National Lampoon, Inc.

National Lampoon, Inc.
Company type	Private
Industry	Comedy, Entertainment
Predecessor	National Lampoon magazine
Founded	2002
Founder	Dan Laikin, Paul Skjodt
Fate	Largely dormant by 2024
Key people	Dan Laikin (former CEO), Tim Durham (former CEO), Kevin Frakes (former CEO), Alan Donnes (former CEO), Evan Shapiro (former president)
Products	Humor publications, films, live performances, podcasts, comedy albums
Parent	PalmStar Media (since 2017)
Website	www.nationallampoon.com

National Lampoon, Inc. was founded in 2002 with the goal of capitalizing on the "National Lampoon" brand within the comedy and entertainment sectors, thereby extending the heritage established by its predecessor, the National Lampoon magazine. The company’s strategy centered around creating and distributing comedic content across multiple media formats.

Since its establishment, National Lampoon, Inc. experienced several corporate reorganizations, and three former CEOs—Dan Laikin, Tim Durham, and Kevin Frakes—were convicted of financial offenses connected to the company. By 2024, the organization appears to have become largely dormant.

Laikin era

In 2002, business partners Dan Laikin and Paul Skjodt purchased J2 Communications, which held the licensing rights to the National Lampoon brand, subsequently renaming it National Lampoon, Inc.. Laikin’s strained interactions with J2 CEO James P. Jimirro complicated executive leadership; Jimirro continued as CEO until 2005. In an effort to restore the brand’s original essence, Laikin brought on board founding publisher Matty Simmons along with original contributors such as Chris Miller and Tony Hendra as creative advisors.

Laikin aggressively expanded the brand by acquiring Burly Bear Network in 2002 and rebranding it as the "National Lampoon College Network," while also launching original shows including a reality series starring Bridget "the Midget" Powerz. Although these ventures incorporated inclusive recruitment aimed at nurturing young talent, financial losses persisted—$5.9 million in 2003 and $5.1 million in 2004—with Laikin and investor Tim Durham personally covering deficits.

The company culture was unconventional, characterized by celebrity cameos and eccentric staff behavior that strengthened internal camaraderie but impeded professional hiring and operational efficiency. Strategic errors included overreliance on archival content, poor technology investments, and underwhelming projects like National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze. Attempts to improve finances through a $10 million capital infusion and branching into radio and stage productions failed to halt deteriorating results.

By 2008, worsening financial troubles caused stock values to collapse, and Laikin faced federal charges for manipulating stock prices to inflate share value. He stepped down as CEO that year, with major investor Tim Durham taking over. Laikin pleaded guilty in 2009 and received a 45-month prison sentence in 2010.

This phase underscores significant issues related to strategic direction, corporate governance, and financial oversight during National Lampoon’s expansion efforts.

Durham era

Following Laikin’s departure, Durham assumed the CEO role and enacted substantial changes including closing certain divisions, ceasing royalty payments to The Harvard Lampoon, and initiating litigation against Warner Bros. over unpaid funds. His leadership saw layoffs, salary reductions, and delayed payrolls amid a $6 million loss in 2009. Durham sought to leverage Hollywood connections by involving Ludacris in projects; however, his controversial methods drew scrutiny as he was later implicated in a large-scale Ponzi scheme.

Although arrested and placed under house arrest for embezzlement charges, Durham initially maintained control of the company before ultimately receiving a 50-year prison sentence in 2012.

Donnes leadership period

In 2012, Alan Donnes, previously a comedian, took over as CEO. Although Laikin reappeared following his prison term, he was prohibited from holding executive positions. The ensuing disputes between Donnes and Laikin triggered legal confrontations concerning funds connected to Durham's fraudulent activities. National Lampoon reached a settlement with Laikin and initiated legal action against Durham for misappropriation of funds. Donnes sought to rejuvenate the brand by emphasizing podcasts and establishing mainstream collaborations, deliberately moving away from earlier controversies.

PalmStar ownership phase

By July 2017, PalmStar Media had acquired all National Lampoon properties, encompassing trademarks and the complete content archives.

In 2019, National Lampoon named Evan Shapiro, formerly associated with NBCUniversal Media Group, as president with the objective of revitalizing the brand. However, Shapiro was dismissed in 2020. Subsequently, the company filed a lawsuit accusing him of redirecting more than $3 million through agreements involving Quibi, Disney+, and Comedy Central Digital into enterprises under his control. Later, Shapiro alleged that Co-CEO Kevin Frakes had subjected him to harassment that forced his departure.

National Lampoon Press

National Lampoon, Inc. issues humor publications through National Lampoon Press, which are distributed by Holtzbrinck Publishers. The catalog includes reprints of classic National Lampoon works from the 1970s and 1980s, such as True Facts and Foto Funnies. Between 2002 and 2005, these titles were released under the imprint National Lampoon Books, managed by Rugged Land, LLC.

Film productions

Following its acquisition by J2 Communications in 1991, National Lampoon transitioned into a licensing-focused business model, generating income by licensing its brand for movies like Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995), and Van Wilder (2002), without participating in their creative processes. This approach was discontinued under subsequent ownership.

The company later shifted strategy to purchasing independent films for release under the "National Lampoon Presents" banner, beginning with titles such as The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell and Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo in 2007. Although this tactic helped prevent bankruptcy, it arguably weakened the brand’s association with high-quality comedy.

In June 2007, National Lampoon, Inc. declared intentions to finance, produce, and distribute feature films internally. CEO Dan Laikin highlighted plans to revitalize the brand by concentrating on projects consistent with company ideals. The ambition included producing four original movies annually alongside acquiring up to eight additional films. Their inaugural self-produced feature was National Lampoon's Bag Boy (2007), starring Dennis Farina and Brooke Shields.

Live performances

During autumn 2007, National Lampoon revived its live sketch comedy variety show National Lampoon's Lemmings for a nationwide tour. This production combined live sketches with complementary comedic video segments.

In 2008, Lemmings collaborated with ManiaTV! to create a half-hour web-based sketch comedy series featuring prominent performers including Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, Kyle Newacheck, Anders Holm from Comedy Central's Workaholics, Jillian Bell, and Mark Gagliardi. Both the Lemmings series and ManiaTV! were eventually discontinued.

In 2020, National Lampoon relaunched Lemmings as "Lemmings: 21st Century," planned for a two-night run at Joe's Pub in Manhattan. This modern iteration satirized contemporary festival culture through "Downfall," a parody targeting commercialized events like Coachella and Bonnaroo; however, its performances were interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Podcasts

The Final Edition

From November 2015 until August 2019, the podcast The Final Edition was launched by former Lampoon editor Tony Hendra alongside author Jeff Kreisler, with Barry Lank taking over primary management later on. By the time it parted ways with National Lampoon, it achieved an average of 1,000 downloads per episode, placing it within the top 10 percent of podcasts according to industry standards.

National Lampoon Radio Hour - The Podcast

Introduced in December 2019 as a follow-up to The Final Edition, this podcast featured performers Megan Stalter, Brett Davis, Alex English, Aaron Jackson, Rachel Pegram, Lorelei Ramirez, and Martin Urbano. It supported National Lampoon’s initiative to rejuvenate its brand through digital platforms and engage fresh audiences.

Comedy album

In 2016, National Lampoon released the comedy album Are There Any Triggers Here Tonight, which showcased material derived from its The Final Edition podcast. This release marked the first Lampoon album in over three decades.

NationalLampoon.com and the web

NationalLampoon.com has garnered attention from prominent media outlets such as The Los Angeles Times, Forbes, USA Today, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal. It earned nominations for the Webby Awards "Best Humor Site" twice, in 2001 and 2005. In 2002, the Smithsonian Institution archived its content as a representation of American satire following the events of 9/11. Subsequently, the website shifted its focus toward producing original video content distributed via platforms including YouTube.

Following staff reductions in 2002, some writers resorted to unconventional self-promotion efforts on EBay. By 2007, the National Lampoon Humor Network—a coalition of nearly fifty comedy websites either owned by or affiliated with the company—attracted approximately 5 million monthly visitors and achieved a leading Comscore ranking among comedy sites, surpassing even Comedy Central.

The website underwent a redesign in 2011 that reflected the traditional magazine layout and featured contributions from comedians like Sandy Danto, Jessica Gottlieb, and Aaron Waltke. By 2017, Editor-in-Chief Marty Dundics oversaw a team including distinguished humorists such as The New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein, SNL's Jack Handey, author Mike Sacks, among others.

National Lampoon maintained an active presence on social media platforms by generating trending topics on Twitter and branding itself as "The Comedy Brand" across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Collaborations included a partnership with iHeartRadio for National Lampoon Comedy Radio featuring National Lampoon Radio News. Additionally, the website operated an e-commerce store offering branded merchandise and back issues of the original magazine.

Radio

National Lampoon Comedy Radio was a round-the-clock comedy network accessible via XM Satellite Radio, AM/FM radio stations, HD radio, cable radio systems, and podcast services. It began broadcasting on October 1, 2006, and continued for two and a half years.

Affiliated with Clear Channel Communications, broadcasts originated mainly from National Lampoon's headquarters in West Hollywood, California. Programming consisted of pre-recorded shows designed to simulate live comedy talk formats hosted by Nadine Rajabi ("Nadine @ Nite"), Kevin Couch, and Phil Iazzetta. Content included stand-up routines from renowned comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, George Carlin, and Bob Saget, alongside prank calls, parody music segments ("Poon Tunes"), and interviews with comics like Marc Maron and Larry The Cable Guy.

Operations were managed from modest offices on Sunset Blvd., where daily pre-recorded programs were uploaded to XM servers. The venture was financed by Kent Emmons with support from staff members including Tre Giles, David Frederic, and Eugene Chin. Funding ceased in May 2008 due to financial losses—partially attributed to the lack of a dedicated advertising sales team. The Sirius-XM channel continued airing existing content until March 2009 when it was replaced by talk radio programming.

Television

Established in 2002 utilizing assets from the defunct Burly Bear Network, the National Lampoon College Network was a weekly TV block aimed at college campuses and universities. Its style was similar to that of MTVu, MTV’s division focused on college audiences.

Livestreaming

In 2020, National Lampoon initiated a twice-weekly comedy livestream titled National Lampoon Live with Harrison Greenbaum, streamed on both YouTube and Facebook. This initiative aimed to raise funds for the COVID Foundation supporting healthcare professionals and frontline workers. Hosted by comedian Harrison Greenbaum, the program featured stand-up performances and comedic actors participating in topical news panel discussions.

Other media

National Lampoon's Strip Poker: A pay-per-view release in 2005 filmed at Jamaica’s Hedonism II resort featuring Playboy models, WWE personalities, and pin-up models competing in strip poker.
National Lampoon's Knucklehead Video: A platform dedicated to viral extreme sports mishaps and comedic clips.
National Lampoon's Eye for an Eye: A syndicated reality courtroom television series.
National Lampoon's Chess Maniac 5 Billion and 1: An early-1990s PC chess game featuring three-dimensional animated battles. While praised by German publication Aktueller Software Markt, it received criticism from Computer Gaming World for prioritizing marketing over gameplay quality—marking National Lampoon’s entry into interactive entertainment.
National Lampoon's Blind Date: A dating simulation game released in 1994 by Trimark Interactive noted for witty writing according to Entertainment Weekly, though it had mixed reviews in German gaming magazines.

In 2003, Game Show Network produced the comedic game show National Lampoon's Funny Money, hosted by Jimmy Pardo. Contestants competed for points awarded based on audience laughter within the "funny zone," vying for a vacation prize sponsored by National Lampoon.

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