‘Letterkenny’ producer New Metric hires Bell Media duo for comedy push

L-R: Bill Lundy & Jeff Hersh

Canadian Letterkenny producer New Metric Media has appointed former Bell Media exec Jeff Hersh as its first COO and fellow Bell alum Bill Lundy as SVP of comedy as part of a restructure to turn the firm into a comedy-focused entertainment studio.

The reorganisation comes as New Metric seeks to meet a growing demand for comedy content by building comedy brands “to a scale that rivals major entertainment franchises.”

Hersh has been hired with a focus on corporate strategy and driving significant strategic growth via acquisitions, partnerships and raising capital as well as further monetization across all lines of business, along with building out the operations to support growth.

Prior to joining New Metric Media, Hersh was VP of strategy, OTT Distribution and premium SVOD at Bell Media, where he was responsible for formulating and executing the strategy and business development. He also served as GM of Crave and Starz and oversaw the strategy and expansion of Bell Media’s OTT and direct-to-consumer opportunities.

Lundy, meanwhile, will focus on broadening and strengthening the company’s slate of comedy brands and roster of comedy talent across scripted, sketch and stand up for multiple platforms including television, live entertainment, merchandise and licensing.

Letterkenny

He most recently served as SVP for Pier 21 Films, leading the company’s comedy and drama scripted slates including serving as executive producer on the new CBC series Run the Burbs. Prior to joining Pier 21 in 2018, Lundy was a comedy production executive at Bell Media, developing and producing shows such as Letterkenny, The Beaverton and Just For Laughs: All Access.

Both Hersh and Lundy will report to Mark Montefiore, founder & CEO of New Metric Media.

“We’re moving into a new and exciting phase of evolution at New Metric Media. This symbiotic approach will offer a rare opportunity for comedy brands to extend farther beyond the original medium they were created for,” said Montefiore.

“New Metric is poised for significant growth given the skyrocketing demand for amazing content and its unique position as a multi-platform, multi-monetization, digital-first comedy brand builder,” added Hersh.

As well as producing the Crave/Hulu original comedy Letterkenny, New Metric is also behind CTV’s new half-hour comedy series Children Ruin Everything, the upcoming Letterkenny spinoff series Shoresy for Crave, the Netflix/CityTV premium drama series Bad Blood and the half-hour comedy What Would Sal Do?