Comedian and actor JB Smoove and United Entertainment Group founder and CEO Jarrod Moses sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss their new comedic advertising venture, “The First Darrin.”
Comedian and actor JB Smoove, best known for his role as Leon Black in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” sat down with Fox News Digital last week to detail his new comedy-focused advertising agency, “The First Darrin.”
The comedy legend teamed up with United Entertainment Group (UEG) founder and CEO Jarrod Moses to combine their unique mixture of talents and take over the comedic advertising space.
The uniqueness of their joint venture starts with its name, “The First Darrin,” which was inspired by Smoove’s love for the classic television series “Bewitched.”
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JB Smoove sits down with Fox News Digital for a wide-ranging interview. (Fox News / Fox News)
“So I write down ideas every day and, being a fan of the show ‘Bewitched’ and the first Darrin, there were two Darrins on the show. One was Dick York, one was Dick Sargent, and the first one had back problems, and he had to leave the show — but they didn’t tell us they were going to put a new Darrin in there. I was like, what happened to the first Darrin?!” Smoove explained.
“As a tribute to him and the ad man that he was, I wanted to be able to continue it for him. You know, since he had to exit so early, continue it — because I fell in love with the character, and I fell in love with the world. And I feel like the first Darrin gives me inspiration, but also lets people know I’m a little old school, and I’m a little new.”
Smoove, known for his quick-witted, often unscripted style of comedic acting, plans to bring the same laughs he commands in his movies and television shows to the advertisements “The First Darrin” will produce.
“I want to hit you immediately. I want to be able to let the brand see a different way of doing it, creativity wise and also all the rules. The pace, I believe in a certain amount of laughs per 30 seconds. I want to get your attention. I want your eyebrows to go up. I want you to hear that while you’re washing dishes and peek in the room and say, ‘Oh, I knew it was that commercial, I love this commercial!” he said.
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JB Smoove and the cast of the hit HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” where Smoove played the character Leon Black. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images / Getty Images)
While Moses describes Smoove as the “comedic genius” of the duo, the UEG CEO is also no stranger to the comedy industry, co-founding the New York Comedy Festival over 20 years ago alongside comedy champion Caroline Hirsch.
Moses met Smoove around the time of the festival’s inception, while the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star was still focusing primarily on stand-up comedy. The entertainment mogul explained to Fox News Digital the moment he knew the comedian could go far in the creative advertising space.
“So I knew JB back in those days of comedy and stand-up, obviously following his career. But what really brought it to life was, a few years ago, we partnered up for a campaign with White Claw, and I just saw his comedic genius in the development of that campaign. I said, ‘This guy can really do a lot more in this space.’ And also on a parallel path, he was developing the idea to become more involved in the advertising world,” he recalled. “So it’s kind of two powers united at that point in time, and we started building the business plan. And so now it’s coming to life finally.”
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UEG CEO Jarrod Moses sits down with Fox News Digital for an interview about his partnership with actor JB Smoove. (Fox News / Fox News)
According to Moses, around 30% of all advertisements use comedy, and viewers are 50% more likely to make a purchase when exposed to a comedic ad than a non-comedic one. The duo plan on using these stats to their full advantage.
“If you’re looking at those two stats and coming from the advertising game, right now, 50% of the advertising industry outsources their copywriting. So, if you look at that dynamic and those stats, it’s a sweet spot for someone to come in and own that comedic copywriting space,” he asserted. “JB is a genius. He’s a first mover in the space. So we’re making magic happen. I think between the stats showing themselves and JB’s comedic genius and our ability to bring strategy and development, we should win.”
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Fox News’ Laura Carrione contributed to this report.