Turner Entertainment officially launched Super Deluxe–a new online comedy video network–on Wednesday, TheWrap has learned.
Super Deluxe has partnered with Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan as an ongoing executive producer, and signed a development and production agreement with Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim and Dave Kneebone, the minds behind “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”
It is also developing projects from Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jen Tullock and Hannah Utt, Hye Yun Park and Brandon Rogers, the writer and creator of Super Deluxe’s upcoming half-hour series “Magic Funhouse,” an adult show about a kid’s show.
The company operates as an independent unit and reports to Kevin Reilly, chief creative officer for Turner Entertainment and president of TBS and TNT.
“Our belief in the value proposition of ‘premium plus personalization’ now extends into the emergent ecosystem of mobile centric consumers and next generation creators thriving in that space,” Reilly said.
Super Deluxe’s social media channels debuted in December with political satire, shorts and animations, now amassing more than 35 million viewers a month on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Vimeo, Twitter and Snapchat.
Their take on the presidential election and weekly live video experiments have been featured in The New Yorker, The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, and Daily Mail.
“When you combine the storytelling know-how of television development with the vibrancy and audience-first approach of digital content creation, you end up with an explosive mix that is exciting for audiences, TV buyers and brands alike,” said Wolfgang Hammer, president of Super Deluxe.
In addition to Hammer, Super Deluxe’s executive team includes: Jesse Pearson, the former editor-in-chief at Vice who now serves as creative director for the Super Deluxe Network and branded content; Arthur Wang, formerly of CBS Interactive, who serves as chief marketing officer; Ryan Likes, who serves as general manager after previous stints at Televisa and Lionsgate; Shahruz Shaukat, formerly of Buzzfeed, who serves as chief technology officer; network heads Dimitri Simakis and Hillary Levine, also formerly of Buzzfeed; and Winnie Kemp, David Sigurani and Mia Di Pasquale.