Hartbeat company pumps up underrepresented comic talent

“Look at this office daytime show, scouting at the worst hours possible!” Vinny Fasline jokes. “You can’t be cozy and watch comedy while you’re getting fed shrimp.” The Hartbeat entertainment company’s content, branding and distribution divisions are here, plus executives, industry collaborators, invited talent, and Hartbeat friends of all stripes. Following roughly two dozen comedy releases in 2023, 2024 highlights include March’s BET revival of “Comic View” with host Mike Epps, and DC Young Fly winning an NAACP Virtual Image Award as outstanding host of VH1’s “Celebrity Squares.” The “Comedy in Color” franchise features more than 300 comics from 30 countries; Women Write Now, a comedic screenwriting fellowship for Black women, is in its third cycle of funding, mentoring, and connects three shorts to Sundance premiere and Peacock distribution. Punkie Johnson and co-host Dicey’s “Love Thang” podcast at Hartbeat Weekend 2023 included the “Saturday Night Live” cast member marrying a couple live on SiriusXM’s LOL Radio. “The vibe of the Hartbeat brunch was, I hate to say it because it’s so cliché, but Black excellence,” said London Hughes.