a host, producer and content creator for SiriusXM Comedy, producing such daily shows as “Comedy By Request” and live broadcasts from the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game, Daytona 500, SXSW, Comic Con, E3 and HBO Comedy Arts Festival.
Anneken previously worked as a senior producer for content management and curation for Bay Area media production company Rooftop Media. She also spent nearly seven years as Pandora Radio’s first and only comedy curator, responsible for acquisitions, programming, and artist and label relations, among other initiatives. Anneken, who’s also a stand-up comedian and youth comedy teacher, is co-host of Downton Abbey podcast “Up Yours, Downstairs.”
Peters is a veteran lawyer and digital media and technology executive. Recently he served as general counsel of Rdio, an independent global music streaming service acquired by Pandora in 2015, and previously led the international legal team for iTunes. He was part of the original digital team at Warner Music, negotiating agreements with all major services including iTunes and YouTube, ending his ten-year tenure as a senior vice president.
“They say you should hire people who are better than yourself in their chosen specialties, and we have done just that,” Laughly Founder and CEO Dave Scott said in a statement. “Mark, Kelly and Elliot all have a deep understanding of the entertainment industry, with keen insights on the future of this business and a shared passion for comedy. I am excited to work with them as together we drive Laughly toward world comedy domination.”