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Kevin Hart's Hartbeat Enters Microdrama Comedy
28 Apr
Summary
- Hartbeat aims to diversify microdramas with a comedy-first approach.
- LOL Network seeks to capture a new audience beyond existing tropes.
- Hartbeat partners with Artists First and Kids at Play for content.
Hartbeat, the production company founded by Kevin Hart, is expanding into the microdrama space with a strong emphasis on comedy. The company's LOL Network plans to offer original short-form content, diverging from the genre "monoculture" that currently dominates many vertical platforms.
According to Hartbeat President Jeff Clanagan, the microdrama landscape has been heavily defined by melodramatic, salacious romantic tropes. Hartbeat sees an opportunity in the "open lane" of comedy, a genre in which the company has a decade of experience.
The company has already amassed over 13 million social followers and generated more than 500 million vertical views in 2025 alone through its LOL Network. Hartbeat believes its existing audience and distribution channels position it to effectively expand its comedic content into the vertical format.
Hartbeat's initial foray into this format will be "Freshman 15," a series of 15 stand-up specials featuring emerging comedic talent, set to debut on the LOL Network. The company is also collaborating with Artists First and Kids at Play on other original vertical content.
This move into microdramas builds on Hart's previous involvement in short-form video, notably with Jeffrey Katzenberg's Quibi. His project "Die Hart" was Quibi's most-viewed show in its initial run before being re-edited into a feature film.
