Sam Grey & Daniel Lantsman Talk Stapleview’s Evolution From TikTok Sketch Experiment To Management Company & Multi-Platform Content Engine – Comedy Means Business Podcast

Stapleview has come a long way since its 2022 launch.

Originally developed by Sam Grey as the first live, weekly sketch show tailored to a TikTok audience, Stapleview was driven by an exploration of how traditional and digital spaces could be bridged through a new kind of content designed for the infinite scroll. Taped behind a Staples in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village, which gave the company its name, the show was framed by many as a Gen Z answer to Saturday Night Live, the venerable late-night sketch series that is a North Star inspiration for Grey, an alum of Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, as well as Entertainment 360.

Flash forward a few years and Stapleview has evolved into something far more expansive — a talent management company and multimedia comedy studio, run by Grey and Daniel Lantsman, that aims to be something of a disruptor in entertainment. A case study in comedy’s evolution, Stapleview is focused on identifying and elevating the next wave of comedic greats — artists that are bootstrapping their careers by building audiences online and on stage, rather than waiting for Hollywood or the traditional media ecosystem to acknowledge them.

Coming from a background in private equity and media strategy, co-founder and COO Lantsman explains that the vision for Stapleview 2.0 was ambitious from the get-go: to develop a slate of quality, Comedy Central–style short-form shows, launch them digitally, and use audience traction as leverage to sell IP into traditional film and television markets. Helping to break Jane Wickline — who is now a cast member on Saturday Night Live — the company is currently producing a full slate of series for a digital audience, one of the most successful being Spilling Your Seed, a comedic talk show in the vein of Finding Your Roots from SNL alum Chloe Troast.

Stapleview 2.0’s efforts were jumpstarted by backing from a powerhouse set of investors, including Kate Capshaw, Joe Drake, GB Media, Nick Meyer, Peter Schlessel and Steven Spielberg, who were interested in what the company was exploring, as far as the future of comedy, and entertainment, more broadly. Rather than focusing purely on traditional media, the company now views it as just one potential avenue toward building sustainable series and careers. Their business model focuses on scale, volume, and sustainability, with content produced at a low cost per minute, released over a months-long run to build algorithmic momentum on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The current objective for Stapleview’s content is to reach break-even through programmatic ads and brand partnerships within 12 to 18 months of a project’s launch, achieving additional upside through the licensing of content to other digital platforms.

As much as Stapleview is rooted in digital, the team hits the streets frequently, in pursuit of emerging voices that might translate across mediums. Early conversations with potential clients focus on what kind of career they want, in which arenas, and how can digital, live performance, and traditional media can all work together to reinforce one another.

On the back of early success after its first big round of investment, Stapleview last summer secured a second capital raise from the Fifth Season-backed Blink49 Studios, with an eye toward expanding its footprint into Canada. But even amidst new levels of resources, the company has been steady in its focus on maintaining a DIY, budget-conscious ethos.

In a recent conversation for our Comedy Means Business podcast, Grey and Lantsman break down Stapleview’s evolution so far and make their case for the digital space as the future of talent incubation and content development. Grey gets into his experience at Broadway Video, as well as the legacy of his late father — Brillstein-Grey co-founder, and Paramount chairman/CEO Brad Grey — with the pair also discussing their predictions for the future of digital networks, and more.

Watch the full conversation above.