Samantha Bee usually crafts pieces of content that are just minutes long, all in the name of crafting segments for her TBS program, “Full Frontal.” Now she’s getting into longform.
Bee has formed a new production company, Swimsuit Competition, that will look to release “narrative and documentary” works. Kristen Everman, a producer who worked on Bee’s 2017 effort to lampoon the White House Correspondents Dinner and on Robin Thede’s recent late-night series for BET, will work as head of development for the new shingle, which has signed a first-look deal with TBS, the AT&T-owned cable network, to develop original content. Everman began her career in entertainment at “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and has worked on series including Hulu’s “Difficult People” and Bravo’s “Odd Mom Out.”
“Fine, if none of you are gonna make TV I want to watch, I’ll make it myself,” said Bee in a prepared statement.
Bee’s venture echoes a deal already in place with her late-night network colleague, Conan O’Brien. His production company, Conaco, is in the midst of a four-year deal with TBS to create everything from podcasts to mobile games. As more viewers are able to watch their favorite programs at times of their own choosing, late-night comedians have taken on new duties, crafting digital-video snippets and mobile apps to engage audiences who may want a humor fix even if it’s not at 10 p.m., 11 p.m,. or after midnight.
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Bee’s new company “will create original content that it finds amusing and would definitely spend a weekend bingeing,” according to a statement. Producers will seek “great ideas from people flying under the radar, or whose work has been underestimated in the past.” The outlet will initially focus on developing content for television, but will keep an eye on other possibilities.
This is not Bee’s first attempt at developing programs other than her TBS series. She and her husband, Jason Jones, co-created the half-hour comedy series “The Detour, “which recently aired its third season on TBS. Earlier this year, the “Full Frontal” team launched a mobile trivia game that encouraged users to vote in the 2018 election.