Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of

Legendary Entertainment Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC ( doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...

. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

( The Nerdist Podcast) created by

Chris Hardwick Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...

but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium content

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel, a news division (

Nerdist News Nerdist News is a Nerdist-branded pop culture newsletter launched in February 2012. It was founded and operated by Nerdist Industries' CEO, Peter Levin, and its CCO, Chris Hardwick. It was hosted by Jessica Chobot. Publication The cross-plat ...

), and a television version of the original podcast produced by and aired on

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary seri ...

History

Nerdist Industries was formed in February 2012 after Hardwick and Peter Levin (

GeekChicDaily GeekChicDaily (founded in October, 2009) was a multi-platform publisher of pop culture based newsletters, founded by Peter Levin and Gareb Shamus and operated by CEO Peter Levin. Publication The now-defunct publisher had multiple newsletter publi ...

) merged their separate entertainment projects into Nerdist Industries, after which GeekChicDaily was rebranded Nerdist News. The newly formed company began to produce additional podcasts under the Nerdist Industries banner as well as producing content and webshows for its Nerdist YouTube channel. In July 2012, Nerdist Industries was acquired by Legendary Entertainment. It was announced that Nerdist Industries would operate independently with Hardwick and Levin as its co-presidents. Peter Levin left Nerdist Industries in 2013 and now heads Lionsgate's Interactive Ventures and Games. Hardwick then took over, and served as chief executive officer until 2015, when he relinquished operational control until the expiration of his contract in 2017, with the original Nerdist podcast and archives remaining under Hardwick's control under the new title '' ID10T with Chris Hardwick''. His presence with the company, including as founder, was clarified and removed from the website on June 15, 2018 after abuse allegations were made against him by a former girlfriend. On August 10, 2018, his name was then returned to Nerdist's website.

Nerdist News

Nerdist News (founded February 2012; formerly

) is the Nerdist branded pop culture newsletter, founded and originally operated by former Nerdist Industries CEO Peter Levin. The cross-platform publisher currently has two newsletter publications, Nerdist News and TOKYOPOP. GeekChicDaily became Nerdist News after it merged with Nerdist to form Nerdist Industries in February 2012. In late 2013 Nerdist News transitioned to a web series on YouTube channel "Nerdist", hosted by previous IGN Daily Fix presenter

Jessica Chobot Jessica Chobot (born Jessica Lynn Horn; July 7, 1977) is an American on-camera host and writer. She has hosted the IGN shows ''IGN Strategize'' and ''Weekly Wood'', which also runs on Xbox Live; she previously worked as presenter of the ''IGN ...

that airs five days a week to bring the latest news in nerdy pop culture.

Nerdist Podcast

''The Nerdist Podcast'', the flagship podcast of Nerdist Industries, is a weekly interview show launched February 8, 2010 "about what it really means to be a nerd" hosted by '' Web Soup'' and ''

Talking Dead ''Talking Dead'' is a live television aftershow in which host Chris Hardwick discusses episodes of the AMC television series '' The Walking Dead'', '' Fear the Walking Dead'' and '' The Walking Dead: World Beyond'' with guests, including celebr ...

'' host

, who is usually accompanied by

Jonah Ray Jonah Ray Rodrigues (born August 3, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and writer from Los Angeles. He stars as Jonah Heston, the most recent primary host of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''. He is a former host of '' The Nerdist Podcast'' and ...

and

Matt Mira Matthew Paul Mira (born August 5, 1983) is an American podcast host, stand-up comedian and television writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a co-host of '' The Nerdist Podcast'' since 2010.Leijon, Eric (July 28, 2011)The dean of dweebs. ''Mon ...

. The audio podcasts are typically an hour in length and include conversations with notable comedians or entertainers, sometimes at their own home. Guests are varied, though typically relate to either stand-up comedy,

nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tec ...

culture, or both, and have included CM Punk, Rob Zombie, Stan Lee, Ozzy Osbourne,

Jeri Ryan Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'', for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised ...

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, '' The Drew Carey Show'', an ...

and several cast and crew of ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

'', '' Doctor Who'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. In late 2017, Hardwick's future with Nerdist Industries and parent company Legendary Entertainment became unclear. Although still technically CEO of Nerdist Industries, he considered his role to have become advisory, and no longer felt connected with the company. As his contract with Legendary approached its end with no discussion about renewing, Hardwick – who retains full rights to the podcast, including its catalog of back episodes – decided to move the podcast. Since he didn't have rights to use the Nerdist name on the podcast without heavy fees, and as part of a new venture, in February 2018 it was renamed to ''ID10T with Chris Hardwick''.

Nerdist Podcast Network

During 2011, Nerdist began releasing various other podcasts. the full range includes: * ''Bizarre States'', hosted by

and Andrew Bowser * ''Cashing In with T. J. Miller'', hosted by Cash Levy with only guest T. J. Miller * ''Cash Withdrawal'', spinoff of Cashing In hosted by Cash Levy * ''Chewin' It With Kevin and Steve'', hosted by Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme * ''Comic Book Club'', hosted by Justin Tyler, Pete LePage, and Alex Zalben * ''Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction'', hosted by Bryan Cook * ''Ding-Donger with

Matt Braunger Matthew Braunger (born August 1, 1974) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. His most recent special ''Finally Live In Portland'' was launched by Comedy Dynamics in 2019. Outside of performing stand-up, Braunger is noted for bein ...

'' * ''Dining with Doug & Karen'', hosted by Karen Anderson and Doug Benson * ''Half Hour Happy Hour'', hosted by Alison Haislip and

Alex Albrecht Alexander Jennings Albrecht (born August 14, 1976) is an American television personality, actor and podcaster. He is known for co-hosting the former G4techTV television program ''The Screen Savers'', an hour-long computer and technology variety ...

* ''Hound Tall Discussion Series'', hosted by

Moshe Kasher Mark Moshe Kasher (born July 6, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in the Los Angeles area. He is the author of the 2012 memoir ''Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, C ...

* ''The Jackie and Laurie Show'', hosted by Jackie Kashian and Laurie Kilmartin * ''James Bonding'', a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

podcast hosted by Matt Gourley and

* ''The Jonah Keri Podcast'', sports based podcast hosted by Jonah Keri * ''The JV Club'', hosted by

Janet Varney Janet Varney (born February 16, 1976) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for voicing Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television ser ...

* ''The K-Ohle'', a multi-format podcast hosted by

Kurt Braunohler Kurt Braunohler (born February 22, 1976) is an American comedian and co-host of the podcast ''Bananas'' on Exactly Right Podcast Network. He was previously the host of IFC's comedy game show '' Bunk'' and has appeared on Comedy Central, ''This ...

* ''Kicking and Screaming'', hosted by Jenna Elfman and Bodhi Elfman * ''The Legacy Music Hour'', hosted by Brent Weinbach and Rob F. * ''Love, Alexi'', hosted by Alexi Wasser * '' Maltin on Movies'', long form interview program, hosted by

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

and Jessie Maltin * ''Mike and Tom Eat Snacks'', hosted by

Michael Ian Black Michael Ian Black (born Michael Ian Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including ''The State'', '' Viva Variety'', '' Stella'', '' Wet Hot American Summer: F ...

and Tom Cavanagh * ''The Mutant Season'', hosted by 13-year-old Gil * '' Pop My Culture'', hosted by Cole Stratton and Vanessa Ragland * ''Pro You: Because You're Worth It'', hosted by Tom J. Deters * ''Sex Nerd Sandra'', hosted by Sandra Daugherty * ''Terrified'', hosted by Dave Ross * ''Today We Learned'', hosted by Dan Casey and Razzle Dangerously * ''The Todd Glass Show'', hosted by Todd Glass * ''Will You Accept This Rose?'', Bachelor themed podcast hosted by Arden Myrin, Erin Foley and Eddie Pepitone * '' You Made It Weird'', hosted by

Pete Holmes Peter Benedict Holmes (born March 30, 1979) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. Musings on spirituality and religion are frequent themes in his works. Holmes gained recognition in the early 2010s as a stand-up comic, ...

Inactive/former podcasts

* ''The Alton Browncast'', a food and food personality based podcast hosted by

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

star

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show '' Good Eats'' that ran for ...

(active but no longer affiliated with Nerdist) * ''

Big Pop Fun Thomas Francis Wilson Jr. (born April 15, 1959) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Biff Tannen, Griff Tannen, and Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen in the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990). He also played coach ...

'', hosted by Tom Wilson * ''Clonecast'', a behind-the-scenes podcast of the television series ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...

'' * ''FEaB'' ("Four Eyes and Beard"), hosted by

and

Scott Mosier Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''. Early life Mosier was born in Vanco ...

; a co-production with the SModcast Podcast Network * ''Humans From Earth'', hosted by Geoff Boucher * ''The Indoor Kids'', a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

-centred podcast hosted by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon * ''Jonah Raydio'', a music-based podcast hosted by

(active, but now hosted by the

Maximum Fun Maximum Fun is an independent podcast and radio show production organization founded and run by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show '' The Sound of Young America'' which continued in an adapted format and wit ...

network) * ''Making It'', hosted by

Riki Lindhome Erika "Riki" Lindhome (born March 5, 1979) is an American actress, comedian, and musician. She is best known as a singer and songwriter for the comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. After making her television debut in 2002 with minor roles in t ...

* ''Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast'', in-depth discussions about every Star Trek episode and Movie hosted by John Champion and Ken Ray (active but no longer affiliated with Nerdist) * ''Nerdist Comics Panel'', hosted by Len Wein, Ben Blacker, Heath Corson, and Adam Beechen (inactive since December 2017) * '' The Nerdist Podcast'', former flagship podcast which became the ''ID10T Podcast'' and moved to Cadence13 * ''Puck Soup,'' hosted by Greg Wyshynski and Dave Lozo * ''Talkin' Toons'' with Rob Paulsen * '' Thrilling Adventure Hour'', scripted show based on old timey radio shows (became active again in 2018 after a hiatus, is now hosted by the Forever Dog podcast network). * ''Watkins Family Hour'', led by Sean Watkins and

Sara Watkins Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of Nickel Creek, the progressive bluegrass group she formed with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addi ...

at Largo * '' We're Alive, A Story of Survival'' * ''The Wrestling Compadres Slamcast'' * ''The Writers Panel'' (formerly ''Nerdist Writers Panel''), moderated by Ben Blacker (moved to the Forever Dog podcast network)

Nerdist Showroom

The Nerdist Showroom, also known as NerdMelt or the NerdMelt Showroom, was a performance space operated in collaboration with, and located inside, Meltdown Comics in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The showroom opened in April 2011 and ran through March 2018. It featured the Nerdist logo near the entrance, plush chairs, dark walls, and a far off green room. Performances included live stand-up comedy, storytelling shows, sketch comedy, movie screenings, writer's panels and podcast recordings. It was also the home of the Comedy Central television series ''The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail''. Past performers include Louis C.K.,

Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...

, Dan Harmon, Kumail Nanjiani,

, and Robin Williams. The Showroom closed with Meltdown on March 31, 2018, after the building's owners sold it to a developer planning to construct a new residential development along two blocks.

YouTube channel

Content featured on Nerdist's

channel. includes: * ''4 Points'' – interview show hosted by Alex Albrecht and Alison Haislip * ''Ain't It Cool with Harry Knowles'' – a video version of Harry Knowles website '' Ain't It Cool News'', a TV and film news, rumour and review site * ''Awkward Family Photos'' * ''Because Science with TBD'' * ''Breaking Belding'' * ''Chris Hardwick's All-Star Celebrity Bowling'' – a celebrity bowling competition where teams compete for the charities of their choice * ''Comic Book Club'' – a video version of the podcast of the same name * ''COPS: Skyrim'' – a voice-over Cops-style parody of the game ''Skyrim'' * The Dan Cave – hosted by Dan Casey * ''DIY Dammit'' * ''Double Jump'' * ''DVK: Daniel Van Kirk'' * ''Dr. Tran'' – animated shorts featuring Dr. Tran * ''Face To Face: With Weird Al Yankovic'' – a celebrity interview show with "Weird Al" Yankovic * '' Fangoria's Blood and Guts'' – a show about monster makeup and gore effects hosted by

Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ian is the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroo ...

* ''Game Off'' * ''Grammar Slam'' – presented by former professional wrestler CM Punk * ''Hero Complex'' – interview show hosted by Geoff Boucher of ''Hero Complex'' magazine and website, featuring interviews with prominent film and TV personnel * ''The Indoor Kids'' – a video version of the popular podcast, a video-game-based show hosted by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon * ''Info Minute'' * ''Just Cos'' – a series based around cosplay and conventions * ''Justice League of America'' * ''Justin Willman's Magic Meltdown'' – series featuring magician Justin Willman performing magic * ''Math Bites'' * Mothership – a weekly podcast hosted by

& Hector Navarro (airs on Alpha but available on YouTube as well) * Muskwatch – hosted by Kyle Hill & Dan Casey last episode 31st July 2018 * ''

Neil's Puppet Dreams ''Neil's Puppet Dreams'' is a web series created by The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner and released on The Nerdist Channel. The series stars Neil Patrick Harris who helped to create the series. Plot This web series feature ...

'' –

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

stars as himself and has dreams featuring puppets * ''Nerd Down & 10'' – the

Sklar brothers Farrell Randal "Randy" Sklar and Jason Nathan Sklar (born January 12, 1972), professionally known as the Sklar Brothers, are American identical twin brother comedians and actors best known for hosting the show '' Cheap Seats'', which aired for ...

break down nerd and pop culture topics as if they were sports * ''Nerdist Comedy Shorts'' * ''Nerdist News'' – a video version of the

* ''NerdTerns'' * ''Nerdy Jobs with

Matt Bennett Matt Bennett (born November 13, 1991) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Robbie Shapiro in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Victorious'' and for starring in the Will Ferrell-produced film ''The Virginity Hit''. Early life Bennett ...

'' * ''Reasons to be scared of the Future'' * ''Realm of LARP'' – a series about the world of

live action role-playing A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique feature ...

* ''Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net'' – stand-up comedy performances * ''Sifl & Olly'' * ''

Simian Undercover Detective Squad ''Simian Undercover Detective Squad'' (or ''S.U.D.S.'') is a web series created by The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner. A sneak preview of the episode "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Goat" appeared on YouTube on August 25, 2009 ...

'' (''S.U.D.S.'') – odd couple ape detectives Skreet and Yeager are forced to partner up and solve crime * ''Skyrim at the Movies'' * ''Star Talk'' – a video version of the ''

StarTalk Radio ''StarTalk'' is a podcast on science, comedy, and popular culture hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, with various comic and celebrity co-hosts and frequent guests from the worlds of science and entertainment. Past co-hosts have include ...

'' podcast, a science-based show hosted by Dr.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University. From 1991 to 1994, he was a p ...

* ''Superego'' * ''The Thrilling Adventure Hour'' – a video version of The Thrilling Adventure Hour podcast * ''They Call Me Baba Booey'' – Gary Dell'Abate (aka Baba Booey), producer of the ''Howard Stern Show'' and tech and audio enthusiast, explores the latest products and pop culture * ''Try This At Home! with Crabcat Industries'' * ''Tournament of Nerds'' – a show featuring nerds debating each other about their favorite pop culture characters * ''UCB Presents: Between the Scenes'' * ''Weird Sh*t From Japan'' – Jukka Hilden explores aspects of Japanese culture under the watchful eye of Japanophile and comedian Chad Mullane * ''What You Missed By Not Playing'' * ''Write Now! With

Jimmy Pardo James Ronald Pardo, Jr. (born July 28, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the long-running comedy podcast '' Never Not Funny''. From the show's inception until mid-2015, he performed as the Conan O'Brien program ''Conan ...

'' – Pardo hosts this show where a team of writers write jokes on the fly about a guest stand-up comedian

Other

* '' @midnight'' – Produced for

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

References

External links

* {{Wanda Group, state=collapsed Entertainment companies based in California Mass media companies of the United States Companies based in Burbank, California American companies established in 2012 Entertainment companies established in 2012 Mass media companies established in 2012 2012 establishments in California Dalian Wanda Group Podcasting companies