Draft:Thai Randolph

Thai Randolph (born xxx) is a an American executive and creator. As a business executive, Randolph has structured and managed commercial partnerships with: JPMC, Advertising Week, Proctor & Gamble, Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club, Amazon, Roku, and Comcast.

Recently, Randolph served as Co-Founder, board member and CEO of Hartbeat. Randolph lead the deal merging of Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud (LOL) to form the global, multi-platform media company: HARTBEAT. In one of the biggest fund raises led by a Black woman in the U.S., Randolph raised a $100M private equity investment from Abry Partners.

Early Life and Education

Born Thaisha Randolph in Charleston, SC,on date, Randolph grew up on her family’s farm in Holly Hill, South Carolina.

Randolph was raised by (Thai to provide early life, as well as any info that may have been cited in previous interviews)

(Thai to include any defining moments that may have been covered in previous interviews)

Randolph attended Clemson University as a Communications Major before transferring to American University, where she graduated with a BA in Communications.

Personal Life

Thai to add any notable information, along with anything that has been cited

Randolph has been married to Lateef Cobb since 2012.

The couple have one son tgether.

Randolph has been a vocal advocate for women’s maternal health, particularly among women of color.

Career:

Randolph's first leadership role was at

Thai to put these in order, as well as any notable accomplishments

• WPP (VML/Y&R): Held leadership roles focusing on digital strategy and new media for global brands.
• Publicis (Moxie Interactive): Provided new media strategy and consultation to top-tier clients.
• Sony Music and Sony DADC: Served as CMO & SVP, Marketing & Client Partnerships for Sony DADC New Media Solutions and was recognized for transforming Sony Music’s direct-to-consumer digital group into an independent digital marketing and e-commerce service provider​(Thai Randolph Bio_ Dec …).
• Meta (formerly Facebook): Managed strategic partnerships and digital transformation initiatives within Facebook’s Global Marketing Solutions team.
• Lionsgate: As COO of Laugh Out Loud, a joint venture with Lionsgate, Randolph brought in top-tier entertainment, brand, and distribution partners, growing the company’s distribution network and capabilities​ (Essence)​ (TheWrap) Thai to provide links
• Co-Founder and Former Board Member & Chief Executive Officer of Hartbeat:
• LP in BrainTrust Studio:
  • Investor in BrainTrust Studio, a $25 Million Fund focused on Black-founded beauty and wellness brands.
  • Source:
    • PR Newswire - BrainTrust Founders Studio Fund

Notable Accomplishments:

• Thai to provide in-depth detail here
  • Led the 2022 merger of Kevin Hart’s two entertainment companies, Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud, to form the global media entity, Hartbeat.
  • Raised $100M from Abry Partners to fuel Hartbeat’s growth, making it one of the fastest-growing creative engines in the entertainment industry.
  • Under her leadership, Hartbeat doubled in size, released over 20 projects in 2022 and 18 projects in 2023, with 70+ more in development. The company also expanded its footprint with three new offices, including a Los Angeles headquarters​ (Essence)​ (TheWrap).
  • Sources:
    • Hollywood Reporter - Thai Randolph's Departure from Hartbeat
    • https://deadline.com/2018/07/kevin-hart-lionsgate-laugh-out-loud-promoted-thai-randolph-evp-general-manager-1202419913/
    • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-12-22/checking-in-with-the-media-exec-who-runs-kevin-hart-s-growing-production-company?embedded-checkout=true
    • https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2023/09/28/hartbeat-ceo-thai-randolph
    • https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/tika-sumpter-mixed-ish-thai-randolph-sugaberry-1203531773/
    • https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-04-26/kevin-hart-gets-100-million-minority-investment-to-build-his-comedy-empire
    • Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2023

Personal Platform

• Co-Founder of Sugaberry & Former Host of The Suga:
  • Co-founded Sugaberry (Thai to provide link), an audio-first media company for and by Black women. ,, ,,,
  • Co-hosted the Gracie Award-winning podcast, The Suga, featuring conversations with notable personalities like Kelly Rowland and Tia Mowry​ (Essence).
  • Source:
  • Essence - Sugaberry’s Impact (Thai to provide link)

• Founder of Women Write Now:
  • Founded Women Write Now, a screenwriting fellowship developed in partnership with the Sundance Institute and Hartbeat to champion Black women in comedy.
  • Sources:
    • Hollywood Reporter - Women Write Now Fellowship (Thai to provide links)
    • Shorty Awards - Women Write Now
    • Forbes - Thai Randolph on Empowering Women of Color

Notable Positions:

• Board Member of Rock the Bells:
• Serves on the board of Rock the Bells, LL Cool J’s media company.

• Thai to add more detail
  • Source:
  • Hollywood Reporter - Rock the Bells Funding

Honors and Recognitions (Kierra to create a table, Thai to provide years won)

• Variety’s Women of Impact list
• Variety Comedy Impact Report
• Black Enterprise Leading Women in Advertising and Marketing (2016)
• Campaign Magazine’s Inspiring Women
• Entrepreneur’s Women of Impact list
• AdAge’s 40 Under 40 list
• Variety’s Silicon Valleywood Impact Report
• Create and Cultivate 100’s Entrepreneurs List
• Cynopsis’ It List
• Cynopsis’ Top Women in Media
• Cynopsis Corporate Visionary
• Multichannel News Wonder Women in Streaming “Women to Watch”
• Fast Company Most Innovative Companies of 2023
• Gracie Award
• Audie Award: https://www.audiopub.org/2023audieawards-winners
• Webby Award: https://winners.webbyawards.com/2024/podcasts/features/best-host/283084/gold-minds-with-kevin-hart
• https://winners.webbyawards.com/2021/video/video-series-channels/variety/167360/cold-as-balls
• https://winners.webbyawards.com/2023/podcasts/shows/documentary/240839/finding-tamika

Filmography:

• IMDB Profile:
• Thai Randolph's Filmography
• Source:
• Essence - Thai Randolph on Maternal Health (Thai to provide link)