Robert
16.8K posts









Kevin Hart built a $650M media empire — and then quietly watched it collapse. Hartbeat, Hart’s namesake company, rode the celebrity mogul wave hard: a sprawling West Hollywood office (formerly Oprah’s), a world-class art collection, deals with Netflix, SiriusXM, and Audible, and partnerships with brands like Procter & Gamble and DraftKings. At its peak it was valued at $650 million with private equity backing. Then Hollywood’s recession hit, and the cracks showed fast. Three CEOs in two years. A senior executive allegedly running his own separate businesses using Hartbeat’s employees and infrastructure. A podcast team — Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam — was hired, developed a full slate, got zero approvals, got fired, tried to start their own company, and got sued for alleged theft of trade secrets and breach of contract. A court granted a temporary restraining order but then rejected the preliminary injunction, calling Hartbeat’s request “vague, ambiguous, and overly broad.” The case is still ongoing. By late 2024, nearly a quarter of the staff was gone. The TV division heads — mid-production on an Amazon show — were cut with no announcement. Hart’s response? A Zoom call where he stayed off camera, spoke for a few minutes, took zero questions, then changed his phone number. His exit strategy? He licensed his name and likeness to Authentic Brands Group — the same firm that manages Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali — took a stake in them, used the money to buy out his private equity partner, and moved his endorsement deals out of Hartbeat entirely. A few of his own people went with him. The company then sent staff an email signed “Kevin AKA Boss Man” — sent by his assistant — telling them this was actually great news. For Hartbeat, maybe. For the people left holding the bag, the jury’s still out. 📰: @Business 🔗: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…






















Stopped wearing AirPods while grocery shopping because it’s antisocial, doesn’t matter if everyone else is doing it, you have to start with yourself.















