A New Comedy Brand for Millennials

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Circa, the fastest growing mobile-friendly, video-driven news and entertainment portal for millennials, on Monday announced a strategic partnership with Hollywood producer and comedy legend David Zucker. Circa Laughs, a portal on Circa.com and its social platforms, showcases irreverent, short-form segments about news, politics, celebrities, pop culture, and social trends that have been created by a troupe of young comedy talent working under Zucker's supervision.

The troupe began producing content late this summer, ranging from Internet and newscast parodies to humorous cooking recipes that have already rolled up millions of video views on Circa's digital platforms.   

The partnership is launching its first live event: 'Debate Night in America,' on Monday, Sept. 26, on Facebook Live and Circa.com. The parody will showcase comedian commentators Evan Sayet and K-Von covering the presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump like it was a sports event, live from the fictional Circa Sports Broadcast Network (CSBN) Studios.

The Facebook Live pre-debate show starts at 8:30pmEDT/5:30pmPDT followed by the 9pmEDT/6pmPDT comic political commentary tweeted out throughout the 90-minute debate. A post-debate wrap-up show will go live at 10:45pmEDT/ 7:45pmPDT. The preshow can be watched any time after its live session at Circa.com. 

Circa's Chief Creative Officer John Solomon said, "David is a comedic genius, able to transform the banter of every day life into laughter. His impeccable sense of timing, indiscriminate irreverence and witty parody married with the social savvy of the Circa Laughs troupe has created a viral humor product for Circa that is quickly becoming must-see viewing for young consumers."

A worldwide comedy brand whose credits range from Airplane! to the Naked Gun and Scary Movie franchises, Zucker said the Circa Laughs project is an incubator for content and talent that can one day stretch beyond Web and social platforms to television, movies or live performance. Circa is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group (Nasdaq: SBGI), the largest owner of TV stations in the United States.

"We've found a terrific partner in Circa. They're providing us with an amazing opportunity to push the boundaries of humor and experiment with creating new characters and storylines, which might evolve into serial programs for other platforms, like television," Zucker said. "We're also building Circa Laughs into a talent magnet, and I'm excited to help new writers and performers develop their comic chops for Circa." 

In its first two months, Circa has reached more than 350 million consumers and generated more than 140 million video views.

Circa Laughs is committed to "steering clear of any set political or cultural viewpoint," Solomon said. "We pride ourselves on being a brand for independent-minded consumers and we're lucky to live in an era where there is plenty of people and material to roast on all sides of the aisle."

One of Circa Laughs' first major productions was the simultaneous release of two Tasteless recipes: Hillary Clinton's meatloaf and Donald Trump's toad-in-a-hole breakfast dish. 

Zucker said the opportunity to make humor that rises above a single point of view was appealing to him. "Many shows, apps, and sites provide satirical content that's clever, but tries to persuade viewers towards a particular way of thinking. 

That's not us. We're an equal opportunity offender. We'll take on any trends, any tropes, or any high and mighty public figures, with just one goal: make people laugh out loud, at the world around them and themselves."

About Circa
Circa is the fastest growing mobile-friendly, video-driven news and entertainment portal designed for the millennial audience, delivering engaging and shareable content in cutting-edge formats to a generation that prefers to customize their experience. Content is authentic and impactful with witty storytelling, in-depth interviews, exclusive stories, laugh-out-loud humor, short videos and virtual reality footage posted in "atoms." Backed by Sinclair Broadcast Group – the largest TV operator in the U.S., Circa extends its content to a TV audience all across the U.S.

About David Zucker
Beginning as part of a team, ZAZ, that created a new, outrageous sketch comedy genre, David leveraged that into renowned global film comedies, such as Airplane!, The Naked Gun series, three Scary Movie films, and cult classic BASEketball. David created Medio Pictures Partners as a comedy factory, to create a flow of lower-budget comedy films, branded TV/ web projects, cross-platform comic content for brands and agencies, as well as mentoring young comedy talent and their projects as David has done throughout his career.

SOURCE Circa

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