Kevin Hart Speaks On Downsizing HartBeat Productions

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Now listen, let's shift gears because the day of the roast, a a story came out. I would even go so far as to say a hit piece, >> okay?

[00:00:07]>> And the headline said, "Inside a year of chaos and conflict at Kevin Hart's uh media company."

[00:00:12]>> Okay?

[00:00:13]>> So is a report about layoffs and executive shakeups and internal chaos.

[00:00:18]When you see an article like that knowing the media empire you're building, what do you think?

[00:00:23]>> It's dumb. It's dumb. Like what do you >> on the day of your ro?

[00:00:28]>> It's Well, yeah. Because people are looking for [ __ ] clickbait. They're looking for clicks, man. So, okay, how can we take advantage of a narrative facts in Kevin Hart's business? Kevin Hart just did a big deal with Authentic Brands Group. And doing a big deal with Authentic Brands Group. Kevin downsized Heartbeat like the rest of the [ __ ] entertainment business. Reducing opex overhead expenses means you cut back.

[00:00:49]Why? Because you want to keep your margins of plus, well, you want to keep them conservative. Ibida is important.

[00:00:56]Making money in the business is important. A failing business is not well. Making sure that my business operates efficiently is what I did.

[00:01:04]Also, in the world of [ __ ] content, it's forever changing. So, do I want to own all content now? No. Are we producing and developing as we were?

[00:01:14]Yes. You just saw Funny as [ __ ] on Netflix. Hit a great thing. The Roose was produced by Heartbeat. Uh, The Roose. Kevin Hart's next movie, 72 Hours, produced by Heartbeat. Like we just [ __ ] bought we just bought Lee's Lee jeans.

[00:01:29]>> We just bought Neiman Marcus. Like we we are now a part of an ecosystem that will compete with the likes of Bernard or not who is luxury etc. Authentic Brands Group is doing the same thing or no >> the the business of authentic brands groups is not different. Guess Jeans like we Champion Reebok like there's [ __ ] that we [ __ ] have underneath this capsule that's growing and you're gonna look up in [ __ ] five years and you're going to see Shaq Kevin and Beckham like damn man these [ __ ] have been moving like this for quite some time. They're moving and operating at a scale. EVERYBODY CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT.

[00:02:11]You can't see that. You don't understand that. So what my goals are at this point, what I'm trying to do at this point is some [ __ ] that is ridiculously crazy to achieve. And if my focus is on dumb [ __ ] well, how am I [ __ ] working hard at this?

[00:02:28]>> So So there is still a heartbeat cuz people are saying there is no heartbeat is never going >> no longer a company. It's all authentic.

[00:02:34]Like >> Kevin Hart will never do a movie or project and allow someone else to produce for me. Mhm.

[00:02:41]>> It has to come from the concepts of the minds that I believe are great underneath the heartbeat umbrella.

[00:02:47]>> My executive team is still there. My team of creatives are still there. Did I reduce? Yes.

[00:02:54]>> My company was too [ __ ] big. I don't need I don't need 80 people to operate how we're operating now.

[00:03:00]>> Downsize. Save the money.

[00:03:02]>> Save the [ __ ] money. I got offices in New York, Atlanta. Why do I need all that? Why am I watching other businesses get smarter? Why is Netflix laying off people but heartbeats [ __ ] maintaining the masses? Like it's called operation >> operation cause. So when you're thinking about a business make the best decisions on behalf of the business.

[00:03:20]>> I think a lot of it is education because LA Times did this article and in the article they have former and current employees of Heartbeat that they say that they talk to. No one's on record though, right? And they say heart uh employees said that they were that this deal marks the beginning of the end of Heartbeat. talk about um you know staff meetings that have been cancelled, the development of new film and TV projects that have slowed down, new podcasts that were pitched but never produced that went uh they didn't even mention you going months or weeks without coming to the office. Right. But when you talk about building the business, there's a >> Should I be should I be in the office while I'm filming Jamanji?

[00:03:54]>> I don't understand what what is what is the what does the CEO do? The CEO is also talent. Mhm.

[00:04:02]>> Like it's not it's not hard to look at false narratives.

[00:04:06]Who works for Heartbeat that doesn't understand Kevin's schedule, >> touring, acting, or who who would not understand that?

[00:04:15]>> And family time.

[00:04:16]>> Like, who who would not understand that?

[00:04:18]>> You're putting people in position in the office to run a business so that you can have the business and still go do your job. Like, who wouldn't understand that?

[00:04:27]when you go, "Oh, this is said, but it's nobody." Yeah, we don't. A name was not me. Like, what?

[00:04:34]It's not hard to [ __ ] look at smoke and mirrors and realize it's smoking mirrors, man. I I will say factually, there is not an employee that has ever worked for Heartbeat that would not say that Kevin is not only the hardest working guy, he is a man of his word.

[00:04:50]And when it comes to anybody under the Heartbeat umbrella, I've never done wrong by anybody. I've done right by all employees when we were going through [ __ ] I think it was uh when when the COVID [ __ ] happened and and everything changed. I like like my team didn't feel it. My staff didn't feel it.

[00:05:11]>> Like when we were having our woes, >> ups and downs, my staff never felt it.

[00:05:16]>> People's salaries never felt it. So with every piece of negative, if you went to go look, you'll find 30 pieces of positive. Like I'm a good [ __ ] CEO, man.