Electus Announces Coogan Auto, a New Scripted Comedy Series from its Pop Culture YouTube™ Channel, LOUD, Created by Rob Riggle, Starring Riggle and JB Smoove

NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben Silverman's multimedia entertainment studio Electus, an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI), in partnership with Principato-Young Entertainment, today announced Coogan Auto, the newest addition of high-impact series from Electus' pop-culture YouTube™ channel, LOUD. Coogan Auto, written and directed by actor and comedian Rob Riggle (The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, The Hangover), premieres Monday, January 14th at 10am ET on LOUD. Riggle, along with actor and comedian JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Dictator, Hall Pass), serve as executive producers and stars of the series.

Coogan Auto is a new scripted series focused on a dysfunctional car dealership owned by the womanizing, alcoholic, party-obsessed, and generally freaking awesome Jerry Coogan (Rob Riggle). Together with his best friend Del (JB Smoove), they attempt to keep their party boy mentality while managing the dealership's rag-tag, not-so-bright employees. Audiences will follow them through their never-ending series of bad decisions and ridiculously entertaining logic.

Rob Riggle has been a staple in comedic films for over 15 years, having commenced his career at Upright Citizens Brigade while on active duty in the Marine Corps. Riggle's efforts at UCB earned him a spot on Saturday Night Live, fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams. While Riggle is most known for his various comedic roles, he has also dedicated 23 years of service in the United States Marine Corps. On the big screen, Riggle has played memorable characters in the following major blockbuster comedies: The Hangover, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, Larry Crowne, Big Miracle and 21 Jump Street. While establishing his place on the big screen, Riggle also remains a mainstay in television. He served a three year stint on the Emmy-Award winning show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and currently hosts the number one NFL-pregame show Fox NFL Sunday. In addition, Riggle lent his vocal talents to the hit animated film Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for Disney Prep & Landing: Naughty vs Nice. "I couldn't be happier about the cast and that they let us do this. Definitely one of the best times I've had in this business," said Riggle who wrote and directed the series. He added in Jerry Coogan character, "This is great for business, but if you want to see some real crazy s*** you should come out with Del and me on the weekend!"

JB Smoove began his career after landing a recurring role on MTV's The Lyricist Lounge Show, as well as featured guest spots on The Chris Rock Show and Premium Blend. After a season as a cast member on the sketch comedy program Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Smoove moved to New York City where he held a writing position on NBC's Saturday Night Live. He later was a recipient of the 2007 Writers Guild award for Best Comedy/Variety Series for his work on the show. In the standup and acting worlds, Smoove has been featured on Tough Crowd, Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza, Saturday Night Live sketches and recurring spots on Late Night with Conan O' Brien. Smoove's big screen appearances have included: Date Night, the Farrelly Brothers directed comedy Hall Pass, The Sitter, We Bought a Zoo and The Dictator. Smoove's unique comedic voice has also been put to good use in animation where he will be voicing a character in the upcoming feature Ice Age 4 and The Smurfs 2. His breakout role on Curb Your Enthusiasm firmly planted him as one of the best comedic actors today. "Joining forces with Riggle is always entertaining, but I know that Coogan Auto will take our ridiculous banter to all new extremes—audiences beware," said Smoove. Smoove is a gifted writer, comedian and actor, who continues to entertain audiences all over the world with his unique brand of comedic funk, and Coogan Auto will be no exception.

Conceptualized by Electus Founder and Emmy and Golden Globe winning producer Ben Silverman (The Office, Mob Wives, Fashion Star), LOUD is the newest home for fresh, edgy, entertaining series featuring celebrities and popular YouTube™ talent, creating a blend of unique characters and buzz-worthy content that launch into the collective consciousness of pop culture. LOUD launched in Summer 2012 with an array of hit series including: K-Town, Watsky's Making an Album, Ben Baller, and Massholes. LOUD content has been viewed over 18MM times.

"We are very proud to uphold our promise of providing high quality series' to our audience on LOUD and 2013 will be no exception," said Drew Buckley, COO and Head of Digital at Electus. "Rob Riggle and JB Smoove push the boundaries of traditionally appropriate television humor with Coogan Auto and allow a whole new demographic to enjoy the hilarity that the entire cast bring to each episode."

"In creating this series, Rob had an opportunity to truly write, act and direct in his own voice," said Corey Moss, VP of Digital at Principato-Young Entertainment. "And fortunately for all of us, that voice is hysterical and like nothing else out there."

To view the first episode of Coogan Auto, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqAbRY_iz4E

The cast of Coogan Auto includes:

• Jerry Coogan (Rob Riggle): As Owner and President of Coogan Auto, Jerry Coogan runs his business and team the only way he can: by doing whatever he wants. 
• Del (JB Smoove): Del is truly Jerry's right-hand man, representing as sales manager / Jerry's best friend, drinking buddy and fellow bad decision maker. 
• Tony (Horatio Sanz): Despite the group being mostly a raunchy bunch, Tony takes the cake with some questionable behavior. 
• Randy (Steve Ber): Randy is the most innocent and virginal salesman in the crew, which makes him a bit of a target amongst the more explicit co-workers. 
• Becky (Alison Becker): As Coogan Auto's receptionist and only woman, Becky is a trooper dealing with the constant reminder that she is surrounded by gross dudes. 
• VIP (Amir Talai) VIP might not have the most knowledge of fixing cars, but he's Coogan Auto's main repairman...technically.

About Electus
Electus is the first integrated multimedia entertainment studio to unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof and produce all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world. Headed by Ben Silverman in partnership with IAC [NASDAQ: IACI], the company connects advertisers, distributors and content creators early on in the development process, enabling marketers and advertisers to be a true partner in campaigns and content creation. Electus International, the global distribution arm of Electus, is responsible for all international sales and distribution for Electus' programming and its studio partners as well as programs and formats from other well-known 3rd party providers. For more information on Electus, visit www.electus.com.

About Principato-Young Entertainment
Principato-Young Entertainment is a leading talent management and production company founded in 2000 by industry veterans Peter Principato and Paul Young.

Media Contacts
Electus
Justine Sacco
212.314.7326
[email protected] 

Sunshine Sachs
Jessica Berger / Whitney Kuhn
212.691.2800
[email protected] / [email protected] 

Principato-Young Entertainment
Dana Wickens
[email protected] 
310.274.4474

SOURCE Electus