San Francisco, CA (March 27, 2017) – Seeking to better serve comedy-loving audiences as well as professional comedians, Laughly today announced three new strategic hires: Mark Seman as Head of Programming & Original Content, Kelly Anneken as Head of Product, and Elliott Peters as acting General Counsel and Strategic Advisor. The world’s first streaming audio app dedicated solely to stand-up comedy, offering the world’s most extensive comedy library with albums and routines from over 700 comedians, Laughly was recently named Best New Startup in the Entertainment & Content category at the 2017 SXSW Festival.
Seman recently spent three years as managing editor of the premier comedy website The Laugh Button, where he created and launched The Laugh Button Weekly Podcast, generating 100+ episodes with top comic talents and creators including T.J. Miller, John Leguizamo, Norman Lear and The Impractical Jokers; 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. Prior to this, for almost a decade 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 segues to Laughly after a stint as senior producer, content management & curation for Bay Area media production company Rooftop Media. She previously 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. A stand-up comedian and youth comedy teacher, she is also co-host of the popular Downton Abbey podcast “Up Yours, Downstairs.”
Peters is a highly experienced 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, and rising to SVP during his ten-year tenure.
Commenting on the new hires, Laughly Founder and CEO Dave Scott offered, “They say you should hire people who are better than yourself in their chosen specialties, and we have done just that. 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.”
About Laughly
Launched in August 2016, Laughly is the first streaming audio app dedicated exclusively to stand-up comedy, offering the most extensive comedy library in the world with albums and routines from over 700 comedians. Laughly is available for iOS and all Web browsers as a free, ad-supported app and through a premium subscription tier that allows users to laugh ad-free, filter out profanity, download comedy routines for their offline listening pleasure, and gain access to exclusive content, special contests and free swag. Visit www.laughradio.com. Download the app in the iTunes Store or Google Play Store. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
