SMOSH’S Shut Up! Cartoons Signs with Gotham Group
New York and Los Angeles — Alloy Digital-owned channel SMOSH’s Shut Up! Cartoons, a part of YouTube’s original channel offering, which has delivered in excess of 55 million video views and over 625,000 new subscribers since launching April 30, today announced it has entered into a representation agreement with The Gotham Group. The Gotham Group is recognized as the powerhouse management firm in the animation industry, with ties to an enormous amount and variety of creative content.
The fast-rising Shut Up! Cartoons started strong out of the gate, ranking as a top chart performer since its April 30 launch, and continues to hold its top-10 position on the list of YouTube’s most popular of original content offerings. Shut Up! is the brainchild of SMOSH President Barry Blumberg, the former longtime chief of Disney Television Animation, and the comedic duo of Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, Mr. Blumberg’s SMOSH partners and co-founders. SMOSH, an online leader in teen and young adult content, is the third-most subscribed channel on YouTube overall.
The Gotham Group will represent Shut Up! Cartoons’ highly popular series for television and other brand extensions. The Alloy Digital-owned property boasts a stellar roster of irreverent creators and producers that are delivering 18 short-form web series comprising 180 episodes in the first year, including those behind some of the most popular and recognized animated properties of recent times.
“We can think of no one better than The Gotham Group to partner with in seeking opportunities available across multiple platforms for our dynamic content and brilliant creative team,” said SMOSH President and Alloy Digital EVP Barry Blumberg. “We are thrilled to join forces with the foremost animation management team in order to more fully leverage the phenomenal growth we have seen for Shut Up! Cartoons since day one, allowing us to build the brand and enhance cross-promotion for the core YouTube channel. Gotham President-Founder Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and I have worked together for more than 20 years and it’s awesome to be reunited.”
The Gotham Group boasts a roster of more than 500 top directors, writers, producers, illustrators and artists, as well as book and comic publishers and animation studios.
“We are all about breaking barriers and defying convention, which puts us totally in sync with Alloy Digital, Barry, Anthony and Ian, who have created an outstanding brand that has instantly resonated with their teen and young adult audience,” Goldsmith-Vein said. “Shut Up! Cartoons has the marketable content and breakthrough talent that is in such high demand in today’s demanding media climate, and we are excited about the many great opportunities that lie ahead.”
Eight series have already premiered, drawing both critical acclaim and widespread media coverage, with new series to be added throughout the year featuring a dynamic array of animation styles and themes appealing to the 12-24 year old demographic. This audience is one that SMOSH – hailed by Time Magazine as “the Saturday Night Live of the internet” – has captivated through its unique brand of comedy from inception.