Henry Muñoz III is the primary to confess that he was a shock bidder for Humorous or Die when the digital comedy model was put up on the market final yr.
“It was sort of a shock to me too,” Muñoz jokes on the newest episode of Selection podcast “Strictly Enterprise.”
The entrepreneur and activist sees Humorous or Die as a automobile for increasing his work that’s centered on creating larger entry to alternatives and larger equality for Latinx communities in his native Texas and across the nation. Muñoz, who was most lately a co-founder of the Somos Group Care chain of well being care suppliers, acquired the corporate together with his personal assets, with none companions or financial institution loans.
Humorous or Die was an early Hollywood foray into short-form digital media. The web site was based in 2007 by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Judd Apatow and others and shortly expanded with a content material manufacturing arm. At 15, Muñoz notes that Humorous or Die is simply marking its “quinceañera.”
Drawing on his various profession expertise and private journey as a homosexual man whose mother and father had been activists, Muñoz goals to convey a extra inclusive imaginative and prescient and presentation to Humorous or Die. Among the many first strikes beneath Muñoz’s regime was to possibility the coming-out memoir “Hola Papi” for growth as a scripted collection.
“It’s not a shock to say the origins of Humorous or Die had been sort of ‘bro’ humor. I really like that. I don’t need them to cease doing that. However I need us to be extra inclusive and to replicate what the younger individuals on this nation share that they’d prefer to see of their leisure,” Muñoz mentioned. “There’s so many parts to what it means to say, ‘That is my id.’ I’m brown, I’m Latino and I’m homosexual. I’m a businessman and I’m an activist and I’m a philanthropist. I’ve many pursuits. And so I’m actually working very arduous with a bunch of people that have been at Humorous or Die for a very long time and a brand new era of expertise at Humorous or Die to open up that aperture.”
Muñoz spent just a few years serving as finance chairman of the Democratic Nationwide Committee throughout the Obama years. He was additionally loosely concerned in bringing President Barack Obama to Humorous or Die in February 2014 to visitor on Zach Galifianakis’ discuss present spoof “Between Two Ferns.” The President urged viewers to enroll in Inexpensive Care Act insurance policy by that yr’s March 31 deadline.
Obama’s direct pitch to millennials was a viral hit for Humorous or Die and for the administration. The reminiscence of that have helped spur Muñoz to pursue the model when the chance arose.
“I simply fell in love with the truth that it’s a enterprise that appears to have been blended political thought and philanthropy and comedy,’ Muñoz mentioned. “And I believe the nation wants fun.”
“Strictly Enterprise” is Selection’s weekly podcast that includes conversations with trade leaders concerning the enterprise of media and leisure. New episodes debut each Wednesday and may be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher and SoundCloud.
