| PRESS RELEASE Chicago, IL (May TK, 2008) Media Rights Capital (“MRC”), the film, television and digital studio, today announced that it has partnered with comedy powerhouse, The Second City, in “The Second City’s Quarantine,” a new online venture that will showcase original comedy content. The new online entertainment site will feature original performances from The Second City’s current roster of talent, as well as members of its extensive alumni network. The partnership was announced by both companies today.
Under the new partnership, fully scripted, high production mini-shows will be created under The Second City umbrella. The Second City has a built-in fan base that is ripe for engaging with comedy online. Its website currently receives several million visitors every month interested in new content, and The Second City’s Quarantine will capitalize on this increasing demand.
“This is an exciting development and core to our strategy,” said Andrew Alexander, Owner and Executive Producer of The Second City. “We have a huge pipeline of talent in our system — literally hundreds of writers and performers in an extensive network of young artists and alumni. We’re uniquely positioned to meet the huge appetite for short form content, whether that means cross-channel efforts, promotion, or myriad other creative opportunities.”
"The Second City has been delivering the best comedic talent for decades,” said Dan Goodman, President of Digital Media for MRC. “Our combined effort will bring actors and writers from their stages directly to offices and living rooms of their fans everywhere. We're thrilled to help launch a new platform for The Second City's celebrated brand, bringing its humor to a medium perfectly suited to embrace it."
“As illustrated by all of our deals, MRC looks for the talent that is at the top of its field,” said Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, co-CEOs of MRC. “The Second City is not only legendary, they are a continuously evolving institution who have remained on the cutting edge of comedy. With a comedy roster that is both rooted in the Aykroyd/Belushi generation to today's creative genius of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, The Second City is the ideal partner as we enter the digital comedy landscape.”
"The Second City's path to growth has been a diverse one - in areas of training and education, brand marketing and customized product development,” added Alexander. “We aren't establishing a new division with MRC, rather, we'll be able to apply a deeply strategic new media capability across all our core businesses - all of this while creating hilarious comedy representative of our unique point of view."
The Second City is best known for its nearly 50-year legacy of developing improvisational talent and for the Emmy-Award winning classic television series, SCTV. The partnership with MRC will be shepherded by Lowell Mate, Executive Producer of Second City Entertainment. Production for The Second City’s Quarantine will take place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Toronto.
Launch of the new site is expected in the latter part of 2008.
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