| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 2009; 17 years ago (2009) |
| Founders | Ben Silverman Drew Buckley |
| Defunct | 2018; 8 years ago (2018) |
| Fate | Sold to Propagate Content |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Chris Grant (CEO) Drew Buckley (COO & Head of Digital) John Pollak (President of Electus International) Max Levenson (VP, Current & Creative Development) Stephanie Ward (Director, Business and Legal Affairs) Max Richards (Executive Producer) |
| Products | Television |
| Parent | Propagate Content |
| Divisions | Electus International |
| Website | www |
Electus was a production company founded byBen Silverman in 2009. It was financed byIAC. The company had development deals withNBC,ABC,MTV,VH1,Facebook,Yahoo!, andAOL. In 2018, IAC sold Electus to Propagate Content.
Electus was founded byBen Silverman, former co-chairman ofNBC Entertainment and chief executive officer ofReveille, and financed byBarry Diller’s IAC in 2009.[1][2] As part of its inception, IAC partnered Electus withCollegeHumor, the comedy portal that had developed series both on the web and TV.[3]
In January 2010, Electus partnered withJason Bateman andWill Arnett to launch a sponsor-driven advertising and digital production company, DumbDumb, which launched branded campaigns including one for Orbit Gum,[4] and an online talk show on behalf of Denny's called "Always Open".[5]
In August 2010, Electus announced a production and distribution deal with 5x5 Media, headed by Craig Armstrong, Rick Ringbakk, and Tod Mesirow, whose combined producer credits includeSurvivor,Amazing Race,Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and many more.[6]
In January 2011, Electus acquired Engine Entertainment and formed a new in-house global distribution arm, Electus/Engine Distribution.[7] The new division handled in-house and third-party projects for distribution globally, including a partnership with Abbot Reif Hameiri Production Company, a leading production company in Israel.[8]
In January 2011, Electus partnered with former MTV President of programmingTony DiSanto and head of series developmentLiz Gateley, to form an independent, multi-media production company,DiGa. DiGa was to focus on producing reality and scripted series for primetime cable and network outlets.[9]
In June 2012, Electus partnered with YouTube to launch the YouTube food channel HUNGRY[10] with Celebrity chefsDuff Goldman andLaura Vitale.
In 2013, Electus took overCollege Humor/Dorkly and created Big Breakfast, the studio behindAdam Ruins Everything (TruTV),Middle of the Night Show (MTV), Fatal Decisions (Go90),Bad Internet (YouTube Red), Comedy Music Awards (IFC) and Hot Date (Pop).[11]
In 2018, IAC sold Electus to Propagate Content.[12]
Electus projects included:[citation needed]