Hartbeat, Kevin Hart‘s multiplatform media and entertainment company, has hired four senior execs to build out its leadership team across divisions.
Joining the company are former ATTN: executive Sara Abdulahi as senior VP of people and culture; NBCUniversal alum Annie Balagot as senior VP of global media; Neil Wright, who hails from BuzzFeed’s Complex Networks, as VP of live and experiential; and industry veteran Namon Jones as VP of brand partnerships.
The company also promoted Tina Maher to SVP of brand and franchise management; she previously served as VP, brand partnerships and monetization.
Hartbeat is currently in development or production on more than 70 projects and in 2023 is gearing up to launch a series of new live comedy experiences. The company said the new hires will accelerate growth across the company’s three divisions: Hartbeat Studios, which finances, develops and produces content; Hartbeat Media, which manages events and distribution deals; and Pulse, a branded-content and entertainment studio and consultancy.
“As we build the future of comedic entertainment, the leadership infrastructure we have in place allows us to facilitate growth from the inside out,” Hartbeat CEO Thai Randolph said in a statement.
“With Sara Abdulahi spearheading our entire employee lifecycle, we have the best of the best bringing our projects to life from all sides,” Randolph continued. “I am inspired by the breadth of experience and expertise Annie Balagot, Neil Wright and Namon Jones bring to the team as we continue to scale the business and meet the demands for our content and experiences. We are also proud to further our commitment to Tina Maher, who has played a key role in expanding Hartbeat’s brand partnerships.”
Abdulahi most recently served as the VP of people operations at ATTN:, which was acquired by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media last year. Before ATTN:, she held a senior director role at at-tech company Nativo. Abdulahi reports to Randolph.
Balagot spent more than 10 years at NBCUniversal, previously overseeing distribution of USA, Bravo, CNBC, E!, MSNBC, NBC Sports Network, Universo, Oxygen, Syfy, Golf Channel, Universal Kids, network-owned NBC and Telemundo stations, NBCU FAST channels and Peacock across traditional and streaming platforms. In her new post at Hartbeat, she will oversee strategy and distribution of media including expanding distribution for the LOL! Network across all platforms globally. Balagot will report to Jeff Clanagan, president and chief distribution officer, Hartbeat.
Wright, who joins Hartbeat to oversee live events and experiences, also reports to Clanagan. Wright hails from Complex Networks, where he built and evolved the company’s annual cultural tentpole event, ComplexCon, and created the first metaverse platform from a publisher, ComplexLand. Before joining Complex in-house, Wright worked on the partner side at Reed Exhibitions in the creation and launch of ComplexCon in 2016. He previously spent 10 years at retailer PacSun as marketing director, in-store experiences and events.
Jones has more than 20 years working in digital sales at Urban One (formally Radio One), BET, Twitter, Ozy Media and iHeartMedia. At Hartbeat, he is tasked with developing and expanding the company’s East Coast brand partnerships, reporting Stephen Loguidice, SVP and head of partnerships and advertising.
Maher joined the company in 2017 to oversee production and branded partnerships for Harbeat’s series, including the hit series “Cold as Balls” starring Kevin Hart, which has reached over 1 billion views and contract renewals with Old Spice over five seasons. In her new role, she will oversee and implement monetization, growth and partnership strategies for Hartbeat’s owned-and-operated brands and franchises (such as Laugh Out Loud, Women Write Now and Cold as Balls). Before Hartbeat, she worked at companies including DeviantArt, Google, NBA and Leaf Group.
Hartbeat’s latest hires come after other key appointments last year. Those included Brian C. Price, SVP, head of branded content and creative partnerships, and EVP/general counsel Candisse Williamson as well as the promotion of Mike Stein to EVP, head of television and audio.
The company in April 2022 announced a $100 million capital raise from Abry Partners, led by Hartbeat’s Randolph. Hartbeat has inked strategic partnerships with streaming services, companies and organizations including NBCU’s Peacock, Netflix, SiriusXM, Audible, Simon & Schuster, Live Nation, Roku, Pluto, Apple TV+, HBO Max and Sundance Institute.
Pictured above (l. to r.): Sara Abdulahi, Annie Balagot, Neil Wright, Namon Jones, Tina Maher
