Santa Monica-based digital content studio Culture Genesis Inc. has acquired the assets of All Def Digital, a media company founded by Russell Simmons in 2013, for an undisclosed sum.
Culture Genesis plans to capitalize on All Def’s various content streams, which include comedy and poetry performances (Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam) a music label (Universal Music Group-owned Def Jam) and a website on hip-hop culture and social justice.
“All Def is Def Jam 2.0 for the digital age,” Culture Genesis co-founder and Chief Executive Cedric Rogers said in a statement. “We are honored and excited to bring innovation to the All Def brand and look forward to continuing to work with a talented family of creators … to bring All Def favorite shows like ‘Dad Jokes,’ ‘Great Taste,’ ‘Arts & Raps,’ ‘Traffic Jams’ and more (to life).”
All Def was originally founded by Simmons as a YouTube partnership with Hollywood-based content producers AwesomenessTV, which is owned by ViacomCBS It has also developed content for companies such as Home Box Office Inc. (HBO) and Facebook Watch.
All Def laid off its entire staff and filed for insolvency in July amid reports it owed up to $50,000 to creditors. Simmons stepped away from the firm in November 2017 following allegations of sexual assault.
Culture Genesis was founded in 2018 and is best known for its live game show, “TrivaMob.” The company is backed by New York-based investment firm Betaworks Ventures and Santa Monica-based Mucker Capital.
Rapper Tip “T.I.” Harris is also an investor in Culture Genesis, and said in a statement about the acquisition, “The resurgence of All Def affords us the opportunity to reboot a brand that has significantly impacted our culture. We are excited about continuing to grow a platform that pushes boundaries and moves the culture forward.”
Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated Awesomeness TV’s headquarters and owner. It is based in Hollywood and is a subsidiary of ViacomCBS.
