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Broadway Video

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Broadway Video
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1979; 45 years ago (1979)
FounderLorne Michaels
Headquarters
Rockefeller Center, New York City, New York
,
United States[1]
Key people
Lorne Michaels (chairman)
Jack Sullivan (CEO)
ProductsTelevision programs
Motion pictures
Number of employees
99+
Websitebroadwayvideo.com

Broadway Video is an American multimedia entertainment studio founded by Lorne Michaels, creator of the sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live and producer of other television programs and movies. Broadway Video also held the rights to much of the pre-1974 Rankin-Bass library and Lassie from 1988 to 1996 before they sold the rights to Golden Books Family Entertainment (now owned by NBCUniversal/Universal Pictures via DreamWorks Animation/Classic Media).

Broadway Video was founded at The Brill Building, located at 1619 Broadway.

History

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Lorne Michaels, who launched Saturday Night Live in 1975, produced several television specials under the banner of Above Average Productions before incorporating Broadway Video in 1979. Michaels took the company's name from its location at 1619 Broadway in the historic Brill Building in New York, New York. Initially, the company's principal activity was videotape post-production. One of its main clients was NBC, which hired Michaels to produce and edit Best of Saturday Night specials that aired in prime time. The specials and other comedy and musical projects helped Broadway Video grow "from a one-room operation into a first-class production company, the foundation of a small empire."[2]

Broadway Video later "prospered" by moving into home entertainment, acquisition, and international syndication.[3] With offices in New York and Los Angeles, the company has continued to develop films and TV programming. Its sitcom, 30 Rock, ran for seven seasons between 2006 and 2013. Besides SNL, its current TV productions include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, The company's Above Average Productions distributes its own original digital shorts, and those of others, on one of YouTube’s leading comedy networks.[4] Broadway Video Enterprises distributes the company's library and develops branded entertainment. Broadway Video Ventures invests in emerging technology, media, and entertainment companies.[5] His production company signed a film deal with Universal Pictures in 2018 after its original deal with Paramount ended.[6]

Divisions

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Broadway Video Television

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Broadway Video Television develops and produces primetime and late night programming. Its flagship show, Saturday Night Live, where Michaels remains Executive Producer, began its 47th season in September 2021. Michaels also has served as Executive Producer of NBC's Late Night franchise for more than two decades – producing Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993–2009), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009–2014), and Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014–present). In 2014, Michaels took on the role of Executive Producer of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[7] Since 2011, Broadway Video has produced Portlandia, the Peabody-winning IFC series created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, and Jonathan Krisel. The show, which ran for eight seasons between 2011 and 2018, was distributed in 91 nations. The company's animated series, The Awesomes, created by Seth Meyers and Mike Shoemaker, premiered on Hulu in 2013 and ran for three seasons (30 episodes total) through 2015.[8] Mulaney, which aired on Fox in the fall of 2014, starred comedian John Mulaney,[9] It has also been involved with Man Seeking Woman, based on Last Girlfriend on Earth by Simon Rich,[10] Documentary Now, created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Seth Meyers[11], and the served as the producer of The Maya Rudolph Show variety show pilot that aired on NBC on May 19, 2014.[12]

Broadway Video Film

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Michaels has developed and produced such films as Mean Girls (2004), Enigma (2001), Tommy Boy (1995), Lassie (1994), and Wayne's World (1992), among other titles. His SNL Studios productions have included The Ladies Man (2000), Superstar (1999), and A Night at the Roxbury (1998). Michaels’ co-productions with John Goldwyn include The Guilt Trip (2012), MacGruber (2010), and Baby Mama (2008).[13] Other work includes Staten Island Summer, written by Colin Jost and directed by Rhys Thomas[14]

Above Average Productions

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Broadway Video revived the Above Average name in June 2012, when it created a division for producing digital content.[15][16] The company distributes original comedy shorts via its website, AboveAverage.com, and the Above Average network on YouTube. As of 2014, the network featured over 50 channel partners, including such comedy troupes as the Upright Citizens Brigade, The Lonely Island, Good Neighbor, POYKPAC, and BriTANicK.[17] Its videos frequently feature current and former Saturday Night Live cast members[18] such as Vanessa Bayer, Kristen Wiig, Jay Pharoah, Jason Sudeikis, Taran Killam, and Kate McKinnon[19] as well as up-and-coming comedians.[20] Among the network's most viewed web series are 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien and "Waco Valley," an animated series that received a pilot order from the Comedy Central network.[21] Above Average Productions also creates promotional entertainment for client companies, including Hasbro, Fox Digital Studios, Random House, Sprint, NBC, Conde Nast Entertainment, and Nickelodeon.

In October 2015, Above Average partnered with SNL co-head writer Bryan Tucker to launch a new sports comedy brand, The Kicker. The Kicker creates original sports comedy videos, articles, images, and digital content that are similar in tone to that of Above Average.[22]

Broadway Video Enterprises

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Broadway Video Enterprises manages the distribution and licensing of Broadway Video Entertainment's properties. The company's library contains over 1,000 hours of programming including Saturday Night Live, Portlandia, The Awesomes, Above Average webisodes, The Kids in the Hall, The Best of the Blues Brothers, All You Need Is Cash, and musical performances by Neil Young, Randy Newman, and The Beach Boys.[23] The division has syndicated episodes of "Saturday Night Live" in over 200 countries and has licensed the "SNL" format in Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Russia, Canada, Mexico, France, Turkey and Germany.[24][25][26][27] The SNL consumer products line offers several hundred items, including over 100 DVDs.[23] The Enterprises division has also engineered advertising and promotions for brands such as AT&T, Verizon, Old Navy, and Jeep.[28]

Awards

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Saturday Night Live has won 40 Primetime Emmy Awards and currently holds the title for most-nominated show, with 187 Emmy nominations as of July 2014.[29] SNL has been honored twice, in 1990[30] and 2009,[31] with a Peabody Award and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.[32] Portlandia has won two Emmys and received six nominations,[33] as well as a 2012 Peabody Award.[34] 30 Rock won 16 Emmys and received 103 nominations.[35] It also won a Peabody Award in 2007.[36] Late Night with Conan O'Brien won one Emmy and received 28 nominations.[37] Late Night with Jimmy Fallon won one Emmy and received six nominations.[38] The Kids in the Hall received three Emmy nominations.[39] Lorne Michaels’ honors include one personal Peabody Award,[40] 13 Prime Time Emmy Awards, induction into the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.[41]

Location

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Broadway Video’s headquarters in Rockefeller Center

Broadway Video’s principal offices in New York are located in La Maison Francaise, part of the Rockefeller Center complex.[1] Broadway Video Post-Production and Above Average Productions are based in the Brill Building, located a few blocks west in Midtown Manhattan. Principal offices in Los Angeles are located at 9401 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California.[1] Broadway Video Film also has offices on the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles.

Productions

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Below is a list of audio, film, and television projects in which Broadway Video has been involved.

Audio

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Title Artist Release Date Status Role Notes
They're All Gonna Laugh at You! Adam Sandler 1993 Released Distribution
What the Hell Happened to Me? Adam Sandler 1996 Released Distribution
What's Your Name? Adam Sandler 1997 Released Distribution
Ridiculous Norm Macdonald 2006 Released Distribution
Incredibad The Lonely Island 2009 Released Distribution
Turtleneck and Chain The Lonely Island 2011 Released Distribution
The Wack Album The Lonely Island 2013 Released Distribution

Film

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Title Release Date Role Notes
The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations Tour 1976 Production/Distribution Produced with Craig Kellem
80 Blocks From Tiffany's 1979 Distribution Produced by Above Average
Gilda Live 1980 Production
Nothing Lasts Forever 1984 Production Produced with MGM
Three Amigos 1986 Production Produced with L.A. Films and HBO
Wayne's World 1992 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
Wayne's World 2 1993 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
Coneheads 1993 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
Raffi on Broadway 1993 Video Editing
Lassie 1994 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures. At the time, Broadway Video owned the Lassie franchise, which is now owned by DreamWorks Classics/DreamWorks Animation (via Universal Pictures/NBCUniversal).
Tommy Boy 1995 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
Stuart Saves His Family 1995 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
Black Sheep 1996 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
A Night at the Roxbury 1998 Production Produced with SNL Studios and Paramount Pictures
Superstar 1999 Production Produced with SNL Studios
The Ladies Man 2000 Production Produced with SNL Studios
Enigma 2001 Production Produced with Jagged Films
Mean Girls 2004 Production Produced with Paramount and M.G. Films
Hot Rod 2007 Production Produced with Michaels-Goldwyn, Paramount, and The Lonely Island
Baby Mama 2008 Production Produced with Universal Pictures, Michaels-Goldwyn and Relativity Media
MacGruber 2010 Production Produced with Michaels-Goldwyn and Relativity Media
The Guilt Trip 2012 Production Produced with Michaels-Goldwyn, Paramount, and Skydance Productions
Staten Island Summer 2015 Production Produced with Paramount Pictures
Masterminds 2016 Production Produced with Michaels-Goldwyn and Relativity Media
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot 2016 Production
Brother Nature 2016 Production
Vampires vs. the Bronx 2020 Production
Mean Girls 2024 Production Produced with Paramount Players and Little Stranger

Television

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Title Air dates Role Notes
Saturday Night Live 1975–present Production/Distribution Series
The Paul Simon Special 1977 Production Special, Produced by Above Average
Things We Did Last Summer 1978 Production/Distribution Special
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash 1978 Production/Distribution TV movie, Produced by Above Average
Diary of a Young Comic 1979 Distribution Special
Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda 1979 Production/Distribution Special, Produced by Above Average
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video 1979 Production Special pulled by NBC; later aired on cable and released theatrically
Steve Martin's Best Show Ever 1981 Production Special
Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park 1982 Production Special
The Coneheads 1983 Production Special; Produced with Rankin/Bass Productions and Topcraft
Randy Newman – Live at the Odeon 1983 Distribution Special
The New Show 1984 Production Series
Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes All-Star 50th Anniversary 1986 Production Special; Produced with Warner Bros. Television
Neil Young in Berlin 1986 Distribution Special
40th Primetime Emmy Awards 1988 Production Special
Superman 50th Anniversary 1988 Production Special
Mr. Miller Goes to Washington Starring Dennis Miller 1988 Production Special
Night Music 1988–1990 Production/Distribution Series, aka Sunday Night
The Kids in the Hall 1988–1995 Production/Distribution Series
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary Special 1989 Production Special
Paul Simon's Concert in the Park 1991 Production Special
Frosty Returns 1992 Production/Distribution Special, Produced with CBS and Bill Melendez. At the time, Broadway Video owned the pre-1974 Rankin/Bass Productions television library (Frosty Returns being a pseudo-sequel to Frosty the Snowman), which are now owned by DreamWorks Classics/DreamWorks Animation (via NBCUniversal), along with Frosty Returns.
The Vacant Lot 1993–1994 Production/Distribution Series
Late Night with Conan O'Brien 1993–2009 Production Series
Saturday Night Live 25 1999 Production Special
Macy's 4 July Fireworks Spectacular 2000 Production Special
50 Years of NBC Late Night 2001 Production Special
Strange Frequency 2001 Production TV movie
Strange Frequency 2 2001 Production TV movie
Strange Frequency 2001 Production Series
SportsCentury: The Century's Greatest Athletes 2002 Production Series episode
The Colin Quinn Show 2002 Production Series
Countdown to the Emmys 2002 Production Special
NBC 75th Anniversary Special 2002 Production Special
Night of Too Many Stars 2003 Production Special
The Tracy Morgan Show 2003–2004 Production Series
The Rutles 2: You Can't Buy Me Lunch 2004 Production TV movie
Wulin Warriors[42] 2006 Production/Distribution Series, English dub produced with Animation Collective and Pili International Multimedia
Sons & Daughters 2006–2007 Production Series
30 Rock 2006–2013 Production Series
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 2009–2014 Production Series
Portlandia 2011–2018 Production Series
Up All Night 2011–2012 Production Series
The Awesomes 2013–2015 Production Series
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2014–present Production Series
Late Night with Seth Meyers 2014–present Production Series
The Maya Rudolph Show 2014 Production Variety show
Mulaney 2014–2015 Production Series, Produced with 3 Arts Entertainment
Documentary Now! 2015–2022 Production Series
Man Seeking Woman 2015–2017 Production Series
Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special 2015 Production Special
Detroiters 2017–2018 Production Series
A.P. Bio 2018–2021 Production Series, Produced with Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions
The Other Two 2019-2023 Production Series, Produced with Jax Media
Los Espookys 2019-2022 Production Series, Produced with Antigravico
Miracle Workers 2019–2023 Production Series, Produced with Allagash Industries, FX Productions and Studio T
Shrill 2019-2021 Production Series, Produced with Brownstone Productions and Warner Bros. Television
Alien News Desk 2019 Production Series, Produced with Bento Box Entertainment and Syfy
Mapleworth Murders 2020 Production Series, Quibi[43]
That Damn Michael Che 2021–2022 Production Series
Kenan 2021–2022 Production Series, Produced with Shark vs. Bear Productions
Schmigadoon! 2021–2023 Production Series
Saturday Morning All Star Hits! 2021 Production Series, Produced with Georgia Entertainment Industries, Bento Box Entertainment and Netflix
MacGruber 2021 Production Series
Bust Down 2022 Production Series
The Kids in the Hall (revival) 2022 Production Series
Bupkis 2023 Production Series

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "About". Broadway Video. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Weingrad, Doug Hill & Jeff Weingrad (1987). Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live (1st Vintage Books ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0394750535.
  3. ^ Marx, Nick; Sienkiewicz, Matt; Becker, Ron (2013). Ron Becker; Nick Marx; Matt Sienkiewicz (eds.). Saturday Night Live and American TV. Indiana University Press. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0253010773.
  4. ^ Lafayette, Jon (15 April 2014). "NBCU Jumps Into Digital Video With Advertisers". Broadcasting and Cable. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Broadway Video - Divisions". BroadwayVideo.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  6. ^ Lang, Brent (2018-04-18). "Lorne Michaels Signs Film Production Deal With Universal". Variety. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  7. ^ "Internet Movie Data Base". IMDB.com. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  8. ^ Rose, Lacey (19 September 2013). "Seth Meyers' 'The Awesomes' Renewed at Hulu". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (6 May 2014). "Fox Ups Order For Multi-Camera Comedy 'Mulaney' To 16 Episodes, May Be Done With Comedy Pickups". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  10. ^ "FXX Orders Jay Baruchel Starrer 'Man Seeking Woman'". Deadline Hollywood. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  11. ^ "SNL Cast Members Reunite for American Documentary". IFC.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  12. ^ Hare, Breeanna (20 May 2014). "'The Maya Rudolph Show': What's the verdict?". CNN.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Internet Movie Data Base". Imdb.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  14. ^ Patten, Dominic (20 August 2013). "Ashley Greene Joins Lorne Michaels-Produced 'Staten Island Summer'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  15. ^ Fox, Jesse David (June 5, 2012). "Broadway Video's YouTube Channel Is Above Average". Splitsider.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  16. ^ Milano, Dan (1 August 2012). "YouTube Getting 'Above Average' Content with 'SNL' Stars". ABCNews.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  17. ^ "About Above Average". YouTube.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Above Average Featured Faces". AboveAverage.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  19. ^ Hurwitz, Daniel (10 January 2014). "Inside look at Lorne Michaels' Above Average YouTube channel". USA Today. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  20. ^ Taylor, Jordyn (12 June 2014). "The New Road to Comedy Superstardom". New York Observer. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  21. ^ Evans, Bradford (13 January 2014). "Comedy Central Orders a Pilot Based on Above Average's Animated Series 'Waco Valley'". Splitsider.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  22. ^ Wright, Megh (28 October 2015). "Check Out 'SNL's Bryan Tucker and Above Average's Sports Comedy Website 'The Kicker'". SplitSider. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Enterprises". BroadwayVideo.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  24. ^ "SNL Canada? Quebec To Get Short-Lived Version Of Show". Huffington Post. May 8, 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  25. ^ "'Saturday Night Live' lands Internet deal in China". Entertainment Weekly. January 2, 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014 – via Associated Press.
  26. ^ Lopez, Michael (April 1, 2013). "Eugenio Derbez Planning To Bring 'SNL' To Mexico". Huffington Post. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  27. ^ Okelana, Jimi (5 June 2011). "Saturday Night Live Japan". Axiom Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  28. ^ Lingeman, Jake (30 March 2014). "Jeep Hides Ad in "Saturday Night Live" Skit, Sort Of". AutoWeek. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  29. ^ "SNL Emmy Nominations | Blog | | NBC". Archived from the original on 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  30. ^ 50th Annual Peabody Awards, May 1991.
  31. ^ 68th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2009.
  32. ^ "About the Show". NBC.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  33. ^ "Portlandia - Awards and Nominations". Emmys.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  34. ^ 71st Annual Peabody Awards, May 2012
  35. ^ ""30 Rock" - Awards and Nominations". Emmys.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  36. ^ 67th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2008.
  37. ^ ""Late Night With Conan O'Brien" - Awards and Nominations". Emmys.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  38. ^ ""Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" - Awards and Nominations". Emmys.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  39. ^ ""The Kids in the Hall" - Awards and Nominations". Emmys.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  40. ^ 72nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2013
  41. ^ "About Lorne Michaels". NBC.com. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  42. ^ "Wulin Warriors: Legend of the Seven Stars (TV Series 2006– ) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  43. ^ Porter, Rick (December 3, 2019). "Lorne Michaels' Quibi Murder Mystery Lines Up All-Star Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
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