LA-based agency Underscore Talent is branching out into production with the launch of Shorthand Studios, which will develop and distribute content that originates from family-friendly digital-first creators.
Underscore already represents several kids and family brands, including The Royalty Family (pictured, 20.4 million YouTube subscribers) and The McCarty Family (7.1 million subscribers). Shorthand’s goal is to make higher-quality content based on these IPs that can be distributed to broadcasters and streamers, says partner Nick Jacklin. He adds that it should also free up the creators by taking on the time-consuming work of editing and optimizing content.
Jacklin and Marc Saltzman, also a partner in Underscore, will head up the new studio, which launched this month.
Underscore was acquired in December by Cyprus-based mediaco TheSoul Publishing, which owns and operates the 5-Minute Crafts YouTube channel (79.3 million subscribers), and which is providing Underscore with production resources to build out its content pipeline.
While the agency’s creators are already pulling in plenty of views from kids, Jacklin says there are demands from both this group and content buyers for more videos and expanded distribution beyond digital streams. Buyers want high-quality content from popular digital-first creatives, and the creators want to benefit from more monetization opportunities and to grow their profiles. Shorthand is aiming to deliver a win-win for both sides.
One of its first monetization efforts is a deal with online messaging platform Discord that will let Shorthand’s talent launch subscription-based groups where they can offer exclusive content to members.