Jeff Clanagan
President & Chief Distribution Officer
HARTBEAT
Clanagan leads the Hartbeat Media division, which connects with consumers around the world through events, gaming, music publishing, Web3 initiatives, and an expansive distribution network. He oversees the strategic vision and expansion of Hartbeat Media, and leads the company’s flagship consumer brand – the LOL! Network – which reaches audiences across its O&O social media, audio (SiriusXM) and OTT partners (Peacock, Roku, Tubi, PlutoTV, Vizio, Redbox, Xumo, and more). Projects that he recently or is currently producing include series such as Die Hart, Hart to Heart, Olympic Highlights, So Dumb It’s Criminal, Kevin Hart: Zero F*cks Given, and more. He also has been behind highly successful experiential projects as a producer of Nick Cannon’s Wild N Out Tour, and Kevin Hart: Reality Check.
Hartbeat was formed in 2022 from the merger of Hart’s two entertainment entities - Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions. Prior to his role with Hartbeat, Clanagan was CEO of Laugh Out Loud, a global comedy brand and multi-platform company, where he oversaw the company’s development, production, distribution and experiential efforts. He was also previously CEO of Codeblack Films and Codeblack Digital, a film production and distribution company dedicated to super-serving the black community worldwide. In his role with Codeblack Films, he and his team acquired and developed films for distribution such as the Golden Globe® nominated indie drama Frankie and Alice and Addicted, based on the popular urban novel by Zane, which grossed over $16 million at the box office.
Throughout his career, Clanagan has broken new ground in theatrical marketing with his digital-first approach to the successful release of films like The Perfect Match and the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me, which generated $27 million in its first week. By piloting new digital-first tracking and research initiatives with a first-of-its-kind partnership with Screen Engine, he’s leveraging the millions of followers he built through Codeblack Digital, a division of Codeblack Films, to facilitate scalable research on influential African American audiences.
In 2013, Clanagan partnered with Hart to produce and release his concert movie, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, which went on to gross $32 million at the box office. He also produced Hart’s comedy concert Kevin Hart: What Now? The historic special was filmed live in front of 53,000 people, marking an unprecedented moment in comedy when Hart became the first ever comedian to headline an NFL stadium. Clanagan was also the producer of Hart’s stand-up comedy tour, What Now? which is the best-selling comedy tour of all time, grossing over $100 million with 1.3 million tickets sold.
Clanagan began his career as a concert promoter for the “HBO Def Comedy Jam” tour and NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton” tour, on which the 2015 hit movie that grossed more than $200 million was based. He also promoted tours for hip hop royalty including Mary J Blige, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, among others. His strong reputation allowed him to secure lucrative corporate sponsorships from companies such as Citibank, Budweiser, Sprite and Snapple.
In 1998, Clanagan moved into the film and television industry when he was named the President of No Limit Films, rapper Master P’s company. During his tenure, Clanagan cultivated the startup into a $40 million juggernaut multimedia company, producing a slate of profitable straight-to-video features. No Limit Films is recognized as the pioneer of the urban home video sell-thru market.
Clanagan was a driving force behind the birth of the home entertainment business, with his proven success in the strategic marketing and distribution of home entertainment properties such as: The Def Comedy Jam series, BET’s Arabesque Films, and The Fat Albert TV series. Clanagan has released over 300 movie titles, which have grossed over $350 million dollars in revenue.
Clanagan has a passion for mentoring young people. In 2015, he created a sports division within his company called Codeblack Elite Track Club, which allows him to coach and mentor young adults in track and field at Calabasas High School.
Clanagan graduated from the University of Washington before attending Harvard Business School in its prestigious executive program. Clanagan was awarded the Pioneer Award from the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) in 2014 and the Game Changer Achievement Award from Uptown Magazine and Kia Motors. Clanagan has also been named in the Ebony Power 150 and Black Enterprise top 50 Power Brokers and he has been profiled in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, and GQ Magazine.
Clanagan currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his family.
