HowStuffWorks Launches Comedy Division

HowStuffWorks is a leading publisher of informative podcast, video, and editorial content. HowStuffWorks has announced that Jack O’Brien has joined the team to launch the company’s West Coast operations out of Los Angeles. O’Brian is the founder of Cracked.com. He is tasked with HowStuffWorks’ expansion into comedy, a quickly growing podcast genre.

Jack O’Brien joins HowStuffWorks after 11 years as founder and editor-in-chief of Cracked.com. During his tenure, he cultivated the distinct, satirical voice that Cracked is known for, led creative hiring for the publication and hosted The Cracked Podcast. O’Brien’s unique experience makes him the ideal choice to lead HowStuffWorks’ west-coast growth and move into comedy.

HowStuffWorks is excited to invest in comedy as the first step in expanding the types of new shows launching in the coming months. Chief Content Officer at HowStuffWorks, Jason Hoch, said:

We have grand plans for growing and expanding our audience and leadership position in the podcast space. We started by bringing on creative geniuses from iconic brands and our move into comedy is the first of more genres to come. So much of HowStuffWorks listener base has grown up with us and we aren’t slowing down anytime soon.

O’Brien’s hire comes on the heels of Mental Floss co-founders Will Pearson & Mangesh Hattikudur’s addition to the HowStuffWorks family and the launch of the new podcast Part-Time Genius. Earlier this spring, HowStuffWorks debuted the premier of FoodStuff and released the second season of The Stuff of Life.